Zhihui Yang earned her Ph.D. from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and is currently a Professor at the School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University. She also serves as the Deputy Director of the Specialized Committee on Ecological Rehabilitation of Desert Mining Industry of the China National Sand Control and Desert Industry Society. She was awarded the first prize of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Science and Technology Progress Award in 2015 and the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2014. She is mainly engaged in the research on remediation of contaminated sites.