Presentation title: Data-Analytic Framework for Implementing Industry 4.0 in Steelmaking

Hongbiao Dong is a Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Leicester, Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering. He obtained his DPhil in Materials Science in Oxford and his Master and Bachelor Degree at University of Science and Technology Beijing. He has made significant contributions in solidification modelling and its application in casting and welding. His work has been exploited in various sectors, including in aerospace by Rolls-Royce, energy by the Welding Institute and steel by NISCO and Materials Processing Institute.

Presentation title: to be determined

Professor Aibing Yu specialized in process metallurgy, obtaining BEng in 1982 and MEng in 1985 from Northeastern University, China, PhD in 1990 from University of Wollongong and DSc in 2007 from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is currently a Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and President (Suzhou), Monash University, and Director of ARC Research Hub for Smart Process Design and Control. He is a world-leading scientist in particle/powder technology and process engineering. He has authored/co-authored >1,200 publications (including >870 collected in the ISI Web of Science), delivered many invited plenary/keynote presentations at various international conferences, and graduated >50 postdoc fellows and >140 PhD students. His research has generated significant impacts in the mineral and metallurgical industries. He is Executive Editor of Powder Technology, Regional Editor of Granular Matter, and on the editorial board of ~20 learned journals. He is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards and fellowships. He was elected to Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2004, and Australian Academy of Science in 2011, and Foreign Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2017.

Presentation title: Advanced Modeling of Macrosegregation in Continuous Casting with the Effect of Electromagnetic Stirring (EMS)

Prof. Dr. -Ing Menghuai Wu has the research background of numerical modeling and simulation of solidification and relavant metallurgical processes. He did his Master study at Northwestern Polytechnical University in China, Ph.D at RWTH Aachen in Germany, and Habilitation at the University of Leoben, and became the head of Christian Doppler Laboratory for “Advanced Process Simulation of Solidification and Melting” at the same university in 2010. He has coordinated/led/participated many national, EU and international research projects, and collaborated with the steel industries (Primetals, Voestalpine, INTECO, RHI Magnesita, etc.) and  got their supports. The multiphase solidification models as developed by him and colleagues have been broadly applied to CC, Semi-CC, ingot, ESR/VAR, etc. He authored and co-authored 400 papers with h-index 38.

Presentation title: Is artificial intelligence really intelligent in steel processing?

Prof. Il Sohn is the Director of the Research Institute of Iron and Steel Technology (RIIST) at Yonsei University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and currently serves as the Editor of Metallurgical and Materials Transactions and Associate Editor of Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy. He has published over 130 SCI(E) peer-reviewed articles in renown journals, over 20 intellectual properties, and is the author of several books regarding iron and steelmaking research. He has worked as an engineer within the petrochemical and steelmaking companies including LG-Caltex and U.S. Steel providing both industrial and academic insights to a broad range of topics including steels. He worked as a special project professor at The University of Tokyo and Central South University working on topics of green steelmaking, continuous casting, and clean steels. His research group specializes in the development of high aluminum steel mold fluxes, inclusion control in steelmaking, and green iron- and steelmaking based on thermodynamics and kinetics in the field of chemical metallurgy. He has undertaken more than 80 industrial and national projects sponsored by POSCO, Hyundai Motors, DB Metals, RIST, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Science and ICT and others. Through his industry and academic experience of more than 20 years, Prof. Sohn has distinguished himself to be one of the leaders for innovative and far-reaching expert in green iron and steelmaking research and education.

Presentation title: Accelerating product development to intelligent operations in the steel industry with emerging digital technologies

Dr. Bp Gautham is a Chief Scientist at Tata Consultancy Services Limited, India. His primary interests are at the intersection of fields of materials, mechanical, chemical engineering and computer science. 

Presentation title: Driving Efficiency and Innovation in the Steel-making Industry: Digital Transformation for Smart Manufacturing

Dr. Dohun Kim is currently working as a Senior Researcher at POSCO. He obtained his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from Pohang University of Science and Technology in 2008 and has worked as a researcher at POSCO Technical Research Laboratories for 15 years. His research has focused on developing standard middleware and software platforms for steelmaking processes. Currently, he is actively involved in the Control and Instrumentation Research Group at POSCO, dedicated to the development of smart factory technologies, including big data, AI, and other Industry 4.0 smart technologies.

