From science to insurance: building careers in catastrophe risk

Master of Professional Science Degree Track in Hazards and Catastrophes propels graduates into insurance and risk careers

MIAMI — As global insured losses continue to climb and climate-driven extremes reshape financial risk, the Natural Hazards and Catastrophes track within the Master of Professional Science (MPS) program at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science is preparing graduates for fast-growing careers in insurance, reinsurance, and risk analytics.

The 18-month professional degree blends advanced earth science training with applied tools used by industry, including catastrophe models, statistical software, and geospatial analysis. Graduates are moving directly into roles where scientific expertise informs underwriting, pricing, and climate risk strategy.

Just a few years ago, Douglas Flessner was coordinating emergency logistics in the U.S. Coast Guard during major storms, including Hurricane Idalia.

“I was doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes logistics to make sure all units had enough people, assets and resources to respond best,” said Flessner, who served as assistant to the logistical chief.

Those experiences sparked his interest in the science behind disasters and risk exposure.

After completing his service, Flessner enrolled in the Hazards and Catastrophes track at the Rosenstiel School. Through coursework focused on geohazards and climate impacts — and an internship at the global reinsurance brokerage Guy Carpenter — he built expertise in catastrophe modeling and risk assessment.

“I’ve now received a great scientific understanding of geohazards, like tropical cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires, as well as how climate change is impacting those events, and how they can become disasters, which is when these natural hazards affect people or property,” Flessner added. “This track also helped me get my foot in the door for the catastrophe advisory team at Guy Carpenter, where I am now working part-time.”

Flessner recently started a full-time position with Guy Carpenter, guiding clients using the latest risk models. He is among many alumni now working in the insurance and reinsurance sectors.

The Hazards and Catastrophes track was developed as faculty observed the growth of development in hazard-prone regions. The curriculum was designed to serve insurers, governments, and nonprofits seeking deeper understanding of emerging environmental risks.

“Anywhere you have natural hazards, you need people to estimate that impact on society,” said Tamay Ozgokmen, professor of ocean sciences and coordinator of the track. “We could see this risk increasing, and we wanted to create a program where we would train students about how to do an environmental risk analysis for various clients.”

Industry leaders say demand for this expertise is intensifying.

“2025 will be the sixth year in a row that global insured losses have exceeded $100 billion, which has increased the industry focus on what is driving the uptick in losses,” said Kieran Bhatia, senior vice president and Climate and Sustainability Lead for North America at Guy Carpenter, who earned his doctorate from the Rosenstiel School. “Considering all these crucial details and blending this information with the latest climate science is critical for pricing risk in the insurance industry.”

Students gain hands-on experience quantifying hurricane-force winds and storm surge at the Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. SUSTAIN Laboratory, developing ArcGIS visualizations, and working with the latest catastrophe models. They also explore coastal engineering and risk mitigation strategies.

Alumni say the program’s combination of analytics and communication skills is key to career growth. Elliott Morrill, a 2016 graduate now senior associate director of climate risk advisory at Aon, said the program shaped his professional path.

“Within the MPS program, there were many opportunities to build my knowledge about how we can analyze these naturally occurring events, and to bring analytics and statistics into my scientific training,” said Morrill, adding: “The industry is constantly looking for the latest and greatest knowledge on all risks.”

Rosenstiel School Dean Benjamin Kirtman noted the broader relevance of the professional science curriculum.

“All of these tracks in the MPS curriculum have been thoughtfully designed to be extremely relevant to today’s societal needs and expertise in earth sciences,” Kirtman said.

The Hazards and Catastrophes track is one of 15 MPS pathways at the Rosenstiel School, each combining advanced coursework with internship experience to prepare graduates for careers at the intersection of science and society.