We are pleased to share the latest edition of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) Research Newsletter, celebrating how our members are taking “A Seat at the Table” to prepare, engage, and make a tangible difference through research.

Inside This Issue:

– A Seat at the Table: Lusani Mulaudzi explores the science of decision-making, looking back at how ASSA-funded research helped shape the South African Law Reform Commission’s landmark report on medico-legal claims.
– Essay Competition Winners: Discover the winning insights from our 2026 outlook exploring Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Actuarial Profession in South Africa, featuring insights from overall winner Kavi Pather and runners-up Sisanda Ngema and Callan Kotzen.
– Research Committee Award Winners: Celebrating excellence across our published papers, convention presentations, and honours contributions, including recipients of the RGA Best Published Papers Prize and Alexforbes Best Paper Award.
– Researcher Spotlight: An engaging interview with part-time olive tree farmer and researcher Adriaan on pushing boundaries, demystifying literature, and the importance of open-sourced knowledge.
– Discord Launch: We are thrilled to launch ASSA’s new Discord-based research communication platform, designed to strengthen collaboration, knowledge sharing, and real-time engagement across all our practice areas!

Why It Matters
From navigating the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and actuarial judgment to contributing to public policy and open-source professional development, our research community continues to move the profession forward.