The School of Life Sciences (School of Ocean Sciences) at Nantong University was established in 2004 through the amalgamation of the former Department of Life Science and Technology from Nantong Normal College and the former Department of Biotechnology from Nantong Medical College. In 2010, the School of Ocean Sciences at Nantong University was founded and initially operated under the auspices of the School of Life Sciences.

The school comprises three departments: the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Biotechnology, and the Department of Ocean Technology. It also includes one center, namely the Biotechnology Experiment Center, and hosts a botanical garden which serves as a Jiangsu Provincial Science Popularization Education Base. The Department of Biological Sciences comprises three specialized teaching and research divisions: Basic Biology, Cell Biology, and Biology Education & Professional Practice. The Department of Biotechnology comprises two specialized teaching and research divisions: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Microbiology & Genetics. The Department of Ocean Technology comprises a single teaching and research division dedicated to the field ofOcean Technology. The school has established several key research and development platforms, including the Ministry of Agriculture's Scientific Observation and Experimental Station for Southern Plain Maize, the State Oceanic Administration's Public Service Platform for Testing and Application of High-end Marine Equipment, the Jiangsu Provincial Experimental Demonstration Center Construction Site, and the Nantong Key Laboratory for Ornamental Plant Genetics and Breeding. The school is also a member of the National Innovation Alliance for Willow established under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, a co-construction partner of the National Engineering and Technology Center for Willow under the same administration, and one of the founding members of the Jiangsu NewRural development Alliance.

The school currently comprises a  faculty of 88 members, including 71 full-time teachers. Among these faculty members are 3 distinguished professors, 1 foreign professor, 2 international instructors, 17 full professors, and 24 associate professors. 95.77% of full-time faculty members possess doctoral degree.The school boasts a distinguished roster of experts, including recipients of the ministry of education’s New Century Talents Program, Jiangsu Distinguished Professors, Jiangsu Outstanding Young Scholars, and awardees from both the Jiangsu 333 High-level Talent Project, and the Jiangsu“Six Talent Peaks” Program etc. The school also boasts a Jiangsu Foreign Expert Workshop and a Jiangsu Provincial Key Platform for the Introduction of High-Level Overseas Talents.

The school adheres to the fundamental mission of cultivating virtue and fostering talent through education. With the goal of “consolidating the foundation, broadening the scope, emphasizing innovation, and enhancing capabilities”, the school is dedicated to cultivating innovative and applied talents in the field of life sciences. It aims to establish a research and talent development center characterized by distinctive disciplinary features.As of now, the student body comprises a total of 1,078 students, including 1,020 undergraduates and 58 postgraduates. The school provides three undergraduate majors: Biological Sciences (Teacher Education), Biotechnology, and Marine Technology. It also holds authorization for doctoral degree conferral  in the first level discipline of Biology, as well as three master's degree programs: Academic Master’s Degree in Biology, Professional Master’s Degree in Subject Teaching (Biology Teaching), and Professional Master’s Degree in Biomedical Science. The Bachelor of Biological Science (Teacher Education) has been designated as a national first-class undergraduate major construction point. Additionally, both the Biotechnology and Biological Science (Teacher Education) programs have been recognized as first-class undergraduate major construction points at the provincial level in Jiangsu. The Biological Science major was designated as a Key Major in Jiangsu Provincial Colleges and Universities during the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” Period, falling under the Biological Sciences Category.

The school is committed to the “four orientations” principle, reinforcing the balanced advancement of interdisciplinary areas. It focused on critical scientific challenges in domains such as human health, agricultural development, food security, ecological civilization construction, etc. By aggregating high-quality resources and intensifying efforts in scientific and technological innovation, the school aims to achieve significant breakthroughs. Over the past five years, a total of 37 national-level scientific research projects have been approved. These include one Major Research Plan and one Original Exploration Plan of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 3 National Key Research and Development Programs, 10 General Programs, 19 Youth Programs, and 3 International Joint Projects under the National Natural Science Foundation of China. 2 academic works have been published.More than 300 high-level papers indexed by SCI have been published. A total of 10 awards for teaching and research achievements have been received, including 3 second prizes at the provincial and ministerial level science and technology.

The school adhere to the principle of pursuing excellence, offering high-quality teaching services, and conducting advanced academic research. It cultivated talents with comprehensive qualities, including Yabo Guan, who received the title of “National Outstanding Young Volunteer”, and Qianqian Cai, who was honored as “Jiangsu Provincial College Student of the Year”. These accomplishments have garnered widespread acclaim from public. Currently, all faculty and students of the schoolare relentlessly striving forward with unwavering enthusiasm and an enterprising spirit. . They are are dedicated to establishing a teaching and research-oriented school with distinctive disciplinary strengths, thereby providing robust support for Nantong University's aspiration to be ranked among China's premier universities. They are also consistently striving to achieve the second centenary goal and relentlessly working towards the realization of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!

Current through February 2025