Presentation title: Through-process Optimization

Dr. Yuyou Zhai joined Primetals Technologies, former Siemens VAI, 1994 and he currently leads the business segment TPO (Through Process Optimization) of the company, based in Linz, Austria. After graduating from University Science and Technology of Beijing, Dr. Zhai went to Germany 1985 and received his Diploma and Dr. Degree in Metallurgy from RWTH Aachen, Germany. His PH.D. These is about Plasma Metallurgy to produce clean steel for special applications.   

Dr. Zhai contributed to the steelmaking process model development within the company and holds several patents. To speak customer’s languages and to provide solutions to relieve customer’s pain points, he is now leading the department DT TPO of Primetals with focus on data based through process optimization to support Digital Transformation journey of customers and to achieve performance excellence. As a steelmaking expert, He is also recognized as a results oriented senior manager with proven track record of product development and business initiatives with customer centric focus during his activities in different positions and locations of the company.

Presentation title: Data-driven analysis of raceway operations in ironmaking blast furnaces: from gen I, gen II to gen III

Professor Yansong Shen is a full Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (Tenured) and is currently holding a prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship. He initiated and is leading a vibrant research lab - Process Modelling and Optimization of Reacting Flows "ProMO Lab" (www.promo.unsw.edu.au) with over 30 postdoc/PhDs as of 2023. He published over 180 peer-reviewed papers in top-tier multidisciplinary journals with an h-index of 44 as of 2023, secures 12 ARC and >15 highly competitive research grants, in total over AUD 27M, enjoys industry engagements and translation in Australia and overseas, and won several honours and highly-competitive national fellowships e.g. ARC APDI Fellowship (2012) and ARC Future Fellowship (2019). His group designed and scaled-up new technologies and reactors in resource and energy sectors (e.g., low carbon ironmaking, e-waste recycling, hydrogen generation and storage). Many have been implemented and practised with measurable benefits. He is selected as president of the Australian Particle Technology Society and was invited/plenary speaker at many international conferences.

Presentation title: to be determined

Prof. Jianguo Li, formerly professor and director of the State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing in Northwestern Polytechnical University Xian, is now professor and director of Materials Engineering Center, director of Shanghai Key Laboratory of Laser Processing and Materials Modification and director of SJTU-SHANGHAI ELECTRIC Joint Institute of Heavy Castings and Forgings in the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Shanghai Jiaotong University. He served as the Chair Scientist of 973 Project, MOST, China, in the project “heavy forgings for power generators”. Research interests include solidification processing, magnetic materials and amorphous solids. More than 700 journal papers have been published and a second award in science and technology advancement was granted by the State Council of China. Awarded honors include the outstanding yang scientist by NSFC, yang scientist of outstanding contributions by the Ministry of Personnel, and distinguished professor of Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Presentation title: to be determined

Prof. Zhai Qijie is First Class Distinguished Scholar at Shanghai University, the first winner of the the State Technological Innovation Award, and Shanghai's outstanding academic leaders and leading talents. The director of the Center for Advanced Solidification Technology of Shanghai University, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Foundry Society, Vice Chairman of the solidification committee of the Chinese Materials Society, Member of the Black Metal Technology Committee of the World Foundry Organization, and Vice Chairman of the Editorial Board of six academic journals. Mainly focusing metal solidification process and control technology, as well as new casting materials and technologies. He has presided over more than 80 scientific research projects, including national 863, 973, key research and development plans, and major special projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

A thermal simulation technology for metal solidification process has been proposed, which solves the research problem of solidification process of billets and ingots under production conditions. The pulsed magneto-oscillation solidification homogenization technology has been proposed and successfully applied in continuous casting production, making an important contribution to solving the product quality bottleneck problem of billet homogenization in the international metallurgical industry. He has developed 9 new products, including centrifugal casting bimetallic composite rollers. Received 1 Second Prize for State Technological Innovation Award, 10 Provincial, Ministerial Science and Technology Awards, 1 Chinese Excellence Patent Award, and 1 International Gold Award. Declare and obtain over 110 invention patents. Published over 500 academic papers and 4 monographs, and was selected as a highly cited scholar by ELSEVIER for four years from 2020 to 2023. 

