Zhiyong Gao received his Ph.D. in minerals processing engineering from Central South University (CSU), China in 2013 and has been a professor and vice dean at the School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, CSU since 2019. His research interests embrace mineral crystal chemistry, flotation reagent design, and grinding media technology. He has published more than 70 papers and held more than 30 authorized patents. He has received numerous awards and honors including the MEI Young Person's Award, the China–Australia Young Scientist Exchange Award, the World's Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University, and the Young Elite Scientists Award by the China Association for Science and Technology. He has contributed significantly to the scientific community by serving, for example, on the editorial boards of several journals (including Minerals since 2017, and Minerals Engineering since 2021) and committee memberships. In 2017, he initiated and chaired the 1st China International Conference of Young Scholars in Mineral Processing which is a well-known annual event in the mineral processing community. He has been invited to give plenary/keynote/invited presentations and chair sessions at the International Mineral Processing Congress, International Flotation Conferences, International Mineral Processing and Recycling Conference, etc. He and his international collaborators also established the China-Australia/China-South Africa Joint Research Centre for Mineral Flotation Chemistry.