Congratulations to Zhiyang Cheng, this year’s winner of the Mehta-Jenner Climate Change Mitigation Graduate Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship was established by Adarsh Mehta (BMath ’98) and Jeffrey Jenner (BMath ’84) to support graduate students doing research at the intersection of mathematics and the environment.
Cheng recently graduated with her MMath in Actuarial Science, and will begin a PhD in Actuarial Science and Quantitative Finance at Waterloo in winter 2026.
“I am truly happy and moved to receive this award,” Cheng says. “It’s a great recognition of the work I’ve done at Waterloo. At the same time, it’s like a gift as I prepare to begin my PhD journey. This award not only validates my past efforts but also motivates me to continue working hard in the next chapter of my academic career.”
Cheng’s research focuses on improving insurance mechanisms to help farmers manage risks related to climate change – particularly extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. According to Cheng, “traditional insurance can be too simplistic and doesn’t always provide adequate protection.” Her work introduces a new way to design agricultural insurance using a Conditional Value-at-Risk framework. Doing so results in a “more flexible, effective insurance model that can better protect farmers against the financial impacts of climate-related events, while being practical and easier to implement.”
In addition to her research, Cheng has worked as a teaching assistant for several courses in the Faculty of Mathematics. An international student, she has enjoyed the opportunity to learn herself while helping students with course materials and assignments.
She is grateful to her supervisors Chengguo Weng (professor of SAS) and Lisa Gao (assistant professor of SAS), as well as to Mehta and Jenner for their support of climate research.
After graduating with her PhD, Cheng hopes to continue researching and teaching in actuarial science. “I want to follow in the footsteps of Adarsh Mehta and Jeffrey Jenner by supporting women in research and contributing to work that addresses important global challenges like climate change. I aim to inspire and empower others through my own efforts, just as they have inspired me.”
To learn more about the Mehta-Jenner Climate Change Mitigation Graduate Scholarship, and other award opportunities, visit the Faculty of Mathematics awards website.