Dr. Kristina Sendova is an Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario. A leading expert in actuarial science with a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, she has direct industry experience as an actuary at Allianz Bulgaria Life. Her research focuses on practical applications of risk and ruin theory, including optimizing insurance dividend strategies, modeling mortality risks, and developing data-driven approaches for retirement income planning. As one of the lead researchers of Canada’s Financial Wellness Lab, she heads initiatives that translate complex risk models into actionable insights for the financial and insurance sectors. Dr. Sendova has a strong record of major funded collaborations, including multi-million dollar grants from the Ontario Research Fund and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, demonstrating her capacity to deliver high-impact, industry-relevant results.