Research Fellows Program
How It Works
Our Research Fellows Program is intended to foster new and innovative research in insurance regulation by providing resources to researchers working in this field. Fellows are named for a one-year period and given a stipend and access to relevant NAIC data and materials. Applications for the 2023 Research Fellows Program are currently being accepted through January 20, 2023. Application information is available here: Research Fellows Applications 2023
Connect
You will engage with regulatory subject matter experts for guidance on your research.
Equip
We will provide a stipend and access to available NAIC data and experts who steward it.
Publish
We will share your research report with the CIPR audience of regulators, academics, and thought leaders and encourage you to submit for publication.
Current Fellows

Jingshu Luo
Jingshu Luo, Ph.D., is a 2021 National Association of Insurance Commissioners Research Fellow. Dr. Luo is assistant professor of finance at University of Mississippi's Business School. Her research interests include corporate risk management, insurance economics, and public policy while her teaching interests include risk management, insurance, and corporate finance. She earned a Ph.D. degree in Risk Management and Insurance from Temple University, a Master’s degree in Economics from Rutgers University-Newark, and a Bachelor’s degree in Insurance and Accounting from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (China).
Dr. Luo's Fellows project focused on the patterns and factors impacting the diffusion of NAIC Model Laws.

Jamie Parson
Dr. Jamie Parson is Chief Diversity Officer at Appalachian State University and an associate professor in the Department of Finance, Banking, and Insurance. She teaches undergraduate courses in business law and personal insurance. In addition, she leads the Walker College of Business’ Inclusive ExcellenceTeam and the Risk Management & Insurance diversity initiatives. Her research interests primarily concentrate in the area of insurance regulation including extensive involvement with the passing of the North Carolina Foster Care Family Act (July 2015). She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology-Anthropology from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Parson's Fellows research is in the area of rebating law.

Stuart J. Heckman
Stuart J. Heckman is a Certified Financial Planner™ and an Associate Professor of Personal Financial Planning at Kansas State University. He currently serves as the Academic Editor of the Journal of Financial Planning. His research focuses on professional financial planning and on financial decisions involving uncertainty, especially among young adults and college students.
Dr. Heckman's Fellows project is on racial and ethnic differences in risk literacy.

Kyeonghee Kim
Kyeonghee is an assistant professor of risk management and insurance in the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate and Legal Studies at Florida State University’s College of Business. Her primary research focus is the implications of market imperfections and regulation for financial institutions. She is especially interested in life and health insurance company operations. Kyeonghee’s research interest also extends to topics in population health, using nationally representative survey data on health (e.g., NHIS, NHANES, and MEPS).
Dr. Kim's Fellows research is on the underwriting of sea level rise risks.

Abed G. Rabbani
Dr. Abed G. Rabbani is an assistant professor of personal financial planning in the Division of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He received a Ph.D. degree in Financial Planning from the University of Georgia. He teaches CFP® curriculum in retirement planning, risk management & insurance, and tax planning at the graduate and undergraduate levels. His research is focused primarily on financial risk tolerance, financial knowledge, and risk literacy. He is also a Certified Financial Planner™.
Dr. Rabbani's Fellows research is on the topic of life insurance literacy.