Mingda Tian started his career in 2020 as an architect at Yang Ying Studio, part of the Hunan Province Design Institute, where he focused on architectural material analysis. After earning a Master's degree in Architecture from Cardiff University in 2022, he worked as an Overseas Project Analyst at China State Construction Fifth Engineering Division, specialising in the feasibility analysis of steel structure applications. In 2024, Mingda began his PhD at the University of Leicester, concentrating on the design of niobium microalloyed steels for railway applications, with the goal of optimising the mechanical performance and enhancing the microstructural stability of steels used in critical railway components.