Yan Shaohong, born on November 16, 1966, is a distinguished professor and doctoral supervisor, recognized with a government subsidy from the State Council. He earned his doctoral degree in 1995 from China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), specializing in coal mining processes and strata control.

With a career spanning prestigious roles at the Beijing Institute of Mining, China Coal Research Institute, and Tiandi Science & Technology Company Limited, Yan Shaohong progressed from Deputy Director and Director of the Mining Research Department to Vice Director of the Institute and Deputy General Manager. He was appointed as the inaugural Chief Scientist among the first cohort of 29 at China Coal Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd. Yan is also a member of the American Association for Science and Technology (AASCIT), serving as an expert reviewer for graduate theses at the Ministry of Education's Degree Center, and contributing as a peer reviewer for the "Journal of Coal" and "Coal Science and Technology." Throughout his career, he has supervised eight doctoral candidates and six master’s students.

As the primary author, Yan Shaohong has published three influential academic monographs: "The Formation Mechanism and Application of the 'Composite Short Cantilever Beam-Articulated Rock Beam Structure' in Comprehensive Mining," "Transformation of Small and Medium-sized Coal Mines with Advanced and Applicable Technologies," and "Research and Application of the Law of Roof Movement in Comprehensive Mining of Top Coal." His pioneering theories on the structural formation of upper rock layers in comprehensive mining sites are widely acknowledged and referenced within the industry.

Yan Shaohong's academic contributions include 62 published papers, including two recognized by the Chinese Institute of Science and Technology as top academic papers in China’s elite scientific journals (F5000), and one distinguished by the China Coal Society as among the most impactful papers in the 50-year history of the "Journal of Coal." He has been honored with numerous awards, including a first-place National Science and Technology Progress Award for his leadership on projects, and holds one patent for industrial design.

Yan Shaohong has received a total of nine awards, including one patent for industrial design. His notable awards include:First Prize of National Scientific and Technological Progress Award, where he served as the project leader；Second Prize of National Scientific and Technological Progress Award, ranked 14th; First Prize of China Coal Industry Science and Technology Award, ranked first.

In 1998, Yan Shaohong was recognized as an "Outstanding Foreign Expert Contributing to the Economic Development of Handan City." He received the "Sun Yueqi Youth Science and Technology Award" in 2000 and was featured in the July 1, 2001 edition of the People's Daily under the headline "Dr. Mine Manager - Yan Shaohong" for his notable achievements. In 2003, Yan Shaohong was named one of the "Top 100 Professional and Technical Talents in Beijing" by the Beijing Municipal Committee.

Yan Shaohong has led and participated in over ten longitudinal research projects, including the national "Ninth Five-Year Plan" key project "Research on Thick Seam Fully Mechanized Mining Technology in Yanzhou," the sub-project research of the National Natural Science Foundation's major project "Fundamental Theory of Fully Mechanized Mining," and major projects such as "Key Technologies and Equipment for Large-scale Fully Mechanized Mining in Thick Coal Seams" funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, "Annual Production of 6 Million Tons of Large-scale Fully Mechanized Mining Complete Technology and Equipment," and Shaanxi Province's key technological reform project "Innovative Research on Small and Medium Coal Mines Transformation Using Advanced Applicable Technologies," as well as the former Ministry of Coal Industry's scientific and technological poverty alleviation project "Research on Coal Mining Method Reform at Yunjialing Coal Mine," among others.

Yan Shaohong has led over 60 horizontal research projects, resolving numerous significant engineering challenges. Some notable projects include:

1. From March 2000 to November 2005, as project leader and technical director, he successfully completed the "Xiaogou Coal Mine Fully Mechanized Mining Technology" project in collaboration with Beijing Institute of Mining Research of China Coal Research Institute and Shaanxi Bin County Coal Co., Ltd. Within five years, the annual production of Xiaogou Coal Mine increased from 450,000 tons to 3 million tons through comprehensive upgrading and transformation. Yan Shaohong pioneered the "Bin County Model," recognized by the China Coal Industry Association at the 5th Coal Science and Technology Conference in December 2001, which used advanced and applicable technologies to transform traditional industries, thus paving a beneficial path for the upgrade and transformation of small and medium-sized coal mines in China.

2. From March 1996 to December 1998, as the leader of the Ministry of Coal Industry's scientific and technological poverty alleviation project, Yan Shaohong collaborated with Handan Mining Group Co., Ltd. to boldly practice fully mechanized mining of unstable and relatively thin coal seams (approximately 4.0 meters thick) at Yunjialing Coal Mine. This endeavor achieved comprehensive success, theoretically breaking through the notion that fully mechanized mining requires coal seam thicknesses of at least 5.5 meters. Moreover, it demonstrated through theory and practice that recovery rates of over 80% are achievable in fully mechanized mining operations under similar coal seam conditions. This technology was widely adopted throughout Handan Mining Group Co., Ltd., replacing inefficient and accident-prone high-grade conventional mining processes and revitalizing a company that was nearly bankrupt at the time.

