The GradFUTURES professional development team at Princeton University’s Graduate School announces an industry immersion and experiential learning partnership with Munich Reinsurance (Munich Re), a world leader in providing reinsurance, primary insurance, and insurance-related risk solutions across the globe.

GradFUTURES is accepting applications from Princeton graduate students for paid micro-internships available at Munich Re this fall. To learn more and apply, visit this link.

The partnership with Munich Re is part of the recently launched GradFUTURES Micro-Internships in Industry Program, an effort to design immersive experiences for Princeton’s doctoral students to explore their professional interests and apply their training in business. Through part-time, paid internships, graduate students work in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams alongside scientists, researchers, and business leaders while working under the direction of an industry mentor.

“The partnership with Munich Re came about because of the commitment of Princeton graduate alumnus Raghuveer Vinukollu, a long-time mentor and champion of our graduate students,” said Eva Kubu, senior associate dean for professional development at the Princeton Graduate School. Kubu leads the GradFUTURES initiative.

Vinukollu earned his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton in 2011 and is the head of climate insights and advisory at Munich Re. He facilitated the partnership with the Graduate School to support the professional development of current graduate students and create a robust talent pipeline within his organization.

“The GradFUTURES program provides an outstanding opportunity for current graduate students to engage with Princeton University graduate alumni, said Vinukollu. “As a mentor, my experience has been deeply fulfilling, involving connecting two highly driven Ph.D. candidates with opportunities in the organization – one interning through the GradFUTURES Micro-Internship Program and the other now serving as a Property Underwriter at Munich Re US.”

Vinukollu added, “It’s been immensely rewarding to engage with these brilliant minds and help nurture the future of the insurance industry.”

Kubu underlines the value of the experience for Princeton graduate students, “This partnership with Munich Re allows us to offer a flexible way for Ph.D. students to gain industry exposure, build a wide network of mentors, and contribute to field-leading research and innovation.” She adds that the industry experience “complements the discipline-specific training of graduate students, helping them to understand the real-world application of their skills.”

One of Vinukollu’s mentees, current graduate student Elena Watts from the Princeton Department of Geosciences, held the first Princeton micro-internship at Munich Re in the summer of 2024. She underscored the value and impact of academic-industry partnerships when it comes to skill-building. “Through this internship, I am learning about approaches taken within the insurance industry to estimate vulnerability to critical infrastructure failures,” said Watts. “Although my Ph.D. research focuses more on magmatic processes in deep time, this internship has given me the opportunity to improve my coding, GIS, and statistical skills, which are all useful to my research as well.” 

Marcus Winter, President and CEO of Munich Re US, sees the impact of working with GradFUTURES. “Our partnership with Princeton gives students the unique opportunity to explore a very broad spectrum of our business activities,” said Winter. “We recently hired some ‘Princetonians’ who now work on risk transfer products. Examples of what these products do include helping to pay for the repair of homes after natural catastrophes or facilitating the payout of compensation after accidents.”

Shannon Hoffman, a recent 2024 Ph.D. graduate from Princeton’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, works full-time as a property underwriter at Munich Re. She had been matched with Vinukollu as a mentor through the GradFUTURES mentorship program and became familiar with the company during her many conversations with Vinukollu about her interests in environmental stewardship and climate change.

“When I was first being matched to a mentor,” said Hoffman, “the one thing I asked for was to be paired with someone doing something non-traditional with their engineering PhD. I'd say reinsurance definitely fit that request! As time went on and I learned more about this mysterious industry I hadn't heard of, I found that I was fascinated by the types of problems Munich Re works on, the cause-and-effect thinking, and its place in addressing the climate crisis.”

Vinukollu introduced the then-Princeton graduate student to many other colleagues at the organization so she could explore her interests, ask questions, and learn more about the industry. According to Hoffman, “By the time I approached the job search almost two years later, I already knew Munich Re was somewhere I could see myself thriving.”

Tim Brockett, Head of Specialty at Munich Re US, is pleased with the success of the GradFUTURES relationship, which, he says, has allowed Munich Re to tap into the exceptional talent of Princeton University's graduate students. “The partnership between Princeton University and Munich Re has resulted in difference-making outcomes for our underwriting teams and our clients, said Brockett. “We are excited to see where future collaborations will lead.”

Graduate student Elena Watts and graduate alumna Shannon Hoffman offered the following advice for current Princeton graduate students:

My advice for other grad students would be to pursue internship opportunities like this sooner rather than later. Whether you are confident you want a career outside of academia post-grad or are just trying to take stock of your options, getting firsthand experience with a company and a project will give you a ton of insight. I definitely felt the temptation to avoid thinking about my transition out of academia until the last minute, but in the end taking time to seriously invest in my professional development before my defense is imminent has done so much to ease my stress and anxiety about the process. – Elena Watts, Ph.D. Student, Geosciences

While a Ph.D. is predominantly focused on research, mentorship enriched the experience to so much beyond a research project. Between talking through how to navigate tricky situations at work, learning how to effectively network, and being connected to others working careers I hadn't previously considered, having a mentor helped me hone some of the soft skills essential to a successful career while gaining a much better understanding of just how broad the possibilities are for after you graduate! – Shannon Hoffman *24, Chemical and Biological Engineering

In addition to the micro-internship program, GradFUTURES offers five other experiential programs and 150+ professional development programs each year to help graduate students build the critical skills and competencies—and meaningful connections—they need to thrive and succeed at Princeton and beyond. Graduate alums and other academic institutions, nonprofits, government offices, and business organizations have joined the Graduate School’s ecosystem of partners on and off campus, offering professional development opportunities for graduate students to explore.

Princeton graduate students can find information about experiential opportunities on the GradFUTURES website and in the GradFUTURES weekly newsletter. Graduate students may also schedule an office hours appointment to discuss their interests and questions with assistant deans Sonali Majumdar (natural sciences and engineering) or James Van Wyck (humanities and social sciences).