Dr. Ryan C.C. Chin is the managing director of the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab. He conducts research on disruptive urban systems in the areas of urban mobility, live/work, building-integrated agriculture, and big data analytics. He is creating Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) Systems – a network of self-driving, shared-use, lightweight electric vehicles (EVs) for cities. He also developed MoD EVs including the GreenWheel, RoboScooter, Persuasive Electric Vehicle, and the CityCar – a foldable, electric, two-passenger vehicle. Time Magazine named CityCar the “Automotive Invention of the Year” in 2007. Research on MoD systems led to the MIT Press publication of Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century by Mitchell, Borroni-Bird, and Burns in 2010. Dr. Chin consults and advises industry and government agencies in the areas of Smart Cities, mass customization, and sustainable urban systems. He is a member of PCAST’s (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) working group on “Technology and the Future of Cities.” His professional education course “Beyond Smart Cities” attracts global participants from corporate, public, and educational sectors. He frequently travels as a speaker and panelist at conferences like TEDx, MIT EmTech, and Smart City Expo. He also speaks at general audience events. His op-ed articles have been featured in publications like the Guardian and BBC. His work has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt, MIT, Harvard, and London Science Museum. Dr. Chin has won awards for his research including the Katerva Award (2014) and the 100K Buckminster Fuller Challenge (2009). Esquire Magazine named him as one of the “Best and Brightest Innovators” under the age of 35 in 2006. He received at MIT his Ph.D. (2012) and M.S. (2004) in Media Arts and Sciences and a M.Arch (2000) in Architecture. He earned both his B.C.E. and B.S.Arch from the Catholic University of America (1997).

Managing Director & Research Scientist, City Science Intiative @ The Managing Director Position at the City Science Initiative is responsible for establishing frameworks for academic-industrial collaboration as well as furthering research in urban systems. Below is a description of City Science goals. The City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab is a unique network of research groups experienced in the design of technology and infrastructure, analysis of big data, and the development of rigorous scientific theories. The City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab provides the nexus where these research networks join to improve the design, livability and understanding of what makes a high performance urban environment. We are seeking strategic partners from industry and government to develop targeted research projects and living lab deployments around the themes of urban design, mobility-on-demand, energy, big data, responsive technologies, and integrated live-work environments. Our mission is to develop urban strategies that can result in: 100x Reduction in CO2 emissions 10x Reduction in traffic congestion 5x Improvement in livability 2x Improvement in creativity http://cities.media.mit.edu From September 2012 to Present (3 years 4 months) Advising, Consulting, and Speaking @ Working on short and long-term projects with companies and cities in the areas of Smart Cities, urban mobility, electric vehicles, autonomous (self-driving) vehicles, mass customization, and the shared economy. Frequently speaking including TEDx, MIT EmTech, and other global conferences. Speaking requests should be sent to me directly. From March 2012 to Present (3 years 10 months) Co-Instructor "Beyond Smart Cities" @ The world is experiencing a period of extreme urbanization. In China alone, more than 250 million rural inhabitants will move to urban areas over the next 15 years. This will require building new infrastructure to accommodate nearly the equivalent of the current population of the United States in a matter of a few decades. Cities in the 21st century will account for nearly 90% of global population growth, 80% of wealth creation, and 60% of total energy consumption. It is a global imperative to develop systems that improve the livability of cities while dramatically reducing resource consumption. This course will focus on understanding the complexities of cities through the use of Big Data Urban Analytics and the design of New Urban Systems for high-density cities such as systems for mobility, energy, food, and living/working. The design of these systems must be resilient, scalable, and reconfigurable. Today, research in the area of “Smart Cities” seek to optimize existing city infrastructure, networks, and urban behavior through the deployment of digital networks. Cities that employ optimization techniques have reported improvements in energy efficiency, water use, public safety, road congestion, and many other areas. However, optimization has its limits. For instance, the improvement of traffic flow in most cities can approach 10% based on current “Smart Cities” approaches such as sensing the road network, predicting the demand, and controlling traffic signaling. Research and investments in new urban systems are fundamentally critical because optimization will have little effect for rapidly urbanizing cities such as Bangalore, India, which experience around the clock congestion. This course moves beyond “Smart Cities” by focusing on disruptive innovations in technology, design, planning, policy, that can bring dramatic improvements in urban livability and sustainability. http://web.mit.edu/professional/short-programs/courses/beyond_smart_cities.html From June 2014 to Present (1 year 7 months) Co-Instructor, "Innovations in Personal Urban Mobility" @ This 4-day workshop-style course will focus on the development and deployment of innovations for achieving sustainable personal mobility in cities. We will examine the latest “in-the-box” innovations in technology, designs, strategies, and policies employed by cities to increase energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and improve overall access and mobility for increasingly dense and crowded urban environments. We will also explore “out-of-the-box” innovations that go beyond incremental improvements and utilize system-level integration, holistic thinking, ecosystem solutions, and cutting edge technology. The course will introduce a broad survey of the following key areas of sustainable urban mobility: Vehicles – A morphology of vehicle types (buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, segways) and technologies (electric, hybrids, fuel cells, biofuels, compressed natural gas, etc.) will be presented as well as the latest vehicle innovations (MIT Media Lab’s CityCar concept, GM’s EN-V, Autonomous Driving). Urban infrastructure – Electric charging infrastructure, rapid charging stations, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), Smart Grids, novel energy storage, mass transit systems (i.e. Bus Rapid Transit), alternative vehicle lanes, and bike lanes. Use and Economic Models – Private car ownership, shared-use systems (i.e. ZipCar, bike sharing programs), fleet operations, public transit, traditional rentals, and Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) Systems.. Urban Implementation – Urban design of streetscape, parking, buildings, creation of new urban policy (i.e. congestion pricing, dynamic road pricing), use of intelligent fleet management systems, integration into public transit systems, pilot testing, and deployment. http://web.mit.edu/professional/short-programs/courses/innovation_urban_mobility.html From June 2010 to June 2013 (3 years 1 month) Research Specialist @ From September 2009 to September 2011 (2 years 1 month)

PhD in Media Arts and Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences @ MIT Media Lab From 2004 to 2012 Master of Science in Media Arts and Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences @ MIT Media Lab From 2002 to 2004 Master of Architecture, Architecture @ Massachusetts Institute of Technology From 1997 to 2000 Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Civil Engineering @ The Catholic University of America From 1992 to 1997 Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Architecture @ The Catholic University of America From 1992 to 1997 Ryan Ph.D. is skilled in: Urban Design, Human Computer Interaction, Rapid Prototyping, User-centered Design, Electric Vehicles, Architectural Design, Strategic Partnerships, Sustainability, Strategy, 3D visualization, Research, Research Design, Design Strategy, Design Thinking, CAD/CAM