3. Yan Shaohong also pioneered a technical service model in operational management:

In 2010, he proposed an integrated technical design approach for overall mining face designs in coal mines, which guided the provision of complete technical services and equipment. This concept was successfully implemented and from 2012 to 2019, more than 60 sets of equipment were sold nationwide, totaling contracts worth 3.5 billion RMB.

4.Yan Shaohong further explored the export business of Chinese mining technology and coal mining equipment starting from 2010. Over the past decade, he has engaged in technical exchanges and business negotiations with research institutes, design institutes, and enterprises from more than 10 countries. As project leader, he successfully organized exports, including: Three sets of fully mechanized mining equipment for thin coal seams to Ukraine;One set of complete equipment for large-scale fully mechanized mining to Russia;One set of complete equipment for medium-thick coal seams to Russia；Seven roadheaders to various countries;Two roadheaders to Turkey.

Yan Shaohong has authored a total of 63 academic papers, with several representative works including:

Analysis of top coal movement and damage characteristics in mining, Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering, 1996 (6), Yan Shaohong, Wu Jian, first author.

2. Determination of working resistance of supports in top coal mining, Journal of Coal Science, 1997 (1), Yan Shaohong, sole author.

3. Theoretical and applied determination of working resistance of supports in fully mechanized mining faces, Journal of Coal Science, 2002 (1), Yan Shaohong, Mao Debing, Fan Shaogang, first author.

4. Mechanism and experimental study of hydraulic fracturing for hard roof strata, Journal of Coal Science, 2000 (1), Yan Shaohong, Ning Yu, Kang Lijun, first author.

5. Theoretical study on the caving characteristics of soft top coal in fully mechanized mining, Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering, 2002.21 (4), Fu Qiang, Yan Shaohong, Wu Jian, second author.

6. A study on the laws of roof movement in longwall with top coal caving, Proceedings of the 96 International Mining Science and Technology Conference, 1996 (10), first author.

7. Top coal control in the face of soft thick seam in the longwall with top coal caving, Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Rock Mechanics, 1999 (8), Yan Shaohong, Fan Yunce, Ma Jinrong, first author.

8. Study on several theoretical issues in large-scale fully mechanized mining, Journal of Coal Science, 2008 (5), Yan Shaohong, Yin Xiwen, first author.

9. Theoretical study on external load of supports in large-scale fully mechanized mining of extra thick coal seams, Journal of Coal Science, 2009 (5), Yan Shaohong, sole author.

10. Theoretical study on the quantified relationship between coal loss rate and accumulation characteristics of fallen gangue, Journal of Coal Science, 2009 (11), Yan Shaohong, Zhang Huijun, Liu Quanming, Xu Gang, Yin Xiwen, Xu Hongjie, first author.

11. Determination of support working resistance for short cantilever beam-hinged rock beam structure in large-scale fully mechanized mining, Journal of Coal Science, 2011 (11), Yan Shaohong, Yin Xiwen, Xu Gang, Liu Quanming, Yu Lei, Xu Hongjie, first author.

12. Study on the activity regularities of roof strata in large-scale fully mechanized mining based on ARAMISM/E microseismic monitoring, Journal of Coal Science, 2011 Supplement 2, Yu Lei, Yan Shaohong, Mao Debing.

13. Study of dynamic bear characteristics and adaptability of support in top coal caving with great mining height, Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Mine Safety Science and Engineering, 2011, Yu Lei, Yan Shaohong, Yu Haiyong, Zhang Zhen.

14. Determination of support working resistance in large-scale fully mechanized mining of extra thick coal seams, Journal of Coal Science, 2012.5, Yu Lei, Yan Shaohong, Liu Quanming.

15. Movement regularities of roof strata in extra thick coal seams with fully mechanized mining, Proceedings of the 23rd American Rock Mechanics Conference, 2015.7, Yan Shaohong, Lei Yu, Xiwen Yin.

16. Current status of large-scale fully mechanized mining technology and research on increasing production on the mining face, Coal Science and Technology, 2015 (8), Yan Shaohong, Yu Lei, Xu Gang, Liu Quanming, first author. (Note: This paper was included in the "China Science Citation Database (CSCI)" by the National Engineering Technology Digital Library on July 22, 2020).

Contact:Dr. Shaohong Yan, Professor

School of Energy and Mining Engineering

China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing

Xueyuan Road D11, Beijing 100083, PR China

Tel: 13501382863

Email: :202002@cumtb.edu.cn