Prof Liang Yuan is an expert in coal mining and coal mine gas control. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the highest academic title officially recognized by the Chinese government in engineering and technological sciences. Since 2018, he has been the President of Anhui University of Science and Technology (AUST). Prior to joining AUST, Prof Yuan had been with the Huainan Mining Group (HMG) for 35 years, serving as deputy chief engineer of Xie No. 1 Mine, principal production engineer of HMG, HMG chief engineer, deputy general manager, and Director of China National Engineering Research Centre for Coal Mine Gas Control. In 2009, he was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Prof Yuan received more than 15 national and provincial science and technology awards and was the author of 18 books and more than 100 papers.

Duran Durieux is a professional engineer specializing in mine ventilation and cooling systems and has over a decade of experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Johannesburg, in South Africa. Additionally, he holds an advanced certificate in mine environmental control from the Minerals Council of South Africa and recently completed a certificate in leading sustainable corporations from the University of Oxford. Duran has taken projects from concept through to implementation and has a solid foundation in the fundamental physics related to mine ventilation and cooling system design. His work has ranged from conceptual studies and trade-offs through to construction and handover in several geographies, including South Africa, Ghana, Australia, the US, Canada, Portugal, and Mexico. Moreover, he offers “boots-on-the-ground” experience, having actively participated in and led construction, commissioning, audits, and performance assessments for mine ventilation and cooling systems. Throughout his career, Duran has held roles such as Principal Advisor at Rio Tinto, Senior Engineer at Hatch, and a long tenure at BBE. He has published a few papers and recently received the J.P. Rees Memorial Prize from the Mine Ventilation Society of South Africa for his contribution to the best paper describing a mine ventilation system. Duran is also a qualified mine ventilation officer in South Africa and is currently a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada, as well as an associate member of several professional organizations including the Mine Ventilation Society of South Africa and ASHRAE. He is presently the Principal Advisor for Mine Ventilation and Refrigeration at Rio Tinto's Resolution Copper project in Arizona, USA.