Published by: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Refractories Edited by: Media Convergence Center
WUST News — Professor Yan Wen from the Faculty of Materials and the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Refractories at Wuhan University of Science and Technology (WUST) was awarded the title of Lifetime Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) at the 65th Advanced Materials Congress held recently in Stockholm, Sweden. The honor recognizes his pioneering contributions to the field of lightweight refractory materials.
A doctoral protégé of WUST Chief Professor Li Nan, Professor Yan Wen has been a trailblazer in lightweight refractory materials research since 2002, focusing on multi-porous refractory aggregates and lightweight material systems. In 2008, he became the first researcher internationally to propose a novel lightweight design approach using multi-porous aggregates in place of dense ones, opening new pathways for innovation in traditional refractories—a direction that has since become a major research focus in the field. Through systematic and original work, Professor Yan’s team has produced a series of internationally influential outcomes, earning distinctions such as the American Ceramic Society’s Best Paper Award (2020), the Alfred W. Allen Award (2023), and the Editor’s Choice Award, receiving widespread recognition from peers in China and abroad.
Professor Yan currently serves as the Party Branch Secretary of the Department of Inorganic Non-metallic Engineering at WUST, Deputy Director of the International Research Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Head of the Hubei Natural Science Foundation Innovation Group, recipient of the Outstanding Youth Talent Project, Qinghai Province "Kunlun Talents" Leading Talent, and has been listed in the "Global Top 2% Scientists" for 2025. He has led several national and provincial projects, including key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, published over 230 high-level academic papers, and holds more than 70 authorized domestic and international invention patents. He also serves as Deputy Editor of the International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology and holds important positions in several international academic journals.
Through the joint efforts of team members, WUST’s Green Functional Refractory Materials Team has grown into a research force with significant international influence. The team has established multiple high-level research platforms, including the International Research Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy and the Hubei Province Innovation and Intelligence Introduction Base for Advanced Refractories. Focusing on cutting-edge theories and key common technologies, the team has made significant contributions to addressing technical bottleneck, supporting the "Belt and Road" Initiative, and achieving the "dual carbon" goals.
The International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM), headquartered in Sweden, is a non-profit international academic organization dedicated to promoting the development of global materials science and technology. Its Lifetime Fellowship is a prestigious honor awarded to scientists who have made outstanding and original contributions to the field, with rigorous selection criteria and high international acclaim. (State Key Laboratory of Advanced Refractories)
