The new academic partners bring additional science to confront the
industry challenges of managing extremes and supporting
sustainability through research in natural catastrophes, building
vulnerability, life reinsurance, capital modelling, workers’
compensation and other
fields.
The new WRN members, senior academics and selected areas of collaboration include:
- NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton: Prof. Isaac Held (Tropical Cyclones)
- Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center,
Florida State University: Prof. Patrick Maroney (Tropical Cyclones) - University of Oklahoma, School of Meteorology: Prof. Harold Brooks
(Tornado & Hail) - School of Engineering, University of California, Merced: Prof. Anthony Westerling (Wildfire)
- Institute of Building
& Home Safety, North Carolina: Julie Rochman. (Building Vulnerability) - Climate Decision Making Center, Carnegie Mellon University:
Dr. Iris Grossmann (Climate Impacts) - School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Georgia Tech: Prof. Glenn Rix (Marine
Port Seismic Risk) - Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania: Prof. Howard Kunreuther (Catastrophe Risk Financing & Public
Policy) - Department of Strategic General Management, Fox School of Business, Temple University: Prof. James Hutchin (Sustainability &
Risk Management) - Department of Risk Management and Insurance, Georgia State University: Prof. Richard Phillips (Economic Capital
Modelling, Life Reinsurance)
The new institutions join four existing US WRN members at Princeton, the National Center for Atmospheric Research,
Scripps Institute and the University of Colorado.
Commenting on the growth of the Network, Jim Bradshaw, CEO, Willis Re North America, said: “The WRN
is delivering remarkable improvements in the breadth and quality of science and modelling that will not
only aid our clients in their risk management and reinsurance decision-making, but also assist society at
large in its efforts to protect exposed populations and property. We are delighted to support such
a broad spectrum of leading US institutions and bring their work and expertise to help our
clients and the industry to achieve new levels of understanding and capability.”