Helin Fu is Professor of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering in the School of Civil Engineering, Zhongnan University, China. He is the lead for bridge and tunnel engineering as a National Key Discipline, and has previously been Visiting Professor at Freiberg University of Technology, in Germany. He is Executive Director of the Tunnel and Underground Engineering branch of the China Society of Civil Engineering, and holds many other senior positions. He holds a PhD, and is a leader in the area of rock mechanics and engineering.