The International Centre for Pension Management is rewarding four of the most advanced pension research projects after reviewing presentations from several academics in Toronto last week.
“We’re looking for the most thought-provoking and innovative research that has the potential to change the way we think about the pension world,” said Mike Simutin, the ICPM’s associate director of research and professor of finance at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
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Four finalists were asked to present their studies to the ICPM’s research council, an elite group of pension experts tasked with picking a winner. In addition to answering questions from the research council, the rest of the room also contributed with expert questions.
“It’s always nice when we come are able to combine academics and practitioners in the same room and get dual perspectives on a lot of the papers,” says Scott Cederburg, professor of finance and the Thomas C. Moses endowed chair in finance at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management and a member of the research finalists. “I thought it was a great event and I learned a lot.”
The other presenters included Riccardo Sabbatucci, associate professor of finance at the Stockholm School of Economics; Veronika K. Pool, professor of finance at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University; and Guy Lakan, a PhD candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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The research council evaluated the finalists based on the innovation of the research, whether it’s thought-provoking and if it could potentially change the way pensions are managed, Simutin said.
Earlier in the year, the ICPM called on relevant pension researchers to submit their papers on topics as varied as investments, energy transition, pension administration, member communications and risk management, he said. The organization reviewed 70 submissions in total and selected the four finalists.
The winner of the research award prize will be announced this week. The ICPM grants awards totalling $50,000 to the academic community.
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