Chen awarded third Fulbright award, research to focus on AI and business analytics
KALAMAZOO, MI—Dr. Kuanchin (KC) Chen, professor of business information systems and director of the Center for Business Analytics at Western ¾ÅÒ»Â鶹ÖÆƬ³§ University, has been awarded his third Fulbright Specialist Award, leading Western faculty in this recognition. One of the most prolific researchers in the Haworth College of Business, Chen has initiated many AI and analytics projects, including a National Science Foundation award with an interdisciplinary team to create an AI-ready workforce. He is known for keynoting at conferences and revitalizing business theories.
Chen is one of just over 400 U.S. citizens who share expertise with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program each year. His Fulbright Specialist Award will take him to EM Normandie Business School, a university with more than 150 years of history, which is ranked among the Top 90 European Business Schools by the Financial Times. The host institution has three campuses in France, as well as international campuses in Oxford, England; Dublin, Ireland; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Boston. He will complete a project that aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions and communities both in the United States and overseas.
Chen has trained in AI since the early 90s, conducting AI and analytics research and teaching since then. He championed the creation of the business analytics curricula at the Haworth College of Business. In this Fulbright project, he brings 30 years of AI and analytics expertise to the host institution. Since the target audiences are faculty and students in both technical and non-technical disciplines who have a keen interest in the subject areas, the mission includes needs assessment, workforce development and research collaborations so that even non-technical scholars can expand their understanding of social science problems with AI and analytics. The project involves the technical, psychological and behavioral aspects of AI and analytics, including technostress, trust, privacy, electronic word-of-mouth and biases in AI, among others. Chen will also be delving into human-AI symbiosis to address the possibility of resistance to workforce displacement in the age of AI and to cultivate opportunities for workforce re-skilling and up-skilling. In his previous Fulbright Specialist award, where he traveled to Poland, he assisted in building faculty expertise, curriculum re-design and collaborative research in business analytics and AI.
About Chen
Chen is the director of the Center for Business Analytics and John W. Snyder Fellow. His are in data analytics and data science, AI, social media, privacy and trust, and e-commerce. His work crosses the technical, behavioral and psychological disciplines for topics surrounding AI, internet addiction, techno-stress, privacy and trust in technology, social media, electronic word-of-mouth, management decision tools and educational engagement.
He is part of a WMU team that recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation for research on AI readiness through cyber training. He is also piloting a research and teaching project on AI and student interview skill development. Chen has received numerous awards for his research and teaching from journals and conferences, the U.S. government, local community and WMU. He is this year’s winner of the .
About the Fulbright Specialist Award
The Fulbright Specialist Program, part of the larger Fulbright Program, was established in 2001 by the . The program pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions abroad to share their expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, hone their skills, gain international experience and learn about other cultures while building capacity at their overseas host institutions. Specialists, who represent a , are competitively selected to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster based on their knowledge, skill sets and ability to make a significant contribution to projects overseas.
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