Dr. Ryan Tan serves as a bridge between the academic study of interactive media and the rapidly developing frontier of esports. In his role as the Director of Esports at UNL, Tan designed and now oversees a comprehensive ecosystem that balances high-level competition and career-leading practical experience, with broad student engagement. As a Professor of Sports Media and Communication and Advertising and of Advertising and Public Relations, his work focuses on the psychological, social, and physiological intersections of human-computer interaction and skill development.

Tan brings over 20 years of professional experience in the esports and game development/publishing industries to his work, training and producing players at over a half-dozen Tier 1 esports organizations such as Fnatic and Evil Geniuses, and placing players/teams in global tournaments such as the Dota2 International and the Overwatch World Cup. These professional experiences inform Tan’s research and pedagogy as he investigates and develops courses on the use and effects of games and structured play as sites of learning and skill development.

Born and raised in Singapore, Tan completed his Bachelors and Masters at the Nanyang Technological University before completing his PhD at the Pennsylvania State University. Throughout his academic journey, Tan has continued to keep one foot in industry, consulting and partnering with various industry titans to maintain relevance in a rapidly advancing field.

Tan continues to be a competitive nerd, and can be found training in various esports titles, attempting to race drones, folding clothes (while they're being worn) in Brazilian Jiujitsu, and grinding ledges at the local skate park.