The Faculty of Basic Sciences at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology was established in March 2026 as a second-level academic unit. Its establishment reflects the University's efforts to deepen comprehensive educational reform, fulfill the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education, strengthen the development of basic disciplines, improve the quality of talent cultivation, and advance teaching reform. Guided by the educational philosophy of strengthening the foundation and pursuing excellence, the Faculty upholds teaching as its foundation, research as its driver, and talent as its core strength. It follows a development approach centered on reinforcing fundamentals, promoting interdisciplinary integration, supporting engineering disciplines, and serving the overall development of the University. The Faculty coordinates key tasks including centralized first-year education, integrated undergraduate and graduate education, public foundational teaching, and the development of basic disciplines. It aims to build a high-level platform for education in basic disciplines, support the University's strengths in engineering, and cultivate high-quality talent for regional scientific and technological innovation.
In March 2026, the University integrated the former College of Science and College of Basic Studies to establish the Faculty of Basic Sciences. The Faculty consists of the School of Mathematics and the School of Physics. In terms of academic heritage, the former College of Science can be traced back to the Science Division (Gezhi Division) of the Hujiang period in 1916. Its predecessor was the Department of Basic Teaching, founded in 1960; the College of Science was formally established in 2002, and the Department of Mathematics and Department of Physics were established in 2011. The former College of Basic Studies was founded in December 1997 in cooperation with the People's Government of Nanhui County. It moved to the Jungong Road campus in Yangpu District in 2013, and in 2019 became a core platform for general education and broad-discipline cultivation at the University.
The Faculty covers broad categories such as the Engineering Experimental Class in Electronics and Information, the Engineering Experimental Class in Intelligent Manufacturing, the Science Experimental Class, and the Economics and Management Experimental Class, as well as majors including Management Science and Industrial Engineering and the preparatory program for ethnic minority students. It has two first-level master's degree disciplines in mathematics and physics, seven second-level master's degree disciplines, and two second-level doctoral disciplines: Mathematical Theory and Methods of Complex Systems, and Optoelectronic Physics and Devices. It has formed an integrated undergraduate, master's, and doctoral talent cultivation system. The Faculty offers two undergraduate majors: Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, approved as a national first-class undergraduate major construction site in 2020, and Applied Physics, selected as a Shanghai first-class undergraduate major construction site in the 2021 cohort. In 2022, both mathematics and physics were included in the national Guide Catalogue for the Development of Urgently Needed Disciplines and Majors (2022). In 2023, both disciplines entered the top 1% globally in ESI. In the 2025 ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, mathematics ranked in the 54-84 range nationally, and physics ranked in the 36-44 range nationally. In the ESI discipline rankings released in May 2026, mathematics ranked 73rd nationally, and physics ranked 54th nationally.
The Faculty has a strong faculty team, with 153 faculty and staff members, including 118 full-time teachers, 15 professors, and 45 associate professors. The faculty includes national-level high-level talents, Shanghai Excellent Academic Leaders, awardees of the Shanghai Oriental Talent Program Top-notch Talent Project, the Shanghai Oriental Talent Program Teacher Project, and the Shanghai Oriental Talent Program Young Talent Project, ESI Highly Cited Researchers, Shanghai Shuguang Scholars, Shanghai Eastern Scholars, Shanghai Model Teachers, Baosteel Excellent Teachers, and other outstanding talents. The Faculty attaches great importance to the development of young teachers. Young faculty members have won major awards including first prize in the National Teaching Competition for Young University Teachers, special prize in the East China regional competition of the National Young Teachers' Lecture Competition for University Physics Foundation Courses, and first prize in the Shanghai University Teaching Innovation Competition. All faculty members undertake undergraduate teaching responsibilities, and the average classroom teaching quality score reaches 90.
The Faculty promotes mutual reinforcement between teaching and research and has strong research and innovation capacity. The mathematics discipline focuses mainly on pure mathematics, computational mathematics, optimization, and control. The physics discipline focuses mainly on optics, condensed matter physics, and terahertz science. Over the past five years, the Faculty has published around 900 SCI-indexed papers, obtained more than 50 national-level research projects, received more than RMB 240 million in research funding, and produced nearly 30 ESI highly cited papers in the top 1%. A number of achievements have been published in internationally renowned journals such as Nature Physics, Physical Review Letters, Nature Communications, Math. Ann., Commun. Math. Phys., and Found. Comput. Math. In 2024, the Faculty won the second prize of the Shanghai Natural Science Award. In 2025, it published the University's first first-affiliation paper in Nature Physics and the Faculty's first high-level achievement in Physical Review Letters, marking historic breakthroughs.
The Faculty currently has 4,561 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students, with first-year students accounting for more than 80%. Upholding the fundamental mission of fostering virtue and promoting the all-round development of students in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education, the Faculty has continuously improved the quality of talent cultivation, and the rate of domestic further study has increased year by year. At the same time, by aligning its disciplines with regional needs for scientific and technological innovation, the Faculty promotes the practical foundation for the transformation of research achievements. Its graduates' employment rate ranks among the highest at the University. Employment destinations cover finance, big data, information technology, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and other high-demand fields, providing students with diverse and promising career paths.
