- Posted on 18 Feb 2026
- 3 minutes read
Artificial intelligence luminary, Distinguished Professor Fang Chen, is the winner of a major national award championing women in engineering.
Distinguished Professor Fang Chen is a globally recognised leader in artificial intelligence and expert who uses data science to build Australian industries.
The Executive Director of the UTS Data Science Institute, she has won a slew of awards including an Australian Museum Eureka Prize and NSW Premier’s Prize for Science and Engineering.
The latest addition to her trophy cabinet, the 2026 Woman of the Year at the annual ITS Australia Awards, has strong personal resonance.
It brings together two of her passions. She has spent a lifetime encouraging more women into science and engineering careers, and has also helped improve the transport systems that millions of people use every day using new technology.
“This award is deeply meaningful, not only because of the recognition but because of the journey behind it,” Professor Chen said.
“Over the past 20 years, I have had the privilege of contributing to the digital transformation of transport through data science and artificial intelligence.”
I remember walking into a transport control room for the first time and seeing how technology, infrastructure and human judgement intersected in real time.
“What began as a single research collaboration gradually grew into a series of long-term partnerships across state transport departments – and later with national and global industry partners.”
The Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Australia Awards are one of Australia’s top transport industry awards on behalf of more than 140 member organisations promoting transport technologies.
Professor Chen’s transport-related research has included using data to predict the factors behind on-time train performance in Sydney and Melbourne.
For her, artificial intelligence is all about delivering benefits to people.
“It has never been about algorithms or innovative approaches alone. It has always been about safer roads and better mobility. Technology must support the people who operate these complex systems every day, as well as the commuters who rely on them,” she said.
“Innovation in transport requires trust and collaboration across academia, government and industry. It requires courage to try new approaches.”
A champion of ethical artificial intelligence, the idea that diversity is critical to developing technology that works for everyone is central to Professor Chen’s philosophy.
“Innovation requires inclusivity. When diverse voices are part of the conversation, we build systems that are not only smarter but fairer and more resilient,” Professor Chen said.
“Recognition like this encourages the next generation – especially women in engineering – to see that they too can help shape the future of transport.”
Academic
Exec Director, Data Sci Institute & Distinguished Professor, Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology
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