Prof. Powers’ passion for his field shines through. A recipient of several academic awards, he has published many articles in the field of risk and insurance mathematics. When asked why he decided to come to China, he says that he was attracted by the support for academic research in his field of study. He mentions that China’s insurance market is regulated at the national level, along with banking and securities, whereas the U.S. insurance market is regulated at the state level. He believes that there are benefits to organizing research projects and seminars along these three divisions – banking, securities, and insurance – and hopes that SEM’s finance department can make strong contributions to each area.