Distinguished Professor Fang Chen is a globally recognised and award-winning leader in artificial intelligence and data science. She is the Executive Director of the Data Science Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where she drives transformative research and innovation at the intersection of academia, government, and industry. Her career has encompassed senior leadership roles at Intel, Motorola, and CSIRO, as well as serving as Dean of Faculty at Beijing Jiaotong University.

Research Expertise and Impact Areas

Distinguished Professor Chen’s research is internationally recognised across a broad spectrum of areas, including:

• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science
• Human–Machine Interaction and Behaviour Analytics

• Responsible and Human-Centred AI

• Visual and Interactive Analytics

• AI for Sustainability and Societal Impact

Her work delivers innovative, data-driven solutions spanning research, translation, and product deployment and adoption, addressing complex challenges in transportation, water, energy, agriculture, telecommunications, health, financial services, real estate, education and retail. 

Awards and Recognition

Distinguished Professor Chen has received numerous prestigious honours, including:

• Transport Woman of the Year,  by ITS Australia, the peak industry body for intelligent transport systems (2026)
• Australian Financial Review AI Awards (2025)
• The Leading Science Award, the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Excellence in Data Science (2018)
• NSW Premier’s Prize for Science and Engineering (2021)
• ANZ Women in AI Award (2021)
• Brian Shackle Award (2017, IFIP) for outstanding contributions to human–computer interaction
• NSW Water Professional of the Year by the Australian Water Association (AWA), the peak national body for the water sector, for leadership in digital transformation. 

She has also led teams to multiple national and international awards, including the Intelligent Transport Systems Australia National Awards (2014, 2015, 2018, 2025), several iAwards (NSW 2017, 2023, 2024; VIC 2019, 2020), and the Australian Water Association’s Research and Innovation Awards (2018, 2022).

Publications and Patents

Distinguished Professor Chen has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications and several influential books on data science and AI research, AI for business, and human–computer interaction. Her two Springer volumes on trustworthy and human-centred AI, Human and Machine Learning: Visible, Explainable, Trustworthy and Transparent (116,000 downloads since 2018) and Humanity Driven AI (32,000 downloads since 2022), have been widely read worldwide.

She has also filed more than 30 patents across eight countries (Australia, US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and China), demonstrating her strong impact on both scientific advancement and technology transfer.

Thought Leadership and Keynotes

A sought-after global thought leader, Distinguished Professor Chen has delivered many keynote speeches at leading international conferences and has been invited numerous times to speak on the future of responsible AI and innovation at government, industry, and policy forums worldwide. A prominent public speaker, including TED Talks and international keynotes, she champions cutting-edge research and promotes responsible and inclusive innovation that builds public trust.

She has collaborated with more than 100 organisations across North America, Europe, and Asia, spanning blue-sky research through to product development and deployment. Her leadership consistently delivers pioneering technologies that generate measurable business value, societal benefit, and new models for innovation and community support.

Governance and Advisory Roles

 Distinguished Professor Chen serves on several influential boards and expert panels, including:

• Australian Federal Industry Science and Innovation Australia (IISA) Board
• NSW Government AI Review Committee (which established the AI assurance framework)
• Singapore National Research Foundation expert panel
• ITS Australia Board (2021–2024)

She is also the Chair of the ACM Intelligent User Interfaces Steering Committee and serves as an advisor to several startup companies.