The Natioanl: UAE nationals urged to get overseas research experience

UAE nationals urged to get overseas research experience Colin Simpson June 18, 2012 [caption id="attachment_3164" align="aligncenter" width="462"] The Firmenich laboratory which makes perfumes for big branded company’s in Dubiotech, Dubai Biotechnology and Science Park In Al Barsha.[/caption] DUBAI // Young Emiratis who want careers in research and development should go overseas to gain experience before returning to help the UAE become a centre for innovation, according to an expert. "There's a life cycle of talent," said Dr Kai Chan, senior adviser to the Emirates Competitiveness Council, a federal government body. "I'd encourage young Emiratis to go abroad to learn and then come back with their knowledge. "We want to ensure that young Emiratis are going into the workforce equipped, we want to encourage this as we want to be a knowledge-based economy. We do want to become a hub for R&D, we do want to be among the world's leaders." However, Dr Khaled Amiri, head of the biology department at UAE University, said he did not favour the term hub, as this implied that expatriate researchers would move to the country and then leave after two or three years without passing on their knowledge. "The nationals are going to complement…

The National: Emiratis ‘should be at ease in their jobs’

Emiratis 'should be at ease in their jobs' Colin Simpson June 12, 2012 DUBAI // Multinational companies must create a more comfortable working atmosphere for Emiratis, a conference has heard.   Internships and opportunities for government employees to sample life in such companies for a few months were other ways to lure Emirati science graduates into the private sector, speakers yesterday told the Life Sciences Foresight event organised by DuBiotech. Longer-term expatriates were also needed to ensure true knowledge transfer and "the Emiratisation of knowledge", the conference heard. "From a UAE perspective, with local talent we have some issues," said Dr Ashraf Allam, regional managing director for the Middle East and Africa of the biotechnology giant Amgen. "We don't have access to the local talent here. We have a perception, and I tend to believe it's a reality, that local talent tend to trade job security and work-life balance with growth and career enhancement. "If you work for the Government it's more comfortable, you can sail along. The corporate world is usually intense. You need to work hard, there's a lot of risk involved, it's a very competitive environment. "Someone has to research why these people are not coming to…

IBM: UAE smart country

I presented to the IBM Research Group in Dublin on smart Innovations in the UAE: "UAE: Smart country: Innovations in energy, transportation, and water." The slides can be found here.

FT: A racial slur against the Chinese

Letter to the Financial Times (May 19, 2012) Mr Kai L. Chan. Sir, I was shocked to have seen the word “Chinaman” used in print. Are your editors ignorant of the fact that the word is a racial slur? One does not call a person from London an “Englandman” and neither is a Parisian a “Franceman”. The proper term is “Chinese man”. The word is offensive because it is rooted in the belief that Chinese people speak “chop suey” English. I would expect that you print an apology or at least a recognition of the controversy of this word. To Chinese ears the term “Chinaman” is just as offensive as the n-word is to a black person. Kai L. Chan, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Letter as it appeared in the FT Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011

G&M: Real, it isn’t

Letter to the Globe & Mail (April 27, 2012) I find it amusing that all five cast members of The Real Housewives of Vancouver are white and blond (Why Our Clickers Are Stuck On Shallow – Arts, April 25). Almost half the population of Vancouver is visible minorities and far from every white female has blond hair. “Real,” the show is not; crass, banal and racially biased, it probably is. Kai Chan, Dubai Letter as it appeared in the G&M © Copyright 2012 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

INSEAD: Innovation and Policy Initiative

Policy Breakfast Series - March 2012 Competitiveness and Innovation at Work in the UAE Dr. Kai Chan, Senior Advisor, Emirates Competitiveness Council "Measuring Innovation and R&D in the UAE"

INSEAD: Competitiveness and innovation at work in the UAE

"Competitiveness and Innovation at Work in the UAE" Dr. Kai Chan, Senior Advisor, Emirates Competitiveness Council "Measuring Innovation and R&D in the UAE" Wednesday, 28 March 2012 Abu Dhabi Campus, 08.00-10.30am  

PAW: Economic remedies

Letter to the Princeton Alumni Weekly (April 6, 2011 edition) It was such a delight to read about Alan Blinder '67 (feature, March 2).  I was fortunate enough to have met Blinder when I was at Princeton.  (Blinder was on my dissertation committee, as was Paul Krugman.)  In addition to being a giant in the field of economics, Blinder is one of the most gracious and kind persons I know.  In fact, I would say that his heart rivals his stature in the spheres of economics and public policy.  Blinder was instrumental in helping me finish my thesis.  Even with his busy schedule and lofty accomplishments, he took the time to help me graduate, when others had little time for a struggling graduate student. If Ben Bernanke were to retire from the Fed, I could think of no person more qualified to assume the post of chairman of the Fed than Alan Blinder. KAI L. CHAN *08 New York, NY April 6, 2011 PAW letters section

Trinity Alumni Magazine: Hear! hear! to higher education

Letter to Trinity Alumni Magazine Winter 2011 It was nice to read about the new deans, Jonathan Steels and Kristen Moore, as well as about Brett Cumberbatch, who is working on outreach to at-risk youth in Toronto's northwest.  The efforts of people like them help enrich Trinity, and our communities. However, I often feel that the traditional programs set up to help Trinity students as well as at-risk youth in our communities miss large swathes of the population.  I myself was an at-risk youth (arrested twice as a young offender and dropped out of high school), as well as someone who had a lot of hardships transitioning to life at university (I was briefly homeless in my first year and eked out an existence by holding down multiple part-time jobs). The weak political voice of under-performing Asians juxtaposed with high-achieving Asians means that this community is often neglected or at best a low priority.  Kudos to those who work to help tear down the barriers that impede people from achieving their potential.  Higher education is without a doubt the single most powerful driver of social mobility. Kai L. Chan, '99 New York City Trinity Alumni Magazine Winter 2011 PDF of…

Emerging Markets Summit 2011: BRIC & Beyond

[caption id="attachment_1654" align="aligncenter" width="535"] Economist Kai L. Chan speaks at the Emerging Markets Summit 2011:  BRIC and Beyond in New York, USA, on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011.  The conference, sponsored by iGlobal Forum, explores opportunities for institutional investors in the emerging markets -- including the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China as well as new markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Africa, and Chile.  Photographer:  Ramin Talaie/Bloomberg via Getty Images[/caption] I spoke on a panel ("economic outlook for investing in emerging markets") with David Beker from BAML  on 19 January 2011.  Topics covered included: Performance analysis of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and the Barclays Emerging Markets Index Macroeconomic outlook: A broader investment opportunity set in frontier markets? Identifying strong potential returns and less correlation with US or EU performance What is the economic growth potential in real terms projected for the next 5 years? How are economic relations with the developed world and the BRIC nations? Examples of where the credit crisis has had an impact with non BRIC emerging markets