School of Materials Science and Engineering

In line with the requirements of national advanced material developmental strategy and the development and promotion of the discipline of materials science of Nankai University, according to the construction and development plan of Jinnan campus, School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) was founded as a strategic decision.

Advanced material is not only scientific frontier researching subject, but also the foundation of advanced manufacturing industry, which is an indispensable pillar industry in national economy and defense security. Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) released in 2014 in USA, 9 materials should be paid attention, which are biomaterial, catalytic material, polymer composites, material synthesis and photonics material, optoelectronic information material, energy storage material, alloy material, organic electronic material and polymer synthesis and material calculation. China is also strongly promoting the research on materials. Shortening the period of putting the advanced materials from the laboratory to the market is a significant strategic transformation of advanced material research.

MSE puts its position on advanced materials research and takes clean energy, environmental protection, bio-medicine, information restoration and other applications as direction, promoting the research of the foundation and application of advanced materials and the cultivation of scientific talents in advanced materials. Therefore, confronting with national important strategic demand, seizing the opportunity and holding the idea of “high starting point, distinction and new system”, the foundation of MSE is a strategic choice under the new situation.

The establishment of MSE has a solid foundation, which is also a historic opportunity for Nankai University in the new period. In 1999, Nankai University integrated the power of chemistry and physics in the field of advanced materials, and established the materials discipline. In the same year, Nankai started to enroll undergraduate students of materials discipline. With university's strong support, MSE undertook the construction projects of Ministry of Education, such as "Function Materials Chemistry" and "Special Function Materials" of Project 211 and "Novel Functional Materials Chemistry" of Project 985. MSE has developed rapidly in teaching, scientific researching, team construction and personnel training, etc. With the discipline construction over a decade, Nankai University has set up a relatively perfect "Materials Science and Engineering" system.

Nankai University has the grant right of PhD and master's degrees in the first grade discipline of "Materials Science and Engineering", including the second grade discipline of "Materials Physics and Chemistry" and "Materials Science". "Materials Physics and Chemistry" was rated as Tianjin key disciplines in 2006. In 2009, Nankai University was approved to set up mobile postdoctoral center of "Materials Science and Engineering".

According to the latest statistics from ESI (Essential Science Indicators), Nankai University Materials Science and Engineering ranked ESI top 1%. Meanwhile, IDM Research shows that Nankai University Materials Science and Engineering was chosen as "dominant discipline" according to the subject category from Scopus. These statistics show that Nankai University Materials Science and Engineering has made remarkable achievements and entered a period of sound development, which also showed the superior international academic impact. Therefore, the establishment of MSE is not only the achievements of Nankai discipline construction over a decade, but also the new start of advancing "dominant discipline". The direction of Nankai University Materials Science will closely center on the development tendency of advanced materials and form the distinct characteristics of the combination of science with engineering and interdisciplinary development.

In October 2014, the Building of School of Materials Science and Engineering was finished in Jinnan campus of Nankai University successfully. The whole area of the building covers 16,000 m2. In December, after the discussion of the standing committee of party committee of Nankai University, MSE Preparation Group was set up and led by Vice President Guan Naijia. In June 2015, after the discussion of the standing committee of party committee of Nankai University, School of Materials Science and Engineering of Nankai University was officially founded. At the same time, in line with national mix-ownership economy’s innovative developmental mode, National Institute of Advanced Materials of Nankai University (AM), co-built with Zhongzhi Enterprise Group (ZEG) and Government of Tianjin Dongli District, was officially founded as well. Based on the disciplinary development of the School, taking the research direction of the Institute as the guide, MSE and AM will promote a mutual development and cooperation to create a new mode of innovative disciplinary development.