Café des Sciences: Blockchain, unchain the future

Blockchain technology provides new infrastructure to build the next innovative applications beyond cryptocurrencies, driving profound, positive changes across business, communities and society. In the upcoming hybrid Café des Sciences Lecture, we’ve invited experts on Blockchain to guide us through their researches and practices over the topic.

Via the online platform – Zoom, Prof. Claudio Tessone, Academic Director of UZH Blockchain Center from University of Zurich will present his research about the reasons for the excessive centralisation of existing blockchain-based systems, which are systems designed to be decentralised, and the ways to overcome this. He will also give us a virtual tour about the newly established competence center at University of Zurich – the UZH Blockchain Center. While at our event space, Dr. Siyan Xu, Deputy Director of Smart Industry Research Center of Tencent Research Institute will meet you in person and share with us her research and insights on Blockchain and its application in China.

After the two keynote presentations, there’ll be a panel discussion around Blockchain led by David Chang, Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association and CEO of Blocknology Digital Ventures and we’ll discuss the topic from academic, industry and policy perspective. Luisa Kinzius, Project Leader from Sinolytics will also join the panel discussion and share her insights.

Event Rundown

*program from 19:00 – 20:00 will be live broadcasted via Zoom

18:30 – 19:00 Registration

19:00 – 19:05 Opening Remarks

(Dr. Felix Moesner – Science Consul & CEO, Swissnex in China)

19:05 – 19:15 Presentation

(Dr. Siyan Xu – Deputy Director,Tencent Research Institute Smart Industry Research Center)

19:15 – 19:30 Presentation

(Prof. Claudio Tessone – Assistant Professor for Network Science, Academic Director, UZH Blockchain Center, University of Zurich)

19:30 – 20:00 Panel Discussion

Moderator:

David Chang – Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association and CEO of Blocknology Digital Ventures

Panelists:

Prof. Claudio Tessone – Assistant Professor for Network Science /Academic Director, UZH Blockchain Center, University of Zurich

Dr. Siyan Xu – Deputy Director of Smart Industry Research Center of Tencent Research

Luisa Kinzius – Project Leader, Sinolytics

20:00 – 21:00 Networking reception

Speakers

Bio

David Chang
Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association and CEO of Blocknology Digital Ventures
Mr. David Chang is Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association, industry fellow of UC Berkeley Blockchain Accelerator and CEO of Blocknology Digital Venture（BDV), BDV is an ecosystem of private and public capital, startups, experts with domain knowledge on a global scale, with global reach and dedicated to innovative and impactful digital technologies, with specific focuses in BrainTech, PrivacyTech, Fintech, CleanTech, EdTech, Blockchain, Digital Governance. BDV also formed strategic relationships with national labs on digital economy governance and cybersecurity, is also part of the task force in piloting digital city management and governance and is also forming a digital family office platform with HK and mainland families.
Bio

Dr. Siyan Xu
Deputy Director of Smart Industry Research Center of Tencent Research Institute
Siyan is senior TMT researcher at Tencent Internet Research Institute. Her research examines new business and organizational models appear alongside Internet and new technology, which serves as strategy indication of Tencent’s new business direction. She has published various reports, whitepapers and book on nascent economic-technical of internet platforms, as well as new technological paradigms as blockchain, AI and Industrial Internet. Siyan achieved a Ph.D. from Tsinghua University and was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bio

Prof. Dr. Claudio J. Tessone
Assistant Professor for Network Science Academic Director, UZH Blockchain Center University of Zurich
Claudio J. Tessone is the Chairman of the UZH Blockchain Center and Professor for Network Science at the University of Zurich. Since his PhD he studies the link between microscopic agent behaviour, the rules these agents follow and the global, emergent properties of systems. He holds a PhD in Physics and a Habilitation on “Complex socio-economic systems” from ETH Zurich in the area of Economics, Management and Technology. He is an expert in the modelling of complex socio-economic, and socio-technical systems from an interdisciplinary perspective. Blockchain-based systems and cryptocurrencies are a pillar of his research (being among the first to study them).
Bio

Luisa Kinzius
Project Leader, Sinolytics
Luisa Kinzius is Project Leader at Sinolytics GmbH, a European research-based consultancy entirely focused on China. In her work she observes the Chinese government’s approach towards blockchain and analyses the impact of Chinese blockchain policies and regulations on the business dynamics in China. Luisa also closely tracks the developments of China’s digital currency and its domestic as well as international implications. She holds a M.Sc.in Economics from the LMU Munich and spend several years living in China.

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