Biography
Dr. Tianxiang Shi is an Associate Professor and Edna Tuttleman Research Fellow in the Department of Risk, Actuarial Science, Healthcare Management, and Legal Studies in the Fox School of Business of Temple University. He is the director of the M.S. Actuarial Science Program and the inaugural director of the Temple-UIBE Joint M.S. Actuarial Science Program.
Dr. Shi’s research interests include pension/retirement risk management, insurance data science, and risk and insolvency analysis. His recent papers mainly focus on pension risk transfers, corporate pension policies, and individual retirement financing mechanisms (e.g., reverse mortgages). His papers have been published in leading actuarial, insurance, and real estate journals, such as the Journal of Risk and Insurance, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, North American Actuarial Journal, and ASTIN Bulletin, among others. His translational research on pension plans and mortality risks has also been published by the Society of Actuaries Research Institute. He is an associate editor for the Asia-Pacific Journal of Risk and Insurance.
Dr. Shi earned his Ph.D. degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Waterloo and was honored to be a recipient of the James C. Hickman Scholarship from the Society of Actuaries. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA). Dr. Shi has been actively serving on educational committees in the Society of Actuaries. He enjoys teaching and is proud of receiving Faculty of the Year Award from the Actuarial Science M.S. program.
Courses Taught
Number | Name | Level |
|---|---|---|
AS 3503 | Short-Term Actuarial Modeling | Undergraduate |
AS 4503 | Advanced Short-Term Actuarial Modeling | Undergraduate |
AS 5102 | Long-Term Actuarial Modeling | Graduate |
AS 5104 | Short-Term Actuarial Modeling | Graduate |
AS 5114 | Advanced Short-Term Actuarial Modeling | Graduate |
AS 5685 | Actuarial Internship | Graduate |
Selected Publications
Recent
Lin, Y. & Shi, T. (2026). The big Thaw: Unfreeze defined benefit pension with cash balance plans. Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, 128, 103245-103245. Elsevier BV. doi: 10.1016/j.insmatheco.2026.103245.
Jiang, Q. & Shi, T. (2024). Auto Insurance Pricing Using Telematics Data: Application of a Hidden Markov Model. North American Actuarial Journal, 28(4), 822-839. Informa UK Limited. doi: 10.1080/10920277.2023.2285977.
Lin, Y., MacMinn, R.D., & Shi, T. (2023). Do pension buyouts help or hurt employees (retirees)? Journal of Risk and Insurance, 90(3), 667-702. Wiley. doi: 10.1111/jori.12423.
MacMinn, R., Lin, Y., & Shi, T. (2023). Buy-ins, buy-outs, longevity bonds, and the creation of value. Journal of Demographic Economics, 89(3), 329-347. Cambridge University Press (CUP). doi: 10.1017/dem.2023.7.
Shi, T. & You, X. (2023). Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans: Employer Withdrawals and Financial Vulnerability. North American Actuarial Journal, 27(1), 121-147. Informa UK Limited. doi: 10.1080/10920277.2022.2041040.
Lee, Y. & Shi, T. (2022). Valuation of Reverse Mortgages with Surrender: A Utility Approach. The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 65(4), 593-621. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi: 10.1007/s11146-021-09869-7.
Shi, T. & Lee, Y. (2021). Prepayment risk in reverse mortgages: An intensity-governed surrender model. Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, 98, 68-82. doi: 10.1016/j.insmatheco.2021.02.008.