Dr. Arul Chib is Professor of Technology and Development at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is associated with the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, where he was formerly Department Lead, Strategic Communications and Technology. He investigates emergent information and communication technologies as transformational tools in resource-constrained environments, with an emphasis on the socio-structural contexts of power within which social change occurs. His present research examines the agency, appropriation and innovative use of digital technologies by marginalized communities. 

Programmatically, Dr. Chib studies two broad domains, namely healthcare settings of developing countries and the context of transnational migration. His research, mentorship and teaching have contributed to the growth of the ICTD field in the Global South. He has published 4 volumes, most recently Critical perspectives on Open Development: Theory and application. Cambridge: MIT Press, and over a hundred research articles. Global collaborations with IDRC, Red Cross Red Crescent, Text to Change, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Vision have led to research grants of S$ 5.6 Mn.

Dr. Chib is the Co-Editor of the Gender, Technology and Development journal since 2020, serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Mobile Media and Communication, Annals of the International Communication Association, and the Publication Committee of the International Communication Association. Dr. Chib won the 2011 Prosper.NET-Scopus Award for the use of ICTs for sustainable development, accompanied by a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, one of the highest honors in the European tradition. He has been awarded fellowships at Ludwig Maxmilians University and University of Southern California. He is currently a member of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access committee of the International Communication Association.

Dr. Chib is former Director of the Singapore Internet Research Center, where he has been the Principal Investigator of the SIRCA (Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance) programme since 2008, mentoring emerging researchers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Dr. Chib’s research in twelve countries has been profiled in a range of media outlets, including the United Nations Chronicle. He presented the keynote speeches at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Texas A&M University. He was General Chair of the ACM 7th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Development, and served on organizing committees of IFIP 8.6 2013 and ICTD 2012. 

Arul has lived (and worked) in Germany, India, the Netherlands, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and the United States of America.