Marco Chan

I work at the intersection of aviation safety, strategic partnerships, and crisis communication, a combination shaped by a career that began in a place most academics never go: the flight deck.

Before moving into higher education, I spent nearly ten years as an international airline pilot, flying the Airbus A320 and A330. That experience still shapes how I operate today: calm under pressure, systems-focused, and always scanning ahead for the next risk.

I now bring that mindset to two roles. As Senior Lecturer in Aviation Operations at Kingston University London, I teach and help shape programmes aligned with global standards such as ICAO's Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) and Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) frameworks. As Advisor on Aviation Safety, Regulatory Strategy and Crisis Communications for an AI-driven earth observation venture, I apply safety risk management principles to technology that detects structural risk across aviation, airports, and critical infrastructure before it becomes a crisis.

My credentials reflect both sides of that work: having completed my LLB from City University of Hong Kong and my MBA from Imperial College London, a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) for teaching and academic leadership, and membership of the Royal Aeronautical Society (MRAeS).

My research centres on aviation policy, pilot training, and the industry's growing use of artificial intelligence. I am currently exploring the role of AI in aviation from a pilot's perspective, in terms of decision-making and adaptive pilot training, including approaches for pilots with neurodivergent characteristics. I have also researched the relationship between aviation policy and sustainable tourism growth across tourism-dependent developing economies.

Outside the classroom, I am regularly trusted by global media, including the BBC, Sky News, Reuters, CNN, CNBC TV18, and The New York Times, to make sense of complex aviation incidents when it matters most.