Mathematical Sciences

The department welcomes Assistant Professor Xiaoyu (Univa) Song to Bentley. She recently earned her Ph.D. in actuarial science, risk management and insurance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with minors in statistics and mathematics. Song's research focuses on health risk, retirement markets and the value of longevity — areas that align closely with Bentley’s strengths in actuarial and applied mathematics. She brings a strong research pipeline, interdisciplinary training and a commitment to student-centered teaching.  

Song has presented her work at leading conferences, including the Actuarial Research Conference and the Risk Theory Society Seminar, and has received multiple awards for academic excellence. She is also an experienced instructor in analytics, statistics and finance, and is eager to contribute to Bentley’s actuarial science and optimization curriculum. 

Professor Hon Kueng (Tony) Ng has been appointed co-editor-in-chief of Communications in Statistics–Simulation and Computation. This peer-reviewed journal is a leading platform for cutting-edge research in computational and simulation-based statistical methods.  

Ng's appointment to this esteemed editorial role is a testament to his scholarly excellence and leadership in the field. In this capacity, he will play a pivotal role in shaping the journal’s direction and advancing the frontiers of computational statistics. 

Actuarial Science major Bill Palfrey ’25 was named a recipient of Bentley’s 2025 David A. Fedo Award for Exceptional Contributions to the Arts and Sciences. Established in 1991 in honor of the university’s former associate dean of liberal arts (1980-90), the prestigious annual award recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding leadership and dedication to the Bentley community.  

“Bill’s academic achievements are stellar, and he is one of our all-time, all-around most talented students,” says Associate Professor Emmy Roth. “His contributions — including rebuilding Bentley’s chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma, a professional fraternity for the insurance and risk management profession, and tutoring in the Mathematics Learning Center — have helped transform the experiences of many of our students.”