Born on August 26, 1952 and hailing from Malaysian Borneo, Yau-man Chan was educated at All Saints Secondary School in Kota Kinabalu. He later moved to the United States where he earned a science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He later received his master’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Yau-Man Chan currently works as the Chief Technology Officer for the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. His job requires him to manage the information systems infrastructure for administrative, research and teaching units of the college. His other tasks include setting up networks, computers and managing business database systems. He is backed up by his experience designing electronic circuits for scientific instruments to collect data. He also previously held jobs such as housepainter, cook and dishwasher.
While not busy, Yau-Man enjoys playing table tennis, bicycling, woodworking and reading. A member of the USA Table Tennis Association, he describes himself as competitive and intellectual. He also believes that he is a natural leader, good organizer and a skilled handyman who is very resourceful and full of keen intellect.
Yau-Man lives with his wife of 24 years, Jennifer in Martinez, California, where they raised their two children Penelope and Ione.
Yau-Man broke into reality television with Survivor: Fiji. He returns to TV screens as one of the Survivor favorites competing against ten fans on its sixteenth installment, Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites.
(Photo courtesy of CBS)