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.