Yuan Hu, PhD, is the Director of the Institute of Fire-Safe Materials, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). He earned a PhD at USTC in 1997. Prof. Hu has performed research on fire-safe materials for more than 30 years. His main research areas include polymer/inorganic compound nanocomposites, new flame retardants and their flame-retardant polymers, synthesis and properties of inorganic nanomaterials, combustion and decomposition mechanism of polymers. Prof. Hu has published more than 600 SCI papers (citations 30,000, H index = 98) in research areas covering the range of fire safety of polymer materials and has obtained over 70 invention patents. He was also awarded the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award by the Chinese Government (2017).

Xin Wang, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). He earned a PhD in safety science and engineering at USTC in 2013. His research interests focus on the synthesis and application of bio-based flame retardants and the preparation of layered nanomaterials and their use in fire-safe polymer composites. He has authored or co-authored more than 180 SCI-indexed papers in peer-reviewed international journals, 6 book chapters, and 2 monographs in this field. He was also awarded the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award by the Chinese Government (2017).