Dr. Victor Zitian Chen is the Head of Science Excellence at Amazon People eXperience and Technology (PXT) Central Science. There, he is leading an interdisciplinary group of scholars, scientists, and product/program leaders to raise the bar of research into decisions and products, centralize the management of institutional knowledge, and innovate the ecosystem of science-enablement tools such as science AI assistants.

Previously, he served as the Director/VP of Data Analytics and Insights, Experimental Design, and Causal Inference at Fidelity Investments since 2022, leading efforts in causal science through experimentation, causal inference, and multi-touch attribution (MTA). He spearheaded the development and deployment of a cross-enterprise analytics platform for causal analysis, including a scalable in-house digital twin methodology for investors.

Dr. Chen has been recognized as one of the World's Top 50 Data and Analytics Professionals by ONCON, a finalist for the World's Top 40 under 40 Data Leaders by CDO Magazine in 2023, and was recently listed on the Business North Carolina Power List 2024.

Before transitioning to industry, Victor enjoyed a decade-long academic career as a tenured professor. His last academic position was Associate Professor of International Business at Copenhagen Business School in 2022. Before that, he was an Associate Professor in Management at The Belk College of Business and an Affiliate Faculty at the School of Data Science and the Doctoral Program on Organizational Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2012-2022). At UNC Charlotte, he created the Global Tech Launch (GTL) courses, an incubator-style program for born-global tech innovators, earning the title of Charlotte Chamber Young Professional Educator of the Year in 2015.

Victor founded the Global OpenLabs for Performance-Enhancement Analytics and Knowledge System (GoPeaks), which focused on research and technology development to accelerate and scale knowledge synthesis into real-world decision solutions. GoPeaks ended its commercial activities in 2022 but remains a platform for Victor's personal publications, thoughts, and innovations.

He co-founded the Knowledge Integration, Synthesis, and Engineering (KnISE) working group at the Academy of Management, aiming to curate and synthesize fragmented business research knowledge into decision tools.

From December 2011 to August 2018, Victor was the Global Coordinator for the Emerging Market Global Players (EMGP) Program at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, developing a research network to analyze emerging market ESG investments abroad. The project established a global research network in 17 major emerging markets and produced numerous research reports, including a special issue published by UNCTAD.

Victor’s research has been featured in top journals, including the Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Corporate Finance, and Global Strategy Journal. His work has earned several accolades, including the Academy of Management Meeting Best Paper Award in International Corporate Governance, the Academy of International Business Meeting Best Paper Finalist in Emerging Economies (twice), and the Asia Pacific Journal of Management 2014 Best Paper Award. His research has been cited by prominent media outlets such as the Financial Times, CNBC, The Globe and Mail, Valor Econômico, RT, and Shanghai Daily.

Victor holds a Ph.D. in Strategy (Business Economics) with High Distinction from the Segal Graduate School of Business, Simon Fraser University, where he was a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada Doctoral Scholar. During his Ph.D., he was also a Research Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, providing consulting and research support to senior policymakers and business executives on international business.

He also earned a Master's in Information and Data Science from the UC Berkeley School of Information and has taken Neuroscience courses at Harvard. Victor's interests include leveraging advances in computer/data science and brain science to enhance knowledge synthesis and decision-making tools. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Victor's extensive experience spans international economic and commercial arenas, including roles such as economic officer at the Asia Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI) and consulting for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). He co-founded Transco Global LLC, a global investment knowledge platform, which later spun off its publication and intelligence arm to Taylor & Francis.

Victor served as an Inaugural Advisory Board Member for the Microsoft Azure for Research Community, on the Charlotte-China Business Advisory Council under Mayor Jennifer Roberts (2016-2017), and the inaugural advisory council of Telra Institute. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Charlotte.

A true Renaissance man, Victor has pursued a wide range of interests since childhood, excelling in national contests in physics, mathematics, foreign language, watercolor painting, and novel writing.

Outside of work, Victor enjoys playing golf with his daughter Paris, though he has yet to taste victory's ice cream reward!