Tan Yigitcanlar

Tan Yigitcanlar is a leading Australian scholar internationally recognised for his contributions to urban studies, sustainability, technology, and planning. He is a Professor in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia, Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Surabaya, Indonesia, while also holding several senior leadership roles. At QUT, he leads the Urban AI Hub, and the City 4.0 Lab, and he also serves as a distinguished member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts.

With a career spanning over three decades, Tan's work has encompassed research, teaching, training, and capacity building at prestigious universities in Australia, Brazil, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, and Turkey. His research is dedicated to addressing contemporary challenges in urban planning and development, covering a broad spectrum of economic, societal, spatial, governance, and technology-related issues. At the heart of his work lies a strong commitment to promoting smart and sustainable urbanisation.

Tan has provided research consultancy services to all levels of government, international corporations, and non-governmental organisations both in Australia and internationally. His expertise has been instrumental in helping these entities formulate forward-looking strategies, build resilience, and respond effectively to emerging disruptive challenges. He serves as the Lead Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier Smart Cities and CRC Press Urban Intelligence Book Series and holds senior editorial appointments with 13 high-impact academic journals. Tan has held senior leadership roles in more than 40 major international conferences, including serving as chair for 12. He has delivered around 100 keynote and invited addresses at prominent events.

Tan’s research has been widely disseminated through more than 370 articles published in high-impact journals and 36 reference books released by leading international publishers. His scholarship has made a significant contribution to urban policy, practice, and research worldwide, achieving an h-index of over 110 and accumulating more than 40,000 citations. According to the 2025 Science-wide Author Databases of Standardised Citation Indicators, he is ranked #1 in Australia and among the world’s top-10 researchers in urban and regional planning. He was recognised as an ‘Australian Research Superstar’ in the Social Sciences category by The Australian’s 2020 Research Special Report and named Australia’s ‘Research Field Leader’ in Urban Studies and Planning in the 2024 edition of The Australian Research Magazine. In 2023, he was also recognised by Clarivate as a ‘Highly Cited Researcher’ in the Cross-Field category.