Life Science has a long and prosperous history at Tsinghua University. The Biology Department, founded in 1926, was among the oldest and most prestigious in China. There are more than 40 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering who have studied or worked here. In 1952, the original Tsinghua Department of Biology was incorporated into other Universities. However, 32 years later, in 1984, the Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology was reestablished, with Professor Mu-ming Poo being the founding Chairperson and Professor Nanming Zhao as the Vice Chair. In September 2009, to accelerate the research and education of life sciences, the Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology was formally replaced by the School of Life Sciences (SLS).

       During the 91 years since its establishment, especially within the 33 years after the re-establishment of the Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, and under the support of the National “211” and “985” projects, the School has realized major achievements in recruiting talents both nationally and internationally, in building its research team, and in reforming its education models.

        Currently, the School of Life Sciences is one of the most distinctive and influential institutions for higher education and research in biology nationwide. The School of Life Sciences is a National Base for Cultivation of Scientific Talents and National Base of Life Science and Technology Education. The Experimental Teaching Center of Modern Life Science is among the first National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Centers. The School awards doctoral degrees to Biology major, in areas such as biophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology, and developmental biology. During the 2012 Ministry of Education assessment, the School of Life Sciences was ranked No. 1 in the Biology category nationally.

         To strengthen its faculty core, the School of Life Sciences has recruited 117 full-time faculty and staff members, including 71 tenure-track faculty, 9 teaching staff, 11 research staff, 23 technical staff, 3 administrative staff, as well as 95 post-doctoral fellows. Among them, there are 5 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 6 One-Thousand-Talents Scheme Scholars, 15 Cheung Kong Scholars, 24 Outstanding Young Talent of the National Science Foundation for China, 5 National “973” Project PIs and 23 Youth One-Thousand-Talents Scheme Scholars.

         We have emphases in most major disciplines of modern experimental biology. Life Science, the pillar of healthcare and medicine, is at the forefront of modern research and education in the twenty-first century. As Tsinghua University is poised to become a world leader in higher education, life science has been given a top priority for development and expansion. Since 2011, members of the School have published 40 original research papers in world-renowned journals such as Nature, Science, and Cell, with 13 published in 2016.

          Aiming to become a world-class research institute for biology, we are actively seeking collaborations with researchers around the world to promote interdisciplinary research. The School of Life Sciences aims to provide the finest education and research training to students, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

          To accomplish this goal, we have modernized our teaching materials as well as teaching philosophy. Rather than bombarding the students with numerous texts, we teach students the logic and method of active learning.

          We seek collaborations with researchers around the world, and welcome potential students to apply to the Tsinghua University School of Life Sciences!

Best wishes,

Hongwei Wang, Ph.D.

Professor and Dean