Penn State Smeal College of Business
Business Building
475 Shortlidge Rd
University Park, PA 16802

Associate Professor
Dr. Zhongyi Yuan is an Associate Professor of Risk Management and Elliott Fellow in Actuarial Science at Smeal College of Business. Dr. Yuan is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA). He was a James Hickman scholar awarded by the Society of Actuaries (SOA). Dr. Yuan's research focuses on catastrophe risk management, tail risk analysis, and insurance risk securitization. His research has been sponsored by the SOA and has appeared in leading actuarial journals, such as ASTIN Bulletin, European Actuarial Journal, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, and North American Actuarial Journal, as well as leading journals in related fields, such as Extremes and European Journal of Operational Research.
Ph.D. in Statistics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 2013-05-01 M.S. in Applied Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 2008-01-01 B.S. in Computer Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 2004-01-01
R M 410 – Compound Interest and Annuities
Compound interest and annuity functions; life annuities; equations of value; determination of yield rates; bonds; introduction to derivatives.
R M 420 – Property and Casualty Insurance
Actuarial methods and concepts used to develop manual rates for property and casualty insurance.
R M 420 – Property, Casuality, and Health Insurance
Actuarial methods and concepts used to model property, casualty and health insurance losses along with credibility theory.
RM 410 – FIN MATH FOR ACTSC
Compound interest and annuity functions; life annuities; equations of value; determination of yield rates; bonds; introduction to derivatives. R M 410 Financial Mathematics for Actuaries (3) The first section of the course focuses on Interest Theory, including compound interest, annuities- certain, and life annuities; equations of value; loans and their valuation; the pricing of bonds (with and without default), determining their yields to maturity and outstanding balances; determination of yield rates, spot rates, forward rates, and At-Par rates; duration of an asset or liability, and immunization of interest rate risk. The second section introduces students to derivatives, including the description, payoffs, and profits of forwards, futures, puts, calls, and swaps, and how to use them to manage a company's or investor's financial risks. The course helps prepare actuarial students for the international actuarial exam FM (Financial Mathematics).
RM 410 – Financial Mathematics for Actuaries
Compound interest and annuity functions; life annuities; equations of value; determination of yield rates; bonds; introduction to derivatives.R M 410 Financial Mathematics for Actuaries (3) The first section of the course focuses on Interest Theory, including compound interest, annuities-certain, and life annuities; equations of value; loans and their valuation; the pricing of bonds (with and without default), determining their yields to maturity and outstanding balances; determination of yield rates, spot rates, forward rates, and At-Par rates; duration of an asset or liability, and immunization of interest rate risk. The second section introduces students to derivatives, including the description, payoffs, and profits of forwards, futures, puts, calls, and swaps, and how to use them to manage a company's or investor's financial risks. The course helps prepare actuarial students for the international actuarial exam FM (Financial Mathematics).
RM 412 – Actuarial Math II
Joint-life and survivor-life functions, population life tables, and multiple decrement theory, with applications to disability and retirement problems.
RM 412 – LONG TERM ACTUARIAL MATH ADV
A study of joint-life and survivor-life functions, population life tables, and multiple decrement theory, with applications to disability and retirement problems. The course provides a solid understanding of the advanced topics in long-term actuarial mathematics, and helps actuarial students prepare for the Advanced Long-Term Actuarial Mathematics (ALTAM) actuarial exam. Topics covered include: 1) Key concepts of multiple state survival models, including calculations of premium and policy values, 2) Analysis of emerging surplus and apply profit testing principles, 3) Basic pension/retirement benefits, including accrual, valuation and funding calculations, and 4) Various equity-linked life insurance guarantees and options, including relevant pricing, reserving and hedging principles. Building on these topics, students will be able to apply theoretical concepts to real-world insurance problems using a project-based approach focused on one or more advanced topics covered in the course.
RM 420 – Prp Cslty Hlth Ins
Actuarial methods and concepts used to develop manual rates for property and casualty insurance.
RM 421 – Short Term Actuarial Math Fund
RM 421 provides a solid understanding of actuarial methods and concepts used to develop loss models for property and casualty insurance and health insurance. The course makes use of real world numerical examples in order to demonstrate how actuaries use historical claims and pricing data, both company specific and industry, to determine rates and increases. Topics covered include: 1) Understand the key features of insurance and reinsurance coverages, 2) Understand the characteristics of severity, frequency and aggregate models, 3) Understand the concepts and applications of credibility theory, 4) Apply basic methods for calculation of premiums and reserves for short term insurance coverages. The course helps actuarial students to prepare for the international Fundamentals of Actuarial Mathematics (FAM) exam.
RM 422 – Short Term Actuarial Math Adv
This course covers advanced topics of actuarial methods and concepts used to develop loss models for property and casualty insurance and health insurance. The course makes use of real world numerical examples in order to demonstrate how actuaries use historical claims and pricing data, both company specific and industry, to determine rates and increases. Topics covered include: 1) Interpretation and calculations with severity, frequency and aggregate models, 2) Construction and selection of parametric models, 3) Estimation of losses using credibility procedures, and 4) Pricing and reserving for short-term insurance coverages. The course helps to prepare actuarial students for the international Advanced Short-Term Actuarial Mathematics (ASTAM) actuarial exam.
