2023 Provost’s Program Black and Indigenous Postdoctoral Scholar: Samuel Gyamerah (he/him)

The agriculture and agribusiness sector accounts for a significant share of all the major economic activities and sources of income among smallholder farmers in Ghana and across Africa. The agriculture and agribusiness sector accounts for a significant share of all the major economic activities and sources of income among smallholder farmers in Ghana and across Africa. However, the sector continues to be controlled by primary production as a result of high climate variability and hydrological flows, especially in the Northern Savannas of Ghana. Generally, weather variables are difficult to mitigate, especially for small-holder farmers, and they mostly have a great impact on the farming activities of these farmers. For this reason, an effective and reliable weather risk management tool (weather derivative) is needed to hedge farmers and agricultural stakeholders from the perils of weather extremes and uncertainties. The work will establish an optimal model that minimizes "compound" basis risk. This study will help companies and individuals overcome the loss of crop yield due to extreme and volatile weather events. They can explore the possibility of hedging the risks due to weather by buying weather derivatives that guarantee a payoff once there is forecasted erratic or extreme weather.

1. Publish High-Impact Research Papers
2. Establish Collaborative Research Partnerships
3. Secure External Research Funding
4. Mentoring and Student Engagement
5. Knowledge Dissemination and Outreach

Institute and Faculty of Actuaries registration and travel support grant for Insurance: Mathematics and Economics Congress 2023 

Through this grant, I was able to attend and present my research work to the academic and industry community. I gained valuable suggestions and comments during the oral presentation which have directly improved the quality of the research.

Developed Assistance Committee (DAC) Funding for early career researcher, Optimal Control and Fractional Dynamics at the Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge. Workshop travelling grant 

The support for this grant exposed me to diverse perspectives and approaches within the area of optimal control and fractional dynamics. This exposure has given me new insights and fresh ideas for related research.

Initiative of Extreme Weather and Climate, Columbia University, USA. Workshop travelling grant 

Through this grant, I was able to attend and present my research work to the academic and industry community. I gained valuable suggestions and comments during the poster presentation which have directly improved the quality of the research.

The Fields Institute for Research and Mathematical Sciences, Toronto-Canada. Long Term Visitor Funding Grant

Through his grant, I was exposed to new perspectives, theories, and approaches in doing research. It was also a fertile ground for academic and industry networking.

Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM), Basque-Spain. Visitor Funding Grant for research in Energy Management 

Through this grant, I was exposed to new perspectives, theories, and approaches in doing research. It was also a fertile ground for academic and industry networking.

African Union PhD Scholarship

This award provided a platform for my Doctor of Philosphy studies which has tremendously helped to develop my academic and research skills in all facets.

Weather derivatives have developed into a promising market-based risk financing solution for agricultural weather risk. However, most of the pricing approaches in weather derivatives are sensitive to model uncertainty, and this can be mitigated by making models more robust to volatility. The conventional method to mitigate the volatility in most conventional weather derivative models is to model the volatility of the underlying weather variable using a stochastic process. However, this method leads to model uncertainty. We develop a new theoretical framework for modelling and pricing growing degree-day weather derivatives under volatility uncertainty. The diffusion process of the underlying weather variable (temperature) is driven by a G-Brownian motion, which represents the volatility uncertainty. In particular, we present a robust pricing method for growing degree-day-indexed weather derivatives with a non-linear Brownian motion. Our pricing technique can be used to manage climate risk in the agricultural sector.

I am particularly attracted to the outstanding faculty members in my research field who are leaders in their respective areas of expertise. Being able to learn from these experts and potentially collaborate on research projects is an exciting prospect for my career. The university’s inclusive and vibrant community, coupled with its diversity, are also some of the motivating factors that made me choose to come to the University of Waterloo.

I am looking forward to the countless opportunities for personal and academic growth, networking, and research collaboration at the University of Waterloo. I also look forward to contributing to teaching and outreach in the university community.