School of Chemistry and Materials

The School of Chemistry and Materials (Institute of Innovative Materials and Energy) of Yangzhou University is located on the Slender West Lake, a famous scenic spot in the ancient city of Yangzhou. Its history can be traced back to the chemical discipline of North Jiangsu Normal College, which was founded in 1952. In 1992, Yangzhou Normal College and other six colleges and universities in Yangzhou were merged into Yangzhou University, the Department of Chemistry of Yangzhou University Teachers College was established, and the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Yangzhou University was founded in August 2002. The Institute of Innovative Materials and Energy of Yangzhou University was established in June 2016, and is affiliated with the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Yangzhou University.

At present, the school (Innovative Materials and Energy Research Institute) has 193 teachers, including 155 full-time teachers. Among the full-time teachers, there are 2 academicians of the European Academy of Sciences, 1 national excellent teacher, 1 famous teacher of the ‘Ten Thousand Plan’ of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, 1 member of the Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education, 4 nationally selected young talents, and 9 provincial special professors. Among the teachers, there are 55 professors and 43 associate professors, with the title of associate professor (including) or above accounting for 63.2% of the total number of full-time teachers, and 143 teachers with a doctoral degree accounting for nearly 91.6% of the total number of full-time teachers.

In 2003 and 2005, the school obtained two second-level disciplines of physical chemistry and analytical chemistry, respectively, and in 2011, it obtained two first-level disciplines of chemistry, covering the research directions of colloid and interface chemistry, analytical chemistry and sensing, organic synthesis and supramolecular chemistry, materials chemistry and physics, electrochemistry and new energy, chemical biology, etc. In 2009, the chemistry postdoctoral mobile station was established. The discipline of chemistry is the discipline of special zone construction of Yangzhou University, which has been selected as the superior discipline of Jiangsu Province for three consecutive periods and the top 1% of ESI international ranking in the world. According to the results of the fourth round of subject evaluation by the Ministry of Education, chemistry has entered the B category. The school has three first-level disciplines of chemistry, chemical engineering and technology, materials science and engineering master's program, and curriculum teaching theory (chemistry) master's program. The school also offers Master of Education (Chemical Education), Master of Engineering (including chemical engineering, materials engineering and pharmaceutical engineering) and other professional degree programs.

The school has six majors, including chemistry, applied chemistry, polymer materials and engineering, chemical engineering and technology, pharmaceutical engineering, and material chemistry. Among them, chemistry is the national first-class major construction point, national characteristic major construction point, national comprehensive reform pilot major, the first batch of Jiangsu Province curriculum ideological and political demonstration major, and Jiangsu Province brand major. Applied chemistry is a first-class specialty, a key specialty and a provincial brand specialty construction point in Jiangsu Province; polymer materials and engineering is a pilot specialty of excellent engineering education and a provincial characteristic specialty construction point; and chemical engineering and process and pharmaceutical engineering are key specialties in Jiangsu Province. The school attaches great importance to curriculum construction, the physical chemistry course is the national first-class course, the national excellent course, the national excellent resource sharing course, the first batch of Jiangsu Province curriculum ideological and political demonstration course. The analytical chemistry course is the national excellent course, the national excellent resource sharing course, the Jiangsu Province first-class course. The chemistry experiment course is the national excellent course. Organic chemistry is a national bilingual demonstration course, there are two provincial first-class and excellent courses, and the physical chemistry teaching team is a national teaching team. The school has made fruitful achievements in the construction of teaching materials, and has 4 national planning teaching materials for general higher education in the ‘11th Five-Year Plan’ and ‘12th Five-Year Plan’, and 2 key teaching materials for Jiangsu provincial colleges and universities in the ‘12th Five-Year Plan’ and ‘13th Five-Year Plan’. The school focuses on undergraduate teaching, and the obtained achievements have won the second prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award and the special prize of Jiangsu Province Teaching Achievement.

The school has excellent scientific research strength and is making great strides to become a high-level research school. The school has the provincial key laboratory of ‘Environmental Materials and Environmental Engineering’ and the provincial engineering research center of ‘Polymer Inorganic Micro-nano Composite Functional Materials in Jiangsu Province’. In recent years, the faculty and staff of the school have led and implemented 2 outstanding youth projects and overseas outstanding youth projects of the Foundation Committee, 1 local joint key project of the Foundation Committee, 2 major projects of the National Defense Science, Technology and Industry Commission and major projects of national defense planning, 1 special project of the 863 program, more than 60 projects of the Foundation Committee, more than 40 projects of the Youth Fund, and more than 200 provincial and ministerial scientific research projects. The average annual research funding is nearly 20 million yuan. The school publishes more than 500 scientific papers indexed by SCI every year, and has been granted more than 60 national invention patents. Its scientific research achievements have won the Major Contribution Award of the National Science Conference, the Second Prize of Natural Science of the Ministry of Education, and the Second Prize of Science and Technology Progress of Jiangsu Province.

Adhering to the school running characteristics of ‘integration of science and technology’ and the talent training mode of ‘broad caliber, profound foundation, emphasis on practice, and pursuit of innovation’, the school attaches great importance to the cultivation of students' innovation and practical ability, and has won the silver and bronze awards of the national ‘Internet +’ College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. ‘Challenge Cup’ national college students extracurricular academic science and technology works competition 1 grand prize, 2 first prizes, 1 second prizes, 1 third prizes, the national ‘College Students Chemistry Experiment Invitational Competition’ first, second, third prizes and other awards. ‘Chemical and Chemical Compound Innovative Talent Training Model Innovation Experimental Base’ was awarded as Jiangsu Province Higher Education Talent Training Innovation Experimental Base.

The school has built a provincial chemical experiment teaching demonstration center with leading experimental conditions, equipment and management mode in China, and its management level has been highly evaluated by peer experts within and outside the province. The experimental center has passed the national metrology certification, and the advanced instruments and equipment can provide technical services to the society, such as chemical composition, structural analysis and material performance testing. Three provincial-level engineering research centers have been established in cooperation with local enterprises.

The school attaches great importance to international exchange and cooperation, and has established good cooperative relations with renowned foreign universities, such as Seoul National University in South Korea, Kyushu University of Technology in Japan, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, University of Bradford in the UK, to conduct academic exchanges and cooperative research, and jointly train undergraduate and graduate students.

Looking forward to the ‘14th Five-Year Plan’, the school will earnestly implement the development concept of ‘teachers and students as the center’, strictly adhere to the theme of ‘moral cultivation’ and ‘high-quality development’, further cultivate first-class disciplines, build first-class majors, attract first-class teachers, train first-class talents and produce first-class results. Toward the goal of building a ‘first-class, internationally renowned and distinctive high-level research college’!