Professor Steve Chan Big Data Scientist represents Swansea University

1. Digital Destination: Creating Value and Improving
Lives: 1st March 2016 – St. David’s Day, Brussels
Swansea University is pleased to announce that Professor Steve Chan, together with Robert Madelin, Senior
Advisor for Innovation to Commission President Juncker and former Director-General of DG CONNECT, will be
expert panelists and speakers at this event on St David’s Day in Brussels.
The event, sponsored by Welsh Government, will “consider aspects of the strategy of particular relevance to regional and
local governments, notably how infrastructure – including smarter cities and the roll-out of superfast broadband – is
developing. It will provide an overview of the Digital Single Market and its effect on consumers and organisations.”
This event follows the successful Visit Wales’ “An Adventure in Big Data” Conference, held at Swansea University’s School of
Management and sponsored by the Welsh Government, in January 2016, at which Professor Steve Chan was a keynote
speaker.
The School of Management at Swansea University is continuing to develop its strategy in the field of Big Data and seeks to
become a global leader in this emerging field.
Swansea University is delighted that Professor Steve Chan will take a leadership role in driving the Big Data agenda forward
for Swansea University’s School of Management.
Professor Steve Chan is the Chair of the Cyber Analytics and the Network/Relationship Science centre at Swansea
University and the Chair of Smarter Cities for a Safer Planet and the Internet of Things at Swansea University’s School of
Management.
In addition to these roles at Swansea University, Professor Steve Chan is an Honorary Professor at the Royal College of
Surgeons in Ireland and a Professor of Sensemaking and Visualisation Analytics at the Hawai’i Pacific University.
Professor Steve Chan undertook his PhD at Swansea University, investigating the realm of Big Data and predictive analytics,
where his external examiner, Professor Andrew Parker (one of the world’s leading experts in the field) concluded that “it is
clear that the candidate has spent considerable time perfecting his ideas” and that “Steve Chan perhaps knows the subject
matter better than anyone.”
Professor Iwan Davies, Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor at Swansea University, said:
“The event in Brussels on St David’s Day emphasises both the importance of the agenda in the European context and the
role played by Professor Steve Chan in this key sector.”
Find out more about the event
Professor Steve Chan is a ‘Big Data’ Scientist and an alumnus of Swansea University.
In 2011, Steve Chan became a Visiting Innovation Research Fellow at the University of Wales and a Prince of Wales
Innovation Scholar to pursue his doctoral studies at the University of Wales. In October 2012, Steve transferred his PhD to
Swansea electing to follow one of his supervisors (Professor Marc Clement). In 2013, Steve Chan completed his dissertation
in the field of Big Data for translational biomimetics (i.e. nature-inspired engineering) and was examined by a group of senior
Professors, including world expert Professor Andrew Parker[1] as external examiner, who stated: “This is an exceptional
thesis, on an unusually (for a PhD thesis) important subject that is tackled with insight and real life experience, as is
demonstrated from start to finish.”
After the awarding of his PhD on May 2013 Professor Steve Chan has received recognition for the significance and world-

2. leading nature of his work from both an academic and an industrial perspective. Professor Steve Chan was awarded an
Honorary Associate Professorship in the College of Medicine at Swansea University in the summer of 2013. Later in 2013,
Professor Steve Chan became the Chair of the Cyber Analytics and the Network/Relationship Science centre at Swansea
University. In 2014, Professor Steve Chan was appointed Research Professor of Sensemaking and Visualization Analytics at
Hawai’i Pacific University. Professor Steve Chan also received an appointment as Honorary Professor at the Royal College
of Surgeons in Ireland. Currently, Professor Steve Chan is Professor of Smarter Cities for a Safer Planet and the Internet of
Things at Swansea University’s School of Management.
Professor Steve Chan has been the recipient of multiple Faculty Awards from industry and has delivered a number of
keynote speeches at internationally renowned events, such as the Trieste Next – European Science Forum, the United
Nations (UN) International Telegraph Union’s (ITU) World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium, and other venues.
He recently delivered a keynote speech, on behalf of Swansea University, for the International Conference of Smart Cities in
January 2016. In thanking Professor Steve Chan for his keynote at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Professor
Yogesh Dwivedi, Personal Chair & Director of Research at Swansea University’s School of Management, remarked,
“The address was really insightful and provided a lot of significant food for thoughts, for the audience. […] Indeed Professor
Steve Chan’s participation and support provided a lot of impetus to our academic initiative.”
Professor Marc Clement, Vice President and Dean of the School of Management, stated “Having Professor Steve Chan
as part of the team at the School of Management is a huge boost for the School, Swansea University, and Wales as a whole
and demonstrates how serious we are about becoming a global thought leader in this emerging field. It places the School of
Management and Swansea University at the heart of the City Region strategy”.
[1] one of the eight “Scientists for the New Century” selected by The Royal Institution (London) and The Times/Novartis in
2000.
Posted by Helen Rogers
Tuesday 23 February 2016 15.32 GMT
School of Management, Swansea University