The Faculty has achieved notable results in innovation and entrepreneurship education. It has received the Outstanding Organizing Unit Award in the National Graduate Mathematical Modeling Competition, one national first prize in the 19th Challenge Cup competition, one national first prize in the China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, one national first prize in the National College Student Statistical Modeling Competition, and one national first prize in the National College Student Physics Experiment Competition. It has also won more than 120 other national-level awards.
Standing at a new starting point, the Faculty will thoroughly implement the important guidance that basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and the master switch for all technological problems. It will focus on the national strategic mission of achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, align with Shanghai's 15th Five-Year Plan, and integrate deeply into the development of Shanghai's pilot zone for basic research. The Faculty will continue to strengthen basic disciplines in mathematics and physics, cultivate interdisciplinary frontiers in science and engineering, support the high-quality development of the University's engineering strengths through solid achievements in discipline development, and fulfill its mission in serving the building of a strong education nation.
The School of Mathematics was established in March 2026. Its academic lineage can be traced back to the Science Division (Gezhi Division) of Hujiang University in 1916. Its predecessor was the Mathematics Teaching and Research Section of the University's Department of Basic Teaching. It developed under the former College of Science from 2002, became the Department of Mathematics in 2011, and was reorganized as the School of Mathematics in March 2026. The School currently has four teaching and research sections: Pure Mathematics; Applied Mathematics; Probability and Statistics, and Economic Mathematics; and Computational Mathematics. Through years of development, the School has adhered to both basic research and application-driven development. Relying on core capabilities in foundational theory, scientific computing, optimization and control, data analysis, and engineering modeling, it provides a strong mathematical foundation for the University's engineering strengths and interdisciplinary innovation in science and engineering.
Mathematics is included in the Guide Catalogue for the Development of Urgently Needed Disciplines and Majors (2022) as a strategic basic discipline for the country. In 2023, it entered the top 1% globally in ESI. In the 2025 ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, mathematics ranked in the 54-84 range nationally. In the ESI discipline rankings released in May 2026, mathematics ranked 73rd nationally.
The discipline was approved to offer second-level master's programs in Applied Mathematics and Pure Mathematics in 2001 and 2006, respectively. In 2011, it was approved as a first-level master's discipline in mathematics. Relying on the University's doctoral platform in Systems Science, it independently established the second-level doctoral discipline of Mathematical Theory and Methods of Complex Systems, forming a comprehensive integrated undergraduate, master's, and doctoral cultivation system.
The School has a well-structured faculty team with a strong talent pipeline. It currently has 72 teachers, including 12 full professors, including adjunct professors, 32 associate professors, and 65 teachers with doctoral degrees. The faculty team includes more than 10 provincial and ministerial-level high-level talents, such as ESI Highly Cited Researchers, awardees of the Ministry of Education's New Century Excellent Talents Program, Shanghai Eastern Scholars, and Shanghai Pujiang Talents. It also includes key faculty members who have received honors such as Shanghai Teaching Master, the Yucai Award, and the Baosteel Excellent Teacher Award.
The School undertakes two core missions: the development of the Mathematics and Applied Mathematics major and the teaching of public foundational mathematics courses across the University. Mathematics and Applied Mathematics is a national first-class undergraduate major construction site.
The School has won one special prize, three first prizes, two second prizes, and one third prize in the Shanghai Higher Education Teaching Achievement Awards. It has two Shanghai first-class courses, three Shanghai municipal quality courses, eight Shanghai Municipal Education Commission key construction courses, and has published more than 10 monographs and textbooks.
The School promotes learning through competitions. In recent years, its students have won first prize in the 18th Challenge Cup National College Student Competition; eight first prizes and 14 second prizes in the China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling; and 11 first prizes and 139 second prizes in the National Graduate Mathematical Modeling Competition. The School has been recognized with the Outstanding Organizing Award for 15 consecutive years, and its competition results have long ranked among the best nationwide.
The School promotes coordinated development of teaching and research. Over the past five years, it has won two second prizes of the Shanghai Natural Science Award. Its faculty members have led more than 30 national-level projects, including projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and more than 40 provincial and ministerial-level projects. They have published more than 400 high-level papers, including more than 160 SCI-indexed papers and more than 10 ESI highly cited papers.
A number of achievements have been published in internationally authoritative journals such as Math. Ann., Commun. Math. Phys., Found. Comput. Math., Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal., J. Differential Geom., and the SIAM journal series.
The School adheres to the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education and follows a cultivation philosophy of strengthening foundations, enhancing capabilities, and emphasizing interdisciplinarity. It has trained more than 1,500 talents of various types, including more than 300 master's students.