RM 497 – Special Topics
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
Asimit V., Yuan Z., Zhou F. "Tail similarity" Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, vol. 121, 2025-01-01
Kale U., Kooken A., Yuan Z., Roy A. "Teaching Science via Computational Thinking?Enabling Future Science Teachers’ Access toComputational Thinking" 2023-09-03
Yuan Z., Savadatti S., Houchins A., Kale U. "Engineering students’ experience of surprise caused by test performance in foundational courses" vol. 16, 2023-08-30
Yuan Z. "Guidelines for preparing for, designing, and implementing peer assessment in online courses" vol. 22, 2023-01-01
Li H., Liu H., Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Pricing extreme mortality risk in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic" Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, vol. 108, 2023-01-01
Kale U., Yuan Z., Roy A. "Thinking processes in Code.org: A relational analysis approach to computational thinking" 2022-11-13
Stewart A., Yuan Z., Kale U., McCartney M. "Making space for writing: Makerspace activities and academic language in a middle school science classroom" 2022-09-01
Toi H., Yuan Z., Follmer J., Kale U., White C. "The impacts of an entrepreneurial course on secondary students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions" 2022-07-01
Stewart A., Yuan Z. "Maker activities and academic writing in a middle school science class" vol. 1, 2022-05-01
Yuan Z., Kim C., Vasconcelos L., Shin M., Gleasman C., Umutlu D. "Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Engineering Design During a Robotics Project" 2022-05-01
Shen C., Yuan Z. "A Hydro-EVT approach to flood insurance pricing" 2022-01-01
Liu H., Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Indifference Pricing of Insurance-Linked Securities in a Multi-period Model" European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 289, 2021-01-01
Yuan Z., Savadatti S., Zheng G. "Self-assessing one's test with timely elaborated video feedback enhances low performers' achievement" 2021-01-01
Kale U., Yuan Z. "Still a New Kid on the Block? Computational thinking as problem solving in Code.org" vol. 59, 2020-11-17
Yuan Z., Yuan Z., Roy A. "To design or to integrate? Instructional design versus technology integration processes in developing learning interventions" vol. 68, 2020-01-01
Kim C., Yuan Z., Kim D., Doshi P., Thai C. N., Hill R. B., Melias E. "Studying the usability of an intervention to promote teachers' use of robotics in STEM education" vol. 56, 2019-11-01
Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Pricing CAT Bonds under a Product Probability Measure with POT Risk Characterization." ASTIN Bulletin: The Journal of the IAA, vol. 49, 2019-01-01
Yuan Z., Kim C., Hill R. B., Kim D. "Robotics Integration for Learning with Technology" 2019-01-01
Blanchet J. H., Lam H., Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Robust Actuarial Risk Analysis" North American Actuarial Journal, vol. 23, 2019-01-01
Yuan Z., Bowen R. "Lifelong kindergarten: Cultivating creativity through projects, passion, peers, and play" vol. 12, 2018-08-06
Yuan Z., Kim C. "The Effects of Autonomy Support on Student Engagement in Peer Assessment" vol. 66, 2018-08-01
Kim C., Yuan Z., Vasconcelos L., Shin M. "Debugging during Block-Based Programming" vol. 46, 2018-05-12
Ambrose B. W., Yuan Z. "Pricing Government Credit: A New Method for Determining Government Risk Exposure" Economic Policy Review, vol. 24, 2018-01-01
Shi X., Tang Q., Yuan Z. "A Limit Distribution of Credit Portfolio Losses with Low Default Probabilities" Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, vol. 73, 2017-01-01
Chen Y., Yuan Z. "A Revisit to Ruin Probabilities in the Presence of Heavy-tailed Insurance and Financial Risks" Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, vol. 73, 2017-01-01
Yuan Z. "An Asymptotic Characterization of Hidden Tail Credit Risk with Actuarial Applications" European Actuarial Journal, vol. 7, 2017-01-01
Blanchet J. H., Lam H., Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Mitigating Extreme Risks through Securitization" 2017-01-01
Kim C., Yuan Z., Shin M., Hill R. "Prepare pre-service early childhood teachers to teach mathematics with robots" 2017-01-01
Blanchet J. H., Lam H., Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Applied Robust Performance Analysis for Actuarial Applications" 2016-01-01
Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Random Difference Equations with Subexponential Innovations" Science China Mathematics, vol. 59, 2016-01-01
Wei L., Yuan Z. "The Loss Given Default of a Low-Default Portfolio with Weak Contagion" Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, vol. 66, 2016-01-01
Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Interplay of Insurance and Financial Risks with Bivariate Regular Variation" Extreme Value Modeling and Risk Analysis, 2015-12-01
Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Randomly Weighted Sums of Subexponential Random Variables with Application to Capital Allocation" Extremes, vol. 17, 2014-05-06
Tang Q., Yuan Z. "Asymptotic Analysis of the Loss Given Default in the Presence of Multivariate Regular Variation" North American Actuarial Journal, vol. 17, 2013-09-01
Tang Q., Yuan Z. "A Hybrid Estimate for the Finite-time Ruin Probability in a Bivariate Autoregressive Risk Model with Application to Portfolio Optimization" North American Actuarial Journal, vol. 16, 2012-07-01