COLLEGE OF CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
XIAMEN UNIVERSITY
The origins of chemistry at Xiamen University (XMU) date back to 1921, when the university established a Chemistry division. This eventually evolved into the Department of Chemistry in 1924. The Department of Chemical Engineering was founded in 1991, and in the same year, the College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (CCCE) was created through the integration of these two departments. After a century of development, CCCE has become a leading institution for training high-caliber professionals and a key academic hub for advanced research in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering.
The College places a strong emphasis on talent cultivation, its core mission, and continues to optimize its academic structure. It comprises three departments: the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, and the Department of Chemical Biology. The College offers five undergraduate programs: Chemistry, Energy Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Chemical Metrology and Technology, and Chemical Engineering and Technology. Over the course of its history, the College has educated over 20,000 highly qualified professionals, including 25 academicians elected to national and international academies. CCCE is recognized as a leader in disciplinary innovation. Chemistry has been consistently selected for China’s “Double First-Class” initiative (2017, 2022), and in the globally recognized ESI rankings, Chemistry consistently ranks in the top 0.03% worldwide. Both Chemistry and Chemical Engineering are ranked among the global top 100 in major international subject rankings.
CCCE is renowned for its distinguished faculty. Generations of eminent scholars, including pioneers such as Shuqi Liu, Jiaxi Lu, and Qirui Cai, have fostered a culture defined by “Daring to Pioneer, Emphasizing Details, and Valuing Collaboration,” creating a nurturing environment for young talent. The College boasts a well-balanced faculty team, excelling in both teaching and research. Currently, it includes six Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 35 recipients of national high-level talent programs, and 49 recipients of national high-level young talent programs. Additionally, one faculty member has served as President of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE), four are ISE Fellows, and five are Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). The College hosts seven Innovative Research Groups funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and four Innovation Teams recognized by the Ministry of Education.
Talent development remains at the heart of the College’s mission. The National Base for Training Scientific Research and Teaching Talents in Chemistry, established in 1991, was one of the first four such bases in China endorsed by the Ministry of Education, and it has consistently received “Excellent” ratings in all evaluations. In 2019, it was selected for the first cohort of the national “Plan for Training Top Students in Basic Disciplines.” In 2020, it was included in the inaugural national “Plan for Strengthening Basic Disciplines.” The Excellence Engineer Education and Training Program for Chemical Engineering and Technology, launched in 2013, has produced significant results. In 2019, the College formally launched the “Central Science” Program to explore innovative talent training models. The Chemistry Experiment Teaching Center is among the first batch of National-Level Experimental Teaching Demonstration Centers. In 2021, the College introduced a new undergraduate program in Chemical Metrology and Technology. The Chemistry and Chemical Engineering & Technology programs were selected for the first batch of National First-Class Undergraduate Programs in 2019, followed by the Chemical Biology program in 2020 and the Biochemical Engineering program in 2021. In 2022, the College was selected for the first batch of National Virtual Teaching and Research Offices. Since 2023, it has led the development of two core courses (“Inorganic Chemistry” and “Chemical Metrology Experiments”) under the Ministry of Education’s Chemistry “101 Project.”
The College leverages major research platforms to drive innovation. It operates five national-level research platforms: the State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces (PCOSS), the Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), the National Engineering Laboratory for Green Chemical Productions of Alcohols-Ethers-Esters, the State-Province Joint Engineering Laboratory of Power Source Technology for New Energy Vehicles, and the National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Preparation Technology of Nanomaterials. Additionally, it hosts 12 provincial/ministerial-level innovation platforms, including the Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, and four university-local government collaborative platforms, such as the Gulei Innovation Institute and the Innovation Research Institute in Advanced Electronic Chemicals of Quzhou. This integrated ecosystem supports a comprehensive innovation chain from fundamental research to engineering and industrial application.
In recent years, the College has undertaken numerous national research projects and technology development initiatives, resulting in a large number of influential research achievements. Since 2017, CCCE researchers have published 12 papers as corresponding/first authors in Science and Nature, and 266 papers in sister journals of Science, Nature, and Cell, placing it among the top chemistry programs in China by this metric. The College has won three Second Prizes of the State Natural Science Award and has twice been recognized with the “Top 10 Scientific Advances in China.” It consistently leads Xiamen University in secured research funding.
The College is currently exhibiting a robust development trend, with a focus on world-class discipline orientation. It is building on its traditional strengths in Chemistry while fostering the integrated advancement of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. With passion and determination, CCCE is forging ahead towards its grand ambition: to establish a world-leading College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, distinguished by XMU’s unique style and Chinese characteristics.
(Data as of December 31, 2024)