The School of Chemistry and Materials Science (formerly the Department of Chemistry) of South Central Minzu University(SCMZU) was founded in 1981. After 40 years of development, it has formed a pattern of combining science and engineering, emphasizing both undergraduate education and graduate education. There are four departments at our School: Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Material Chemistry, and Polymer Materials and Engineering. All the four undergraduate majors have been selected as "Double First Class" construction sites. Applied Chemistry and Material Chemistry are national first-class undergraduate major construction sites, while Chemical Engineering and Technology,  and Polymer Materials and Engineering are first-class undergraduate major construction sites in Hubei Province. The School has a postdoctoral research station in the first level discipline of chemistry, a doctoral authorization point in the first level discipline of chemistry, a master's authorization point in the first level discipline of chemistry, and a master's degree authorization point in materials and chemical engineering. We have established a comprehensive training system for undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. The three key disciplines of chemistry, engineering, and materials science of our school have entered the top 1% of the global ESI. The chemistry discipline has been selected as a 'first-class discipline construction discipline in China' in Hubei Province, and currently ranks in the top 0.5% of the global ESI.

The School currently has 96 faculty members, including 74 full-time teachers, all with doctoral degrees, 38 with overseas study backgrounds. Among them, 30 are professors, 10 are Ph.D. Students supervisors/advisors, and 27 are provincial-level and ministerial-level and above talents, including experts with special allowances from the State Council, recipients of the National Excellent Youth Fund, Ministry of Education's New Century Excellent Talents, leading talents of the National Civil Affairs Commission, and renowned teachers of the National Civil Affairs Commission. We are a highly academic teaching and researching team.

The School owns a 13000-square-meter building, 6 provincial and ministerial level innovation groups or teams, and has established 6 provincial and ministerial level platforms including Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Energy Materials Chemistry of Ministry of Education；Hubei Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials Science；The 2011 Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Catalytic Materials; The Hubei New Materials Industry Energy/Environmental Catalytic Materials Technology Innovation Base; The Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Energy Polymer Materials; and The Hubei Engineering Research Center for Hyperbranched Polymer Synthesis and Application Technology. In addition, there are more than 10 technology research and development centers jointly built by our school and enterprises. We have advanced instruments and equipment such as STEM, TEM, SEM, XPS, etc., providing a good platform for teaching and research in our school.

Our School has made teaching and research achievements, and developed strong social service capabilities. Our faculty have received more than 10 honors/awards, including 2 first prizes in the 8th Hubei Provincial Teaching Achievement Award, 2 first prizes in the National Science Popularization Explanation Competition, 3 first prizes in Science Popularization and Explanation Competition within the National Ethnic Affairs Commission System, top 10 Science Popularization Ambassadors in China, recipient of the Hubei Youth May Fourth Medal, Hubei Youth Teaching Expert, and National Science Commission Teaching Model. In the past 5 years, we have undertaken and completed more than 70 national projects, including key projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Science and Technology Support Program, and the 973 Early Special Project, with a research funding of nearly 100 million yuan. Over 500 SCI papers were published in journals such as Nat Commun Nat., Sustain Sci Adv., JACS, Angelw. Chem., PNAS, Chem Soc. Rev., Prog. Material. Sci, and Acc. Chem. Res.. Faculty members have received 3 first prizes, 5 second prizes, and 6 third prizes of provincial and national science and technology awards. Faculty members have been authorized with 2 international invention patents, more than 60 national invention patents, and more than 10 converted and applied patents which created good benefits for enterprises and made significant contributions to the development of regional economy and ethnic regions. We also developed our own research characteristics and advantages in areas such as energy catalysis, new energy materials, and hyperbranched polymers.

Our School values external academic exchanges and promote international cooperation. It has established academic exchange and cooperation relationships with universities and research institutions in multiple countries including the USA, UK, Canada, Russia, Italy, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and others. We've invited renowned scholars from home and abroad to give academic presentations more than 40 times a year.

We have highly qualified students with strong innovation abilities. Since its establishment, it has trained more than 7000 students in ethnic regions and related industries, and has produced Outstanding Youth fund-winners and Changjiang Scholars from the Ministry of Education, including Xiang Wensheng, Zhang Jianhua, Zhang Yaobin. It has also trained a group of listed company chairmen or general managers such as Bian Pingguan, Chang Huaichun, and Zhu Fangmeng, as well as a group of civil servants such as Yuan Dongsheng and Huang Bin who are rooted in ethnic regions. Our undergraduate students have published over 100 papers, among which more than 50 are SCI papers, and obtained over 30 authorized patents. The students have won over 100 national and provincial awards, in competitions including the National College Student Chemical Design Competition, National College Student English Competition, National College Student Mathematical Modeling Competition, Hubei Province College Student Chemical Experiment Skills Competition, Hubei Province Chemical and Chemical Innovation Achievement Report Award, Challenge Cup, and more. The admission rate for students taking the postgraduate entrance examination ranges from 38% to 43%, ranking at the top in SCMZU.

Updated Oct. 24th, 2024