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cyber head image Melanie Swan is a Research Associate at the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies and a Technology Theorist in the Philosophy Department at Purdue University. She is the founder of several startups including the Institute for Blockchain Studies, DIYgenomics, GroupPurchase, and the MS Futures Group. Ms. Swan's educational background includes an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research in New York NY, an MA in Contemporary Continental Philosophy from the Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy at Kingston University London and Université Paris 8, and a BA in French and Economics from Georgetown University. She is a faculty member at Singularity University and the University of the Commons, an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and an invited contributor to the Edge's Annual Essay Question.

Ms. Swan enjoys creating new solutions for how we do things in the world. Her career has focused on academic research, finance, and entrepreneurship. She served as Director of Research at Telecoms Consultancy Ovum RHK, and previously held management and finance positions at iPass in Silicon Valley, J.P. Morgan in New York, Fidelity in Boston, and Arthur Andersen in Los Angeles.

Ms. Swan serves as an advisor in academic, government, corporate, and startup settings, and is active in the community promoting science and technology opportunities. She is a hackathon participant and designs collaboration simulations including "Discontinuity Futures," "Being an Entrepreneur" and "The Trader's Pit." Ms. Swan is an Advisory Board member of the Foundational Questions Institute, Lifeboat Foundation, and Accelerating Studies Foundation, the former Treasurer of San Francisco-based non-profit Equal Rights Advocates, and a workshop presenter at the Expanding Your Horizons math and science conference. Ms. Swan speaks French, Spanish, and Portuguese, and enjoys reading, international travel, running, meditation, and kick-boxing.


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