School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering 

— Overview

        The School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering was established on November 8, 2017. It is a teaching- and research-oriented school reorganized by integrating the University’s strong and distinctive disciplinary resources. The School was formed on the basis of the former Institute of Environmental Ecology Engineering, the Bioengineering, Biotechnology, and Food Science and Engineering programs previously housed in the School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, and the newly established Environmental Science major.

        The establishment of the School reflects the University’s commitment to national strategies such as ecological civilization and the “Beautiful Hubei” initiative, and its mission to serve regional ecological and environmental development. It also represents an important step in cultivating new disciplinary growth areas, advancing Emerging Engineering Education (New Engineering), reforming talent cultivation models, and building a high-level teaching and research university—thereby enhancing the quality of talent training, research excellence, and social service capacity.

Programs and Disciplines

        The School’s major programs date back to 1999 and have developed into a complete talent cultivation system covering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral education. The School offers four undergraduate majors: Bioengineering, Biotechnology, Food Science and Engineering, and Environmental Science. Bioengineering has been approved as a national First-Class Undergraduate Major and has passed the Ministry of Education’s Engineering Education Accreditation; Food Science and Engineering has submitted its application for the same accreditation.

        The School is a key contributing unit for the University’s two ESI Top 1% disciplines: Environment/Ecology and Agricultural Sciences. It hosts a doctoral program in Biochemical Engineering, academic master’s programs in Bioengineering, Environmental Science, and Industrial Microbiology, and a professional master’s program in Biotechnology and Engineering. The School also co-develops Hubei Provincial Key Disciplines in Environmental Science and Engineering and Biochemical Engineering, and operates research platforms such as the Institute of Environmental Ecology Engineering and the Bio-Food Shared Platform.

Faculty

        The School has built a faculty team known for strong professional ethics, rigorous scholarship, and dynamic academic vitality. It currently has 59 staff members, including 43 full-time faculty, 12 professors, 24 associate professors, 6 doctoral supervisors, 34 master’s supervisors, 37 faculty members holding PhD degrees, and 27 overseas-returned scholars.

        Faculty members include recipients and selectees of several national and provincial high-level talent programs, and four scholars listed among Stanford’s “Top 2% Scientists” (as stated in the School profile).

Research and Facilities

        Relying on the University’s disciplinary strengths, the School emphasizes interdisciplinary integration—connecting biology with chemical engineering, food science, environmental ecology, and environmental materials. Over the past five years, full-time faculty have undertaken more than 75 research projects funded by national, provincial/municipal, and industry sources, including projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and talent programs. The School has published over 220 SCI-indexed papers and obtained more than 30 granted invention patents.

        The School has strong teaching and research conditions, with comprehensive infrastructure and advanced instrumentation. It possesses 16 large-scale research instruments valued at over RMB 3 million per unit, with a total value exceeding RMB 25 million.

Student Development and Achievements

        With the goal of cultivating high-quality talents who are innovative, interdisciplinary, internationally minded, and engineering-oriented, the School upholds a student-centered approach and the fundamental mission of moral education. It continuously improves systems for ideological and political education, student management, innovation and entrepreneurship, and student services. The School highlights the development of students’ innovative mindset and engineering awareness, strengthens their ability to apply knowledge to solve real-world problems, supports individualized development, and opens research laboratories to undergraduates to provide platforms for practice and innovation.

        Students have achieved excellent results in a wide range of competitions, including the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, the “Challenge Cup” series (academic and entrepreneurship tracks), national competitions in energy conservation and emissions reduction, life sciences, chemical engineering design, as well as provincial competitions in biological experimental skills and related areas.

Career Outcomes and Further Study

        The School places strong emphasis on employability and career development. In recent years, graduates have been widely recognized by employers. For the Class of 2024, the undergraduate employment rate reached 97.04%, and the graduate employment rate reached 96.61%. Many alumni work at well-known international and domestic enterprises, while others enter public institutions or civil service positions.

        In addition, an increasing number of undergraduates have been admitted to leading universities in China for postgraduate study, including Zhejiang University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and South China University of Technology.

Looking Ahead

        In the new era, the School’s faculty and students will remain mission-driven and united, seize development opportunities, uphold refined management and connotation-based growth, keep students at the center, and continuously strengthen program and curriculum development as well as teaching and research team building. By aligning closely with societal needs and national strategic priorities, the School is committed to building a distinctive, reputable, and high-quality school, and contributing further to the University’s goal of becoming a high-level teaching and research institution.