The School has achieved high-quality talent cultivation and stable outcomes in employment and further study. The employment rate of its undergraduate major has remained above 96% year-round, and the employment rate of graduate students is close to 100%. Graduates mainly work in information technology, finance and economics, advanced manufacturing, education, and research. Students have won the Shanghai Excellent Master's Thesis Award. Outstanding students have continued their studies at leading universities in China and abroad, including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the University of Leeds.
Standing at a new stage of development, the School of Mathematics will rely on the platform advantages of the Faculty of Basic Sciences and uphold the principle of strengthening the foundation and promoting integration between science and engineering. It will continue to optimize its disciplinary layout, strengthen its faculty structure, and improve the quality of teaching and research. Looking ahead, the School will focus on cultivating high-quality mathematical talent, tackling key mathematical technologies, and serving regional scientific and technological innovation. It will strive to build a high-level school of mathematical teaching and research with distinctive strengths and national recognition, continuously supporting the University's development as a high-level university and the advancement of basic science in China.
The School of Physics is affiliated with the Faculty of Basic Sciences at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. Established in March 2026, it includes the Department of Physics and has two teaching and research sections: University Physics and Applied Physics. Its academic lineage can be traced back to the physics courses of Hujiang University in 1909 and the Science Division (Gezhi Division) in 1916. It went through stages including the Physics Teaching and Research Section of the Department of Basic Teaching and the Department of Physics under the former College of Science, consistently carrying forward the spirit of Investigating things to attain knowledge and understanding principles to guide action. The School promotes integrated development between basic physics research and engineering applications. Oriented toward national basic discipline development, Shanghai's international science and innovation center, and the University's high-level development, it serves strategic emerging fields such as optoelectronic information, semiconductors and microelectronics, new energy materials, and intelligent manufacturing, and cultivates high-quality interdisciplinary talent in science and engineering.
Physics is included in the national Guide Catalogue for the Development of Urgently Needed Disciplines and Majors (2022). It entered the top 1% globally in ESI in 2023, ranked 36-44 nationally in the 2025 ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, and ranked 54th nationally in ESI in May 2026, showing a continuous increase in disciplinary influence. The discipline has successively been approved to offer second-level master's programs in Condensed Matter Physics and Optics, as well as a first-level master's program in Physics. It has also independently established the second-level doctoral discipline of Optoelectronic Physics and Devices under the discipline of Optical Engineering, forming an integrated undergraduate, master's, and doctoral cultivation system. The discipline focuses on optics, condensed matter physics, theoretical physics, and computational physics, and has developed distinctive strengths in nanophotonics, terahertz materials and devices, low-dimensional quantum materials, optical field control, energy material design, and ultrafast dynamics simulation.
The discipline has a strong faculty team, with more than 60 teachers, including nearly 30 senior professors or equivalent senior faculty and nearly 20 associate senior faculty. Nearly all teachers hold doctoral degrees, and 40 have overseas research or training experience. The faculty includes academicians, national-level talents, selected members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Hundred Talents Program, Shanghai Excellent Academic Leaders, Shanghai Oriental Talent Program awardees, Shuguang Scholars, Pujiang Talents, and other high-level talents. The discipline has teaching and research teams in energy photonics, terahertz science and technology, nanophotonics, ultrafast nonlinear optics, and optical fiber end-face integrated magnetic field sensing, forming a faculty structure led by high-level talents, supported by academic backbone members, and sustained by the rapid growth of young teachers.
The School undertakes the development of the undergraduate major in Applied Physics and the teaching of public foundational University Physics courses for approximately 5,000 students annually across the University. The Applied Physics major was selected as a Shanghai first-class undergraduate major construction site in the 2021 cohort. University Physics was recognized as a national first-class undergraduate course and a Shanghai quality course. University Physics (Taught in English) was selected as a Shanghai all-English demonstration course. Electromagnetism, Optics, Quantum Mechanics, and several other courses have been approved as Shanghai key courses. Multiple courses have been recognized as University-level demonstration courses and leading courses in curriculum-based ideological and political education. In recent years, faculty members have achieved strong results in national, East China regional, and Shanghai teaching competitions, and the quality of public foundational teaching and professional education has continued to improve.
The discipline has about 2,300 square meters of standardized laboratories, with instruments and equipment valued at more than RMB 87 million, and has 15 provincial and ministerial-level or higher research platforms and key laboratories. Over the past five years, the School has obtained more than 100 national, provincial, and ministerial-level research projects and published more than 800 academic papers. Graduate students have published more than 100 high-level SCI papers as first authors. Achievements have appeared in major international journals such as Nature Physics, Physical Review Letters, Nature Communications, and Light: Science & Applications. The discipline has made a series of landmark achievements in photonic devices, terahertz science, novel quantum materials, theoretical and computational physics, and related fields. It has won major awards including the First Prize of the Technological Invention Award of the Ministry of Education, the First Prize of the Shanghai Technological Invention Award, and the Shanghai Natural Science Award. Some achievements have been transformed and applied in fields such as optoelectronic detection, terahertz applications, advanced sensing, optical instruments, and new