Last updated: December 2025

David Kwan

Data Science • Machine Learning • Buddhist Philosophy

Web david-kwan.com
WeChat davidkwan777
Email david.kwan.warwick@gmail.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/david-kwan-lab
GitHub github.com/david-kwan-lab
Business www.ujdc.com

Objective

  • Embracing a purposeful semi-retirement after 20+ years stewarding the family business, redirecting energy toward lifelong learning and meaningful contribution
  • Pursuing rigorous academic study in Applied AI and emerging technologies, with a focus on practical business applications such as marketing and customer intelligence
  • Committed to giving back through pro bono consulting, peer support, and collaborative academic research — helping classmates navigate business challenges while deepening my own expertise in AI and data science
  • Bridging 15+ years of self-taught ML/AI practice with formal academic credentials to foster knowledge exchange within learning communities

Education

MSc Marketing Management (Half Scholarship Recipient)

Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Faculty of Business | Sep 2025 – Jan 2028 (Expected)

  • Considering the dissertation track with a potential research focus on sentiment analysis models — extending my HKU MSc capstone through the lens of recent breakthroughs in AI-assisted development and refined prompt/context engineering methodologies
Leadership Initiatives for Future Talent (LIFT) Programme

Selected as a LIFT programme member — a distinguished initiative cultivating next-generation business leaders through executive-level training, personalised mentorship, and curated networking with industry leaders. Currently in strategic discussions with my LIFT coach exploring pathways toward a Doctor of Business Artificial Intelligence (DBAI) at PolyU upon programme completion.

PgDip Artificial Intelligence & Business Transformation

人工智能与商业转型 研究生文凭

University of Hong Kong, Institute for China Business | Qianhai, Shenzhen | May 2025 – Oct 2026 (Expected)

香港大學中國商業學院 | 深圳前海 | 2025年5月 – 2026年10月（预计）

  • Concurrent enrolment approved by PolyU
  • Curriculum Highlights:
    • 战略段 Strategies:
      • 人工智能时代的商业转型战略 Business Transformation Strategy in the AI Era
      • 创新领导力与科研成果转化管理 Innovation Leadership and Tech-transfer Management
      • 人工智能与商业决策 Business Decisions with AI
    • 战术段 Tactics:
      • 人工智能驱动的生成式营销 AI-driven Generative Marketing
      • 人工智能驱动的产品创新与服务体验 AI-driven Product Innovation and Service Experience
      • 人工智能与财金管理 AI and Corporate Finance Management
      • 知识经济的无形资产与知识产权 Intangible Assets and Intellectual Properties in Knowledge-based Economy
    • 赋能段 Enablement:
      • 动态核心竞争力与创新 Dynamic Core Competence and Innovation
      • 智能时代的人力资源与组织创新 Human Resources and Organisational Innovation in the AI Era
      • 数字化供应链与智能创造 Digital Supply Chain and Innovative Smart Manufacturing

Executive Education Programme for Data Scientists

HKU Business School & China Resources Business School | HKU Main Campus & China Resources HQ, Shenzhen | Jan–Aug 2025

  • Focus: Advanced Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing Architecture, Enterprise AI Implementation
  • Practical Application: R and Python modelling with GPT-assisted workflows using proprietary datasets from China Resources Corporation, ICBC, and China Everbright Bank
  • Core Competencies: Large-Scale Data Processing, Predictive Analytics, GenAI-Augmented Modelling, High-Performance Computing, Cloud Infrastructure
First Prize — Capstone Research Project

Collaborated in an elite five-person team with undergraduates from Tsinghua and UC Berkeley, a PhD candidate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and an EMBA from Peking University Guanghua School to optimise Mengniu's (蒙牛) smart farming operations through big data analytics addressing milk price volatility in China.

