The chemical engineering discipline of Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) was established in the 1930s, making it one of the earlier institutions in China to offer programs in chemical engineering and chemistry. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, following several institutional restructurings, the School of Chemical Engineering was reorganized in 2008. In 2016, the disciplines of Chemistry and Food Science and Engineering were fully integrated into the School, leading to the establishment of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
The School hosts two first class discipline doctoral programs in Chemical Engineering and Technology and in Chemistry, as well as a professional doctoral program in Materials and Chemical Engineering. The Chemical Engineering and Technology discipline is a key first class discipline of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), ranking 6th globally in the U.S. News rankings. The Chemistry discipline has entered the top 1‰ globally by ESI and holds the 57th position in the U.S. News global rankings. Currently, the School currently boasts one national-level teaching team, one ministerial-level scientific and technological innovation team, one national demonstration center for experimental teaching, two state key laboratories, one national-local joint engineering laboratory, one MIIT key laboratory, one Ministry of Education engineering research center, and four provincial-level key laboratories and centers.
The School employs 195 full-time faculty members, including 86 full professors and 85 associate professors and 125 doctoral supervisors. The faculty includes recipients of prestigious awards and honors: one National Award for Innovation Excellence, one Guanghua Engineering Award, one member of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee’s discipline appraisal group, 19 national-level high-level talents (including 5 foreign talents), 18 national-level young talents (including 2 foreign talents), recipients of the Special Prize and two regular prizes of the China Youth Science and Technology Award, two National Women’s Pacesetters, one National “March 8th” Red-Banner Holder, and seven Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The School closely aligns with international academic frontiers and national major strategic needs. Adhering to the principle of being “based on aerospace, serving national defense, and facing the main battlefield of the national economy,” it has achieved international leading or advanced levels in fields such as new power batteries, polymers and composite materials, material surface and interface engineering, laser crystals and devices, nano-ceramic materials, and separation/extraction of bioactive components. Its research findings have been successfully applied in major national projects including the Lunar Exploration Program, Manned Spaceflight Program, Mars Exploration, and the BeiDou Navigation System. Faculty members have received 19 national science and technology awards and over 90 provincial/ministerial-level awards. They have published nearly 60 monographs and textbooks, one article in Science (main journal), and over 4000 high-level SCI papers in journals such as Science and Nature sub-journals. In the past five years, technology transfers have led to the creation and incubation of multiple enterprises, generating total sales revenue exceeding 1.5 billion RMB.
The School’s talent cultivation highlights the interdisciplinary integration of chemistry, chemical engineering with energy, materials, environment, and biology, focusing on training compound and innovative talents. It continuously deepens international exchanges and cooperation, establishing sound partnerships with world-class universities and research institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Canada, Singapore, Russia, and other countries, providing excellent opportunities for joint student training and overseas study.
The School emphasizes the all-round development of students, striving to cultivate innovative talents in chemical engineering and chemistry who are steadfast in belief, possess excellent moral character, profound knowledge, strong professional skills, and an international perspective. Graduates play significant roles in Fortune 500 companies such as China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, PetroChina, Sinopec, Huawei, CATL, as well as in renowned universities, research institutes, and state organs. They have earned consistent recognition and high praise from employers. In recent years, students have repeatedly achieved outstanding results in international and domestic innovation/entrepreneurship competitions and academic contests. To date, they have won 4 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals at the national level of the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, along with 14 provincial gold medals. The school has also won awards for three consecutive years in the National Undergraduate Chemistry Experiment Innovation Design Competition. Distinguished alumni include Academician Shilu Peng, known as the “Father of China’s Nuclear Submarines”, Academician Zhusheng Liu, chief designer of the Long March 2F rocket system, as well as eminent scholars like organic chemist Academician Hongwen Hu, along with numerous entrepreneurs and leaders. The School has cultivated over 30 national-level high-level talents, 8 university presidents and party committee secretaries, and over 110 leaders in national defense research institutes and enterprises.
At the undergraduate level, the school recruits students in two major categories: the Engineering Pilot Class (Outstanding Talent Program) and Chemistry (Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education). It offers four undergraduate majors: Chemical Engineering and Technology (Electrochemical Engineering), Polymer Materials and Engineering, Applied Chemistry, and Chemistry.
We welcome outstanding students with a passion for chemistry and chemical engineering research and interdisciplinary innovation to apply for the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at HIT. This is the fertile ground where your dreams will take root and flourish!
