Xichun is a Professor in ultra precision manufacturing and technical director of Centre for Precision Manufacturing (CPM) at the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow). He is an Elected Fellow of the International Society for Nanomanufacturing, the International Academy of Engineering and Technology and the International Association of Advanced Materials.His research interests include ultra-precision machining, hybrid micromachining, nanofabrication and digital manufacturing. He obtained his PhDs at Harbin Institute of Technology (China) and Leeds Metropolitan University (UK). From 2004 to 2007, he worked at Cranfield University as a research officer and delivered the world leading research in ultra precision diamond turning and grinding of freeform optics. From 2007 to 2012 he was a lecturer at Heriot-Watt University. From 2012 to 2013 he was a Reader in ultra precision manufacturing at the University of Huddersfield where he leads an Advanced Machining Research Group. He has established an international reputation in ultra precision manufacturing and digital manufacturing, as evidenced by more than 120+ papers in peer-reviewed highly ranked journals and international conferences, his contribution to two books and five invited book chapters and 20+ keynotes and invited talks. He received funding from EPSRC, EC, SFC, ROE and industries (Renishaw, STMicroeletronics, Spanoptic, etc.). He won Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) 2015 Ludwig Mond Prize for his seminal work in application of digital technology for micro and nanomanufacturing.