Michael R. Powers is the Zurich Insurance Group Chair Professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management.  He holds a dual appointment as professor of economics and business at Tsinghua’s Schwarzman College, and served as chair of Tsinghua’s finance department from 2012 to 2015.

In 2013, Powers won the Kulp-Wright Book Award for Acts of God and Man: Ruminations on Risk and Insurance, in which he proposes a new “science of risk”.  He is co-editor of three academic books – The Political Economy of Chinese Finance; Global Risk Management: Financial, Operational, and Insurance Strategies; and The Economics and Politics of Choice No-Fault Insurance – and author of the science-fiction novel, Icons. He also has published over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and commentary pieces.

Professor Powers joined Tsinghua from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, where he was professor of risk management and insurance. Prior to that, he served as deputy insurance commissioner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and was responsible for designing Pennsylvania’s current “choice” no-fault automobile insurance system.

Powers provides regular commentary for CGTN's Global Watch, Global Business, and World Insight programs, as well as CGTN Radio's World Today and Biz Today shows.  He frequently is interviewed by major international media organizations, and has given speeches and seminars at academic and business conferences around the world.

He received his B.S. in applied mathematics (summa cum laude) from Yale University, and his Ph.D. in statistics from Harvard University.