The School of Material and Chemical Engineering was originally established in 1980 as the ‘Department of Chemical Engineering’. It was restructured into a school in 2003 and is one of the four earliest engineering departments founded by Zhengzhou University of Light Industry (ZZULI).
The school has 140 faculty members, including 126 full-time teachers, 69 with senior titles, and 103 with doctoral degrees (including post-doctoral). There are more than 60 faculty members who have received prestigious recognitions, including special government allowances from the State Council, National Model Teachers, Zhongyuan Scholars, Zhongyuan Distinguished Teachers, Henan Province Distinguished Professors, Provincial Outstanding Experts, Provincial Academic and Technical Leaders, Zhongyuan Science and Technology Innovation Leaders, and Provincial Outstanding Young Scientists. The school has formed a high-level faculty team led by dual-appointed academicians, centered by the ‘Innovation Team’ of the Ministry of Education, and supported by Zhongyuan Scholars, Henan Province Distinguished Professors.
The school offers 6 undergraduate programs, including National First-Class undergraduate majors in Polymer Materials and Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Applied Chemistry, Henan Province First-Class undergraduate majors in Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, and Cosmetic Technology and Engineering. It also has 3 new provincial key disciplines, including Chemical Engineering and Technology, New Materials, and Environmental Ecology. The school has a first-level discipline doctoral degree authorization point in Chemical Engineering and Technology, a post-doctoral research mobile station in Chemical Engineering and Technology, and first-level discipline master's degree authorization points in Chemical Engineering and Technology and Materials Science and Engineering. Additionally, it offers two professional Master's degree authorization categories: Materials and Chemical Engineering, and Resources and Environment.
The school has established 5 provincial and ministerial innovation teams, including the ‘Chang Jiang Scholars and Innovation Team Development Plan’ innovation team of the Ministry of Education and the Henan Province Innovative Science and Technology Team. It also has 9 provincial and ministerial platforms, including the Henan Province Key Laboratory of Surface Science, Henan Province Collaborative Innovation Center for Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, and the Henan Province Engineering Technology Center for Intensification of Chemical Process Separation, with a total value of instruments and equipment amounting to 120 million yuan.
In the past five years, the school has undertaken over 80 projects (including 5 key projects) founded by the National Natural Science Foundation and has hosted 36 significant projects, including the National Major Water Special Project, sub-topics of the National Science and Technology Support Plan, Prime Minister's Fund projects, and major public welfare bidding projects at the provincial level. Additionally, the school has undertaken over 120 provincial and ministerial projects. It has received more than 30 provincial and ministerial awards and has been granted over 300 national invention patents. The school has published over 1000 high-quality academic papers in domestic and international journals, including more than 800 SCI-indexed papers in journals including Nat. Commun., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and Adv. Mater. More than 30 papers have been selected as ESI highly cited papers, supporting the ZZULI's ‘Engineering’, ‘Chemistry’, and ‘Materials Science’ disciplines to enter the top 1% of the ESI global rankings.
The school fully leverages its professional characteristics and advantages to carry out industry-academia-research cooperation with many well-known enterprises, including Shenma Industrial Co., Ltd., Puyang Huicheng Electronic Materials Co., Ltd., Duofuduo Chemical Co., Ltd., and Zhongyin (Ningbo) Battery Co., Ltd. The employment rate of graduates remains at a high level, with a postgraduate entrance rate of over 40%. Graduates are highly welcomed by society and employers for their solid foundation, broad knowledge base, diligence, practicality, and courage in innovation.