Introduction to School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences

The School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences at Wuhan University of Technology builds upon a legacy that began in 1958 with the founding of early chemical and silicate engineering programs—among the first of their kind in China.The School was officially established in 2014 through the integration of related disciplines.

The School comprises four academic departments: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Engineering, and Biological Science and Technology. It maintains a national-level teaching base for foundational chemistry in engineering and a provincial Demonstration Center for Chemistry Experimental Teaching in Hubei.The School also hosts several advanced research platforms, including the Hubei Provincial Center for Fundamental Science Research, the Engineering Center for TCM Formulation Technologies, the Institute for Materials Protection, and the Center for Fine Chemicals Innovation. These platforms support interdisciplinary research and contribute to innovation across life sciences, chemical engineering, and pharmaceutical technologies.

The School offers four undergraduate programs: Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Pharmaceutical Engineering, and Biotechnology. Among them, the Pharmaceutical Engineering program has been designated as a National First-Class Undergraduate Program, while both Pharmaceutical Engineering and Chemical Engineering are part of the Ministry of Education’s “Excellent Engineer Training Program.”

At the graduate level, the School offers a PhD program in Chemistry and jointly supports a doctoral program in Materials and Chemical Engineering with the School of Materials Science and Engineering. It also holds master’s degree authorizations in three primary disciplines—Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Technology, and Pharmacy—all recognized as key disciplines in Hubei Province. In addition, the School offers professional master’s programs in Materials and Chemical Engineering as well as in Biology and Medicine.

The School has gained increasing global academic recognition. In 2024, the Chemistry discipline ranked within the top 0.049% globally in the ESI (Essential Science Indicators), Chemical Engineering was placed in the 351–400 band in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, and Biology ranked in the global top 0.6% in the ESI.

Currently, the School has more than 520 enrolled master’s students and over 1,800 undergraduate students.

The School currently has 161 faculty and staff members, including 115 full-time academic staff. Among them are 6 recipients of national-level talent programs, 14 provincial-level awardees, and 3 Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). The School also counts 8 Young Top Talents recognized by the university, and 10 honorary professors, including members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and the European Academy of Sciences.

Among the full-time faculty, there are 37 professors (or research fellows), 47 associate professors (or associate research fellows), over 40 doctoral advisors, and more than 70 master’s advisors. Over 100 faculty members hold doctoral degrees.

In recent years, the School has undertaken 6 major national projects, including those under the “863” and “973” Programs and initiatives by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It has secured 76 National Natural Science Foundation projects, including one key project, 3 national-level defense research projects, and over 320 additional research grants. The total research funding received has exceeded RMB 200 million.

The School’s faculty have published more than 890 SCI-indexed papers in internationally recognized journals, including over 20 in Science, Nature, and their sub-journals. In addition, over 300 patents have been filed, with more than 130 granted.

Guided by its motto “Transforming matter to benefit society; cultivating virtue to serve humanity,” the School upholds a student-centered, research-driven educational philosophy. With a focus on major national strategic needs, it is committed to cultivating top-tier talent in the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sciences.

Leveraging its strong disciplinary foundations, the School actively promotes innovation and entrepreneurship education. Students are encouraged to participate in a wide range of national-level competitions, including the “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, the National Student Energy-Saving and Emission-Reduction Competition, the National Chemistry Laboratory Invitational, the National Chemical Engineering Design Competition, and the National Life Sciences Competition. The School also organizes the Hubei Province Chemistry Lab Skills Competition, creating a practice-based learning platform with strong disciplinary relevance and fostering a vibrant culture of innovation.

These efforts have yielded impressive results. In recent years, students have earned more than 678 awards in national innovation and entrepreneurship competitions. Research outcomes have been published in top-tier international journals such as Nature. The School has produced recipients of prestigious honors such as the “Chinese College Student Self-Improvement Star” and nationally recognized student groups, including “Model Communist Youth League Branches” at both the provincial and national levels.

Graduates of the School are highly competitive in the job market and are widely recruited by Fortune Global 500 companies such as FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, CNPC, Sinopec, China National Building Materials Group, China State Construction, CSSC, Huawei, BGI, BYD, Pfizer, Bayer, and PPG Industries. The School’s graduate employment rate consistently exceeds 95%, and more than 40% of undergraduates pursue further studies in China or abroad each year, including through recommended exemptions from entrance exams.

The School is committed to advancing the internationalization of talent cultivation by capitalizing on its disciplinary strengths. It actively contributes to the development of academic programs at the Sino-French Institute of WUT-AMU, a joint initiative established in collaboration with Aix-Marseille University.

Through this partnership, the School facilitates the introduction of Aix-Marseille University’s high-quality academic resources in biology, medicine, and life sciences. By establishing joint platforms for teaching and research, the School aims to enhance its international engagement in faculty development, scientific research, discipline construction, and student training—thereby fostering a globally oriented academic environment.