Draft:Professor Zhongyun Fan

Zhongyun Fan is a distinguished academic in the field of metallurgy, renowned as the founder and Director of BCAST [1] at Brunel University London [2]. He serves as the principal investigator/director of the EPSRC funded LiME Research Hub [3], a prestigious national centre of excellence in liquid metal engineering. Additionally, Professor Fan holds the principal investigator role for the UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Circular Metals [4], demonstrating his commitment to advancing sustainable practices in metallurgical sciences.

With a prolific career spanning decades, Professor Fan has authored over 400 scientific papers, boasting an impressive H-Index of 59 and garnering a total citation count of 14071 according to Google Scholar [5]. He has spearheaded numerous research projects as principal investigator, securing grants exceeding £70M in funding [6].

Throughout his career, Fan has played pivotal roles in international scientific communities. He has chaired four major international conferences and served on the international scientific committees of six others. Notably, he co-chaired the Casting and Solidification Society (IOM3) from 2010 to 2017, highlighting his leadership within professional organisations. He holds esteemed positions as a Board Member of the Light Metals Division (IOM3) and as a Fellow of both the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and the Institute of Cast Metal Engineers (ICME). He is also a Member of the American Society for Materials (ASM) and the EPSRC Peer Review College, EPSRC, UK [7].

Fan's contributions to metallurgy have been recognised with prestigious awards, including the Elegant Work Prize (1995), the Cook/Ablett Award (2003), and the Dowding Medal and Prize (2012) from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) [7,8].

Professor Fan embarked on his academic journey by earning a Bachelor's degree in Metallurgy from the University of Science and Technology Beijing, followed by a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Surrey. His career began in 1997 at Brunel University, preceded by research fellowships at the University of Oxford and the University of Surrey.

Research Area(s):
Professor Fan's research encompasses several key areas [6]:


 * 1) Understanding of Solidification Processes: His work delves into the early stages of solidification, investigating phenomena such as prenucleation, heterogeneous nucleation, grain initiation, and grain refinement.
 * 2) Closed-loop Recycling of Metallic Materials: Professor Fan is dedicated to developing metallic materials and techniques that facilitate closed-loop recycling, contributing to sustainable practices in metallurgy and materials science.
 * 3) Innovative Techniques for Processing Light Metals: He is involved in the development of pioneering methods for processing light metals, aiming to enhance their properties and expand their applications.

Research Interests:
Fan's current research interests span a broad spectrum within metallurgy and materials science, including [6]:


 * Metallic Materials Processing
 * Solidification under Intensive Forced Convection
 * Heterogeneous Nucleation
 * Structure of Liquid Metals
 * Rheology
 * Alloy Development

Through his diverse research endeavours, Professor Fan continues to advance our understanding of metallurgical processes and materials, paving the way for technological innovation and sustainable practices in the field.