Melanie Swan

Melanie Swanis a philosopher and economic theorist who has worked in various fields, including academic research, finance, and entrepreneurship. She has an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Contemporary Continental Philosophy from Kingston University London and Université Paris 8, and a BA in French and Economics from Georgetown University. She is also a PhD candidate in Information Systems Biology atthe Centre for Blockchain Technologiesat University College London.

Swan is the founder of several startups, including the Institute for Blockchain Studies, DIYgenomics, GroupPurchase, and the MS Futures Group. Herresearch interests focus on emerging science and technology,particularly as directed towards biology, at the level of conceptual advance. She has currently focused on information systems biology approaches to biological risk management, DIYgenomics crowdsourced healthy cohort studies, and mathematical physics, quantum computation, and blockchain technologies applied to the multiscalar ecosystem study of precision health, disease, and ageing.

Swan is an instructor at Singularity University, an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and a contributor to the Edge's Annual Essay Question. She has also served asan advisor to research foundations, government agencies, corporations, and startups. In addition, she has designed collaboration simulations including "Discontinuity Futures," "Being an Entrepreneur" and "The Trader's Pit." She has published several books on topics such as blockchain economics, quantum computing, and the blockchain.