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 27 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 0.02% 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 7 Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 35 recipients of national high‑level talent programs, and 51 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 nine are Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). The College hosts eight 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.”