Steven Vanduffel

Steven Vanduffel is a Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium, affiliated with the Department of Finance, Insurance, Risk & Economics. He heads the FIRE (Finance, Insurance, Risk & Economics) research group and holds additional administrative positions including Rector, Vice Rector, Dean, or Department Chair roles. His office is located at Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels.

Professor Vanduffel's research focuses on quantitative risk management, actuarial science, and financial decision-making with specialized expertise in portfolio optimization, dependence modeling, longevity risk, pension systems, and Value-at-Risk methodologies. His work bridges theoretical finance with practical applications in insurance and pension design.

His extensive publication record shows consistent focus on:

• Advanced risk measurement techniques and model uncertainty
• Optimal risk-sharing mechanisms in pensions and insurance
• Portfolio construction under complex constraints
• Statistical methods for financial applications

Awards & Recognition:

• Robert I. Mehr Award (2022)
• Robert C. Witt Award (2018)
• PRMIA Frontiers in Risk Management Award (2014)
• Johan de Witt Prijs (2012)
• Lloyds Science of Risk Prize (2011)

He actively advises graduate students, with recent Master's theses supervised on topics including COVID-19 impacts on businesses, pension systems, investment behavior, and insurance risk analysis. Current research projects (2024-2029) focus on systemic risk, longevity risk sharing, and dependence modeling applications in finance and insurance.