Melissa Chan

Dr. Melissa Chan is an Academic Governance Board Member (Research and Teaching) at Victoria University and serves as the Course Chair of the Bachelor of Construction Management (Honours) program in the College of Sport, Health & Engineering. She is also a Visiting Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where she completed her PhD and received the Faculty of Engineering Executive Dean's Commendation for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis.

Dr. Chan holds a PhD in Built Environment from Queensland University of Technology and a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education in Learning and Teaching from Deakin University. She is a Chartered Member of the Australian Institute of Building and an Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professional with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council, Australia.

Her research focuses on sustainable infrastructure and net zero in construction, social procurement in construction, digital transformation and construction innovation, risk and safety management in the built environment, and construction education.

• Sustainable infrastructure and net zero in construction
• Social procurement in construction
• Digital transformation and construction innovation
• Risk and safety management in the built environment
• Occupational/workplace health and safety
• Cost management and financial sustainability

Dr. Chan has published 18 Q1 articles in the past three years, seven of which appear in top-decile journals, with a focus on sustainable infrastructure and construction innovation.

Dr. Chan has secured over $1.8 million in competitive research funding as Chief Investigator for projects including Social Value Creation for Transport Infrastructure and Digital Transformation of the Construction Industry through VU RISE Grants from the Victorian Government. She has also been Lead Chief Investigator for the Student Experience Initiative Grant and Place-Based Planetary Health Research Funding at Victoria University.

Her scientific contributions include:

• Faculty of Engineering Executive Dean's Commendation for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis (QUT)
• Editorial board membership for the International Journal of Smart Business and Technology
• Research Fellow designation
• Active reviewer for leading journals in construction management

As a dedicated research supervisor, Dr. Chan mentors higher-degree research students in advancing knowledge across sustainable construction, social procurement, digital innovation and infrastructure resilience. She currently serves as a Principal Supervisor at Victoria University and has also supervised higher-degree research students externally, including acting as an external examiner for PhD candidates at UTHM, Malaysia. Her supervision approach balances academic rigor with practical relevance, ensuring students gain the confidence, knowledge and professional capabilities to succeed in diverse career pathways.

Dr. Chan is actively engaged in industry and community outreach, serving on the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) committee and contributing as a Scientific Committee Member for both local and international conferences, including AUBEA 2024 and the Construction Industry Conference (CIC 2025).