The university was founded in Beijing by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in September 1958. In the beginning of 1970, the university moved to Hefei during the Cultural Revolution.[2] The university has 13 schools, 11 national research platforms, 8 science-education integration colleges, and 5 joint cooperative institutes with local governments.[3]
The university was founded in Beijing by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in September 1958. The Director of CAS, Guo Moruo was appointed the first president of USTC. USTC's founding mission was to develop a high-level science and technology workforce, as deemed critical for development of China's economy, defense, and science and technology education. The establishment was hailed as "A Major Event in the History of Chinese Education and Science." CAS has supported USTC by combining most of its institutes with the departments of the university. In 1959, USTC was listed in the top 16 national key universities, becoming the youngest national key university.[5]
In the beginning of 1970, the university moved to Hefei during the Cultural Revolution.[2]
A sculpture near the old library on the East Campus
Since its participation in the CAS Experimental Program of Knowledge Innovation, USTC has achieved a batch of important and innovative results in the basic research of nano science and technology,[9]quantum information science, life science research, fire science,[10] and fire protection technology, polar scientific investigation and research, bio-mass clean energy research.
Rankings and reputation
General Rankings
USTC is generally considered one of the most competitive universities in the country,[22] and consistently ranked among the top universities in Asia according to several major international university rankings.[23][24] The joint THE-QS World University Rankings 2005 ranked USTC 4th in China (after Peking, Tsinghua and Fudan), 13th in Asia and 93rd in the world.[25] The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011 placed USTC 49th in the world, 7th in Asia and 2nd in China after Peking.[26] It ranked 10th in Asia and 4th in Emerging countries & Mainland China after (Tsinghua, Peking and Zhejiang) in 2020 by Times Higher Education.[27][28]
The Nature Index Research Leaders 2024, which measures the largest groups of papers published in 145 leading high-quality science journals,[34] ranks USTC the No.2 university in China and the Asia Pacific region, and 3th in the world among the global universities (after Harvard and UCAS).[35] In 2021, USTC is ranked 57th globally by the Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities with "Engineering" & "Life Science" related-fields ranked in the global top 10.[36]
In the 2021 ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, the USTC had six disciplines in the world's top 20, 14 disciplines in the world's top 50 and 18 disciplines in the world's top 100.[37]
Times Higher Education (THE)
Nature Index
Nature Index tracks the affiliations of high-quality scientific articles and presents research outputs by institution and country on monthly basis.
Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)
Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) is a leading consulting organization providing policy advice, strategic insights, and consulting services to governments and universities to improve educational and research outcomes.
Laboratories
Only the National Laboratories, State Key Laboratories, and Key Laboratories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are listed below, among which the National Laboratories have the highest qualification. USTC is the only university in mainland China which possess two National Laboratories at the same time.
National Laboratories (2)
The National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory[47]
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale (under construction).[48]
State Key Laboratories and Ministerial Level Units
The State Key Laboratory of Fire Science (SKLFS)[49]
National High Performance Computing Center (Hefei)[50]
National Engineering Laboratory of Speech and Language Information Processing[51]
The State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics (Under Construction)
Mengcheng National Geophysical Observatory
Microsoft Key Laboratory of Multimedia Computing and Communications, Ministry of Education
Key Laboratories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Highlights: USTC set up the first graduate school in China in 1978 to effectively cultivate its postgraduate students.
School for the Gifted Young[55]
School of Mathematical Sciences[56]
School of Physical Sciences[57]
Department of Modern Physics
Department of Astronomy
Department of Physics
Department of Optics and Optical Engineering
Physics Experiment Teaching Center
School of Chemistry and Materials Science[58]
Department of Chemistry
Department of Chemical Physics
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Department of Polymer Science and Engineering
Chemical Experimental Teaching Center
School of Nuclear Science and Technology[59]
School of Life Science[60]
Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
Neurobiology and Biophysics
Systems Biology
Biomedicine and Biotechnology
School of Engineering Science[61]
Modern Mechanics
Thermal Science and Energy Engineering
Precision Machinery and Instrumentation
School of Information Science and Technology[62]
Electronic Science and Technology
Automation
Electrical Engineering and Information Science
Information Security
School of Computer Science and Technology[63]
Computer Science and Technology
School of Earth and Space Science[64]
Earth and Space Science
Faculty of Geochemistry and Environmental Science
School of Software Engineering[65]
School of Management[66]
Statistics and Finance
Management Science
Business Management (Information Management and Decision Science)
Humanities and Social Science[67]
Sci-tech Communication and Sci-tech Policy
The Teaching and Research Division of Marxism
Scientific History and Archaeometry
Center for Modern Art
School of Environment Science and Electrooptical Technology
School of Material Science and Engineering
Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, USTC
Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies, USTC
Institute of Advanced Technology, USTC
Continuing Education
Notable people
Alumni
Notable faculty members
Zhou Guangzhao (1929–) – Famous theoretical physicist, Vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Honorary President of USTC at present.
Yan Jici (1901–1996) – Pioneer of Modern physics research and education in China, former Vice-president, President and Honorary President of USTC.
Qian Linzhao (1906–1999) – Famous physicist and educator, pioneer of scientific history and education in China, former Vice-president of USTC.
Hua Luogeng (1910–1985) – Pioneer of modern mathematics research and education in China, former Chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Vice-president of USTC.
Guo Moruo (1892–1978) – A Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, the first president of USTC.
Meng Xuenong (1948–) – Former Mayor of Beijing, and former Governor of Shanxi Province
Qian Xuesen (1911–2009) – Father of missiles of China, former Chairman of the Department of Mechanics with USTC.
Zhao Zhongyao (1902–1998) – Pioneer of modern particle physics research and education in China, one of the first in the world to find positrons, former Chairman of the Department of Modern Physics with USTC.
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