GSRM student one of three finalists in student competition

Mohammad Soltani-Nejad, a graduate student at the Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Science (GSRM), has been selected as one of three finalists in global credit rating agency A.M. Best’s inaugural Student Challenge competition, which is open to students from risk and insurance graduate and undergraduate programs nationwide.

This competition tasked risk management and insurance students with creating innovative solutions for catastrophe risks. Soltani-Nejad was selected for his submission, “Contingent Pandemic-Response Investment Instrument,” a capital markets solution for pandemic risk. This financial instrument uses tradable securities and contingent capital to fund the development of pandemic vaccines and therapeutics.

A Master of Science candidate in Risk Management and Risk Analytics, Soltani-Nejad brings a varied background to his current studies. In addition to earning an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in finance from universities in his native Iran, he is a Chartered Financial Analyst who spent five years in the private sector as a capital markets analyst in emerging markets.

“Mo is a top-notch student of the GSRM and an Insurance Leader of the Year scholarship recipient,” said his advisor, EAG Manton Chair Professor in International Insurance and Risk Management W. Jean Kwon, Ph.D. “From the moment he joined the GSRM, he has attempted to converge his engineering and applied finance background into risk management and insurance. His essay for this contest demonstrates his capability in this regard.”

The competition’s winners will be announced at A.M. Best’s 28th Annual Review & Preview Conference on March 22-24 in Boca Raton, Fla. Soltani-Nejad and his co-finalists will be featured on AM Best TV, in the Best Review news publication, and on Best’s social media platforms.