  • Award Recognition: First Prize for research quality — faculty supervisor assessed the work as reaching thesis-level standard
  • Technical Leadership: Served as the sole team member responsible for implementing and running the large-scale models, while peers contributed algorithmic strategy recommendations

MSc Electronic Commerce & Internet Computing (Distinction)

University of Hong Kong, School of Computing and Data Science | Sep 2021 – Jun 2023

  • Technical Foundations: Machine Learning (Python), Data Science (R; Carnegie Mellon curriculum), Geospatial Analytics (ArcGIS), Full-Stack Web Development, Database Architecture & API Engineering
  • Business & Technology Integration: Digital Logistics, Digital Marketing Strategy (Carnegie Mellon), Cybersecurity Fundamentals, TCP/IP Networking, E-Logistics Operations (HKU Business School)
  • Capstone Research: Developed a BERT-based sentiment analysis model for customer satisfaction prediction leveraging the Hugging Face Transformers framework

MSc Engineering Business Management (Joint Award with Dissertation)

Hong Kong Polytechnic University & University of Warwick | Sep 2008 – Jun 2011

  • Core Competencies: Total Quality Management, Project Management Excellence, Applied Statistical Methods, Industrial Operations Strategy, Financial Management for Engineering Enterprises
  • Dissertation: "Knowledge Management Frameworks for ERP Implementation in SMEs"
  • Professional Certification: Six Sigma Black Belt (Reg.# 0195, Hong Kong Six Sigma Institute)

Master of Commerce in Finance

University of New South Wales Business School | Sydney | Feb 1999 – Jan 2000

  • Specialisations: Security Valuation Methods, Derivatives & Risk Management, Quantitative Portfolio Modelling, Capital Budgeting Analysis, Risk & Insurance Economics

Bachelor of Commerce

University of Sydney Business School | Feb 1996 – Jan 1998

  • Double Major: Accounting and Management
  • Core Areas: Financial & Managerial Accounting, Auditing & Assurance, Organisational Behaviour & Strategy, Economics & Econometric Methods

Professional Experience

Universal Jewellery Design Center Ltd

An established high-end jewellery manufacturer with a 40+ year legacy, serving as a global production partner for prestigious luxury brands

Financial and Systems Controller | Jan 2013 – Present
  • Directing cross-functional operations spanning 150+ personnel across Hong Kong and China facilities
  • Spearheading digital transformation initiatives leveraging AI tools, Python/R automation, and modern ERP ecosystems
  • Architecting bespoke analytics solutions for demand forecasting and automated market intelligence gathering
  • Overseeing financial and operational risk management while executing strategic cost optimisation programmes
  • Maintaining enterprise IT infrastructure, server systems, and business continuity protocols
Company Accountant | Feb 2002 – Dec 2012
  • Managed end-to-end accounting operations and multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance
  • Directed annual budgeting, rolling financial forecasts, and working capital optimisation strategies

HSBC Bank Australia

Personal Financial Services Officer | Sydney | Jun 2000 – Dec 2001
  • Conducted mortgage and consumer lending risk assessments; prepared regulatory-compliant credit documentation
  • Administered legal contracts and delivered comprehensive wealth management advisory services

Key Projects 2025

View Complete Portfolio

Showcasing interdisciplinary mastery beyond conventional Python and R ML/DS — spanning cognitive psychology, evolutionary computation, and specialised NLP applications

Sentiment Analysis System (2023–2025)

  • HKU MSc Capstone: Pioneering sentiment analysis framework targeting "hidden dissatisfaction" patterns in e-commerce ecosystems
  • Data Foundation: Comprehensive Amazon review corpus analysed through multi-model ensemble architecture
  • Technical Implementation: Advanced ensemble methods, RoBERTa Transformer architecture, and extensively engineered feature-based classifiers
  • Innovation: Integrated Transformer-based Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA) for granular aspect-level sentiment extraction, revealing nuanced patterns invisible to conventional approaches
  • Business Impact: Enabled proactive customer intelligence by surfacing latent dissatisfaction signals before escalation

Purchase Decision Modelling (2025)

  • Methodology: Applied Drift Diffusion Models (DDM) to decode consumer choice dynamics through evidence accumulation theory
  • Scope: Comprehensive analysis across multiple decision-making scenarios with extensive simulated trial data
  • Key Insights: Quantified how bias amplification, speed-accuracy tradeoffs, and time pressure modulate purchasing behaviour
  • Consumer Typology: Identified distinct behavioural archetypes ranging from impulsive buyers to deliberative decision-makers
  • Strategic Value: Enabled precision-targeted marketing strategies and optimised choice architecture design

