Insurance Data Science Conference 2026

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

For two days, Hannover became a meeting point for the international insurance data science community. The Insurance Data Science Conference 2026, organized this year by the House of Insurance (Leibniz University Hannover) and hosted at HDI, welcomed more than 170 participants from academia and industry to discuss the latest advances in data science, analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and InsurTech.

On June 9–10, 2026, the conference offered a unique platform for researchers and practitioners from around the world to exchange ideas, showcase their projects, and strengthen collaboration between academia and industry. The program was broad: keynote talks and contributed sessions with over 40 presentations covered the intersection of theory and practice on topics including climate and emerging risks, mortality modeling, fairness in insurance pricing, advanced risk analytics, and machine learning under uncertainty.

Presentation files are available here for speakers who have kindly agreed to share their slides.

Three keynote talks provided important insights on artificial intelligence and model uncertainty in insurance. Kicking off the event with a strong opening, Frank Chang shared recent advances in artificial intelligence and their relevance for insurance applications. Silvana Pesenti set the tone for the second day with her keynote on model modification and combination in dynamic settings, discussing how dynamic models can be adapted and combined to better reflect real-world views and expert knowledge. Thomas Kuhnt followed in the afternoon, reflecting on the role of insurance in the age of artificial intelligence and the changes it brings to the industry. A panel discussion chaired by Stefan Weber and featuring Frank Chang, Silvana Pesenti, and Silke Sehm — member of the executive board at Hannover Re — brought together different perspectives on how artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping insurance practice along with its implications for risk assessment, insurability, and the governance of emerging risks.

Keynote Speakers

Frank Chang (Uber) — Frank Chang started his career as a traditional actuary, and transitioned to non-traditional actuarial work when he joined Google as their first actuary in 2012. He joined Uber in 2014 and currently is a Vice President of Applied Science in Core Services.
Thomas Kuhnt (HDI Global SE) — Thomas Kuhnt is Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at HDI Global SE, a leading global corporate and specialty insurer. He has held these roles since 2018, overseeing technology, digital transformation, and operations.
Silvana Pesenti (University of Toronto) — Silvana Pesenti is an Associate Professor in Insurance Risk Management in the Department of Statistical Sciences at the University of Toronto. She is on the editorial boards of several leading journals, including Annals of Actuarial Science, ASTIN Bulletin, and SIAM Journal on Financial Mathematics.

Thank you very much to all speakers, all participants, and everyone who contributed to the engaging atmosphere. We are grateful to the Scientific Committee and the House of Insurance, as well as HDI for hosting the event. We are excited to see many of you again at next year’s Insurance Data Science Conference 2027 at University College Dublin on 8—9 June.

.Hannover | Insurance Data Science Conference

Insurance Data Science Conference 2026

Keynote Speakers

Programme & slides