Hongbiao Dong is the University’s 125th Anniversary Chair and Professor of Materials Engineering, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and President of Association of British Chinese Professors (ABCP). He is internationally renowned for AI for materials and manufacturing, particularly its application in materials manufacturing, and has made distinctive contributions to the metals industry. He is Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Digital Transformation of the Metals Industry (DigitalMetal CDT) and Spoke-Director of the UKRI IGNITE Sustainable Manufacturing Hub. The outcomes of research in his team bring knowledge-inspired decision making to the manufacturing of high value-added engineering structures, such as aero-engine components, deep-sea oil and gas transport systems, AI-enabled steelmaking. He held a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair sponsored by TWI and was a Royal Society Industry Fellow hosted by Rolls-Royce plc. He has also played a key role in establishing international partnerships between the UK and EU, China, India and Africa.