Multi-Objective Optimisation Framework (2025)

  • Algorithm Benchmarking: Rigorous comparative evaluation of NSGA-II, NSGA-III, and MOEA/D across ZDT1 and DTLZ1 test suites
  • Key Finding: MOEA/D demonstrated superior convergence with comprehensive Pareto-optimal solution coverage in tri-objective scenarios
  • Analytical Methods: Implemented hypervolume indicator analysis and statistical performance metrics
  • Technical Contribution: Advanced understanding of conflicting objective navigation in complex optimisation landscapes
  • Practical Application: Developed evidence-based algorithm selection guidelines for multi-objective problem domains

Buddhist-Specific Neural Machine Translation (2025)

  • System Development: Purpose-built neural machine translation engine trained on curated Buddhist parallel corpora
  • Technical Innovation: Custom tokenisation optimised for CJK character processing and Buddhist terminology preservation
  • Performance Gains: Achieved substantial improvements in domain-specific translation fidelity versus general-purpose models
  • Domain Expertise: Excels at rendering technical terms such as "prajñāpāramitā" and "five aggregates" that generic translators systematically misinterpret
  • Cultural Impact: Contributing to the preservation and accessibility of Buddhist textual heritage through AI-enhanced translation

Technical Skills

Programming Languages & Core Technologies

Languages: Python, R, JavaScript, SQL, HTML5/CSS3

Frameworks: React, Bootstrap, Flask, Django, FastAPI, Node.js

Machine Learning & Deep Learning

15+ Years Combined Academic and Professional Experience

Core ML/DL Frameworks: Scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow/Keras, Hugging Face Transformers

Ensemble Methods: XGBoost, LightGBM, CatBoost

AutoML & Optimisation: Optuna, Hyperopt, TPOT, H2O.ai, auto-sklearn, PyCaret, Ray Tune

Model Interpretability: SHAP, LIME

Specialised Libraries: Imbalanced-learn, Feature-engine, Statsmodels

Natural Language Processing & Computer Vision

NLP Stack: spaCy, NLTK, Transformers, LangChain, custom CJK tokenisation pipelines

Computer Vision: OpenCV, end-to-end image processing workflows

Applications: Sentiment analysis, ABSA, neural machine translation, multilingual NLP systems

Data Science & Analytics

Data Processing: Pandas, Polars, NumPy, PySpark

Time Series: Prophet, ARIMA, Statsforecast, sktime

Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, SQL/NoSQL query optimisation

Web Scraping: BeautifulSoup, Scrapy, Selenium, Requests; proficient in SERP and social media data extraction

Data Visualisation & Business Intelligence

BI Platforms: Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, advanced Excel with VBA automation

Python Visualisation: Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, Dash, Altair, Bokeh

R Visualisation: ggplot2, Shiny, Highcharter

Web Visualisation: D3.js, Highcharts, Streamlit

Statistical Software: JMP Pro, Minitab (Six Sigma applications), Origin

Systems & Infrastructure

Cloud Computing: High-performance computing architecture, distributed systems design

Linux Administration: Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora; shell scripting and process automation

Server Management: Nginx configuration, RESTful API design, security hardening, scalable architecture patterns

Specialised Tools: GIS (ArcGIS), Digital Forensics (Autopsy, FTK)

Large Language Models & GenAI-Augmented Development

Early Adopter & Power User

Premium AI Platforms: ChatGPT Pro, Claude Max, Gemini Ultra, Grok Heavy

Advanced Prompt Engineering: Chain-of-Thought (CoT) prompting, role-based scaffolding, structured context architecture, systematic hallucination mitigation — demonstrated at professional grade in academic coursework (96/100)

Technical Implementation: RAG system development, model fine-tuning workflows, multi-turn context optimisation, complex analytical modelling with AI assistance

Practical Applications: GenAI-augmented code development, automated report generation, intelligent data processing pipelines, rapid ML solution prototyping

GenAI Development Amplification

Programming capabilities significantly amplified through expert-level prompt engineering and sophisticated context management across premium AI platforms, enabling rapid iteration and production-quality output