Rate My Professor Karl Huang

Dr Chun-Kai (Karl) Huang is the Director of the Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative (COKI) and the Director of the Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT) at Curtin University, where he also holds the position of Senior Research Fellow in CCAT. He is based in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry within the Faculty of Humanities. Huang's research specializations encompass bibliometrics, open knowledge, open access, data science, statistical modelling, probability theory, and financial risk modelling. He employs innovative mathematical and statistical methods to analyze patterns, differences, and correlations in bibliometric variables and bibliographic data sources, aiming to map the open knowledge landscape effectively.

Huang earned his PhD in Mathematical Statistics and Probability from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2018. His academic qualifications also include MASt, MSc, BSc (Hons), and BSc degrees. Before relocating to Perth, Australia, in 2018 to join Curtin University as a researcher with COKI, he served as a lecturer at the University of Cape Town and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. At Curtin, Huang contributes to teaching by delivering the unit “Telling Stories with Data” in the postgraduate program of the Information Science Discipline (Libraries, Archives, Records and Information Science - LARIS).

His scholarly impact is evidenced by key publications such as “Comparison of bibliographic data sources” (2020, Quantitative Science Studies), “Meta-Research: Evaluating the impact of open access policies on research institutions” (2020, eLife), “Universities as Open Knowledge Institutions: Sharing vital research” (2020), “Mapping open knowledge institutions: an exploratory analysis of research and publication workflows at 18 open knowledge institutions” (2021, Quantitative Science Studies), “The Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative” (2022, LIBER Quarterly), and “Changing the Academic Gender Narrative through Open Access” (2022, Publications). Huang's work has influenced the field through significant collaborations, including the production of the open edition of the Leiden Ranking in partnership with CWTS Leiden, development of Book Analytics Dashboards with OAPEN, provision of data analysis for UNESCO’s Open Science Outlook, and creation of data workflows for the State of Open Infrastructures report with Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI). Additionally, he is a member of iSchools since 2020. In recognition of his contributions, Dr Huang was named in the Top 10 Australian Research Frontiers in The Australian’s Research Magazine 2026.