Prof. Xia-Ting Feng received his PhD degree at Northeastern University of Technology (now Northeastern University since 1993), China in 1992 and then took the position of lecturer, associate professor and professor at the same university. He joined Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 1998 as a Professor of Hundred Talent Program of the CAS and as Deputy Director in Charge and Director in 2001–2005. He has worked as Director of State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering since 2007. He works at Northeastern University, China as a Vice President since September 2017. In February 2021, he became president of Northeastern University. He is President of Federation of International Geo-engineering Societies−FedIGS, President of International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) Commission on Design Methodology, member of ISRM Commission on Testing Methods, and President of Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering (CSRME). He was the past President of ISRM 2011–2015. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (JRMGE), and Associate Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. He is member of Editorial Board of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering. His research interests cover rock mechanics for deep rock engineering. He published more than 200 technical papers and the English books “Rock engineering design” and “Rock engineering risk” with Professor John Hudson. He has edited five volumes of the book “Rock mechanics and rock engineering” (CRC Press) and the book “Rockburst” (Elsevier).