杨起院士长期从事煤地质学、煤沉积环境、煤变质作用、盆地热史演化、煤聚积规律等的教学和研究工作，近期又拓宽至煤中有害物质、燃煤污染和煤层气温地质的研究。他和课题组针对我国一些煤层的盖层较而煤胡却高的特征，提出了中国煤的多阶段演化与多热源叠加变质的理论，提出 Academician Yang Qi has been teaching and researching on coal geology, coal depositional environment, coal metamorphism, evolution of basin thermal history and coal accumulation law for a long period of time. Recently, he has also broadened the study of harmful substances, coal-burning pollution and coalbed temperature in coal . He and his research group proposed the theory of multi-stage evolution and multi-heat source superimposition and metamorphism of coal in China, in view of the characteristics that some caprocks of coal seam in China are higher than that of coal seam.