Presentation title: Automatic Identification, Intelligent Analysis, and Standard Evaluation of Continuous Casting Billet Quality

Prof. Qiang Wang is the Vice President of Northeastern University in China (Shenyang) . He obtained his Ph.D. degree from Nagoya University (Japan). His research group specializes in electromagnetic fluid dynamics and its application technologies. He has led 7 National Natural Science Foundation projects of China, including major research instrument development project. He has also led over 40 cooperative projects between Northeastern University and Baosteel, Shandong Iron and Steel Group, Shagang steel, etc. He has published over 360 SCI peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals, 2 invited review articles in ISIJ Inter., 1 invited review article in Chin. Phys. B, 2 invited review articles in Journal of Metals, over 40 intellectual properties including 5 invention patents from the United States, Japan, Europe, and South Korea. He also serves as the editor in chief of 3 books, including "Strong Magnetic Field Materials Science", "New Technologies in Electromagnetic Metallurgy", and "Computational Metallurgy". Prof. Qiang Wang is a recipient of the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund, a member of the Materials Science Department of the Science and Technology Commission of the Ministry of Education. He has established a research team with distinctive characteristics, interdisciplinary research, and strong capabilities for Metallurgical and Materials Processing Control by External Fields.

Presentation title: Age Hardening of Maraging Steels – Physically- based Modelling vs Artificial Neural Networks

Dr Zhanli Guo received his BEng and MEng in Materials Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University, China, and PhD from Queens University Belfast, UK. He is the Scientific Director of Sente Software Ltd, looking after the scientific and technical development of computer software JMatPro?, which models materials properties and behaviour critical for alloy design and processing simulation, as well as its Application Programming Interface (API) and Material Property Optimiser (MPO), which now has over 900 users in around 50 countries worldwide. He has written and co-written more than 100 technical papers, including 50 journal publications, and one book on maraging steels.  He also holds a visiting professor position at University of Surrey, UK.

Presentation title: Computational Design of Engineering Materials: Tools and Case Study on Steel Design

Dr. Yong Du, Male, born on Nov. 27, 1964. He is the Chinese director of the Sino-German cooperation group "Microstructure", and director of Science Center for Phase Diagram & Materials Design and Manufacture, Central South University (CSU). He was selected to be National Outstanding Youth of National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2004, Cheung Kong Chair Professorship of Ministry of Education of China in 2006, group leader of Innovative Team of Cheung Kong Scholars and Innovative Research Team Develop Plan, Ministry of Education of China in 2005, Group leader of Innovative Research Team of National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2007. Currently, he is associate Editor of CALPHAD, associate Editor of Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion, associate Editor of J. Mater. Informatics, Advisory Board of International Journal of Materials Research (formerly Z. Metallkd.), and Editorial member for Vacuum, Inter. J. Mining and Metallurgy and Acta Metall. Sinica. He received Ph.D degree from CSU in 1992. From August 1993 to January 2003, Dr. Yong Du worked in Tokyo Institute of Technology, University of Barcelona, University of Clausthal of Germany, University of Vienna, and University of Wisconsin-Madison as an invited researcher, research scientist, postdoctoral, and Alexander von Humboldt research fellow. His research fields include thermodynamics, phase diagram, diffusion, microstructure characterization, phase field method, and structure-property correlation of light alloys, cemented carbides, hard-coating, nuclear materials, and energy materials. So far, he has been awarded one First Class Prize of Hunan Provincial Natural Science, one Third Class Prize of National Natural Science, one best paper prize of APDIC (Alloy Phase Diagram International committee). He has published 902 papers with 24145 SCI citation in 40 well-known international journals, such as Nature Communication and Acta Mater. He is the holder of 12 patents. He published the book entitled Computational design of engineering materials: fundamentals and case studies (Cambridge University Press, 497 pages, 2023).

Presentation title: Research on digitalization for near-net-shape continuous casting process

Dr. Wanlin Wang is Lotus scholar chair professor and Dean of National Center for International Research of Clean Metallurgy, China. Also, he is the associate dean of the school of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University. He received his Bachelor degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Central South University, Master degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Utah, and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007. He worked as a Sr. Research Scientist in the Reckitt Benckiser North America before joining Central South University in 2009.

His research focuses on high-temperature processing and continuous casting technology. He is the author of more than 300 publications in prestigious international journals, including 67 in Metallurgical Materials Transactions B. He is the recipient of many academic honors, including AIME-Champion H. Mathewson Award from TMS, Marcus A. Grossmann Young Author Award from ASM, Newton Advanced Fellow from Royal Society of UK, Excellent Young Scholar Fellowship from National Science Foundation of China, LMD Best Paper Award from TMS, MMI Best Paper Award from Korean Institute of Metals, Weishoukun Scientific Award, and National Ten-thousand Talents Program Award, etc. He is a distinguished member of Chinese Society of Metals. He has been invited to be international advisory board and give keynote speeches for numerous international conferences, such as International Congress on the Science and Technology of Steelmaking, International Conference on Molten Slags, Fluxes and Salts, European Continuous Casting Conference, etc.

Presentation title: Deciphering Solidification Characteristics in the Weld Metal of EH36 Shipbuilding Steel

Dr. Cong Wang is a Professor at Northeastern University, Shenyang, China, where he has been teaching and conducting research since 2014. Prior to this, he held positions as a Research Associate at Northwestern University and as a Senior Research Engineer at both Saint-Gobain R&D and Alcoa Technical Center in the USA. He received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University under the advisement of Professor Sridhar Seetharaman.

Dr. Wang’s expertise lies in materials science and engineering, with a strong focus on metallurgical processes. He has received numerous awards, including the Leading Expert of National “Ten Thousands Talent Program” and the Outstanding Young Educator Award in China, as well as the EPD Science Award from TMS in the USA. He has been recognized as a Fellow of ASM and holds several editorial positions in prestigious journals. His research has significantly contributed to the advancement of high-heat input welding, and he continues to play an active role in both academic and industrial collaborations.

Presentation title:

Dr. Zhang Wei is the Director of the Digital Intelligence Technology Innovation Center at China Baowu Central Research Institute and the Deputy Director of the Data&AI Department at Baosteel Co., Ltd. With a long-term commitment to the research and development of new steel materials and the management of digital and intelligent technologies, he has recently been responsible for leading the digital and intelligent technology innovation and R&D efforts at China Baowu, as well as implementing AI strategies and advancing AI-enabled work in the steel sector at Baosteel Co., Ltd. He has been granted more than ten invention patents and has published fifteen papers. As a principal investigator, he has undertaken several projects, including those funded by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation and key projects from the Shanghai Postdoctoral Fund. Additionally, he has participated in numerous significant projects, such as the National Ministry of Science and Technology's Key Project on Artificial Intelligence 2030 and major scientific and technological initiatives in Fujian Province. In recognition of his achievements, he was selected for the 2017 Shanghai Young Scientists and Technologists Star Program and serves as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Youth Working Committee of the Chinese Metal Society.

Presentation title: Multi-phase volume-averaged modeling of Microstructure and Macrosegregation in Full Scale Bloom Continuous Casting

Pro. Baokuan Li joined School of Metallurgy, Northeastern University, 1988 and he currently leads the lab of intelligent flow and process control. After graduating from Northeastern University, Pro. Li went to the University of Tokyo, Japan, 1998, as a postdoctoral fellow. After that, he went to Purdue University, America, 2007, as a visiting professor. Pro. Li has been engaged in basic and applied research on metal refining and multiphase flow thermal physics for a long time, applied multiphase flow theory and method in modern fluid mechanics to metal smelting process, and made innovative achievements in revealing the law of high-temperature melt multiphase reaction, innovating process technology and developing metallurgical process models. He was named one of the top 100,000 scientists in the world and a highly cited scholar in Elsevier China.

Presentation title: to be determined

Xinhua Liu, doctor of engineering, professor, doctoral supervisor. He graduated from Hunan University with bachelor degree, and graduated from University of Science and Technology Beijing with master degree and doctor degree. He is currently the director of the Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing (MOE) and the director of the Institute of Advanced Materials Processing of the University of Science and Technology Beijing. He is a recipient of the National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of China, a Leader Talent of Science and Technology Innovation of national special support program for high-level personnel recruitment, and a Leader in Science and Technology Innovation of the Ministry of Science and Technology. He is also a member of ASTM International Standard Committee, a senior member of Chinese Society for Composites Materials, and a member of Academic Committee of Copper Alloy Processing of the Nonferrous Metals Society of China.

Presentation title: Smoke Recognition in Steelmaking Converter Images: Based on Lightweight Neural Networks

Prof. Mujun Long, the Vice Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, is the Youth Yangtze River Scholar awarded by the Ministry of Education and the Youth Top Talent in Chongqing. Research interests include continuous casting process and solidification theory of steel, information detection and intelligent manufacturing of metallurgical processes, control of metal microstructure and properties, and simulation and optimization of metallurgical processes. Prof. Long has led four national projects, eight provincial or ministerial-level projects, and over twenty enterprise projects. More than 170 academic papers and over 30 authorized invention patents have been published, one textbook has been authored. Received more than ten scientific and academic awards, including the "Youth Metallurgical Science and Technology Award" from the Chinese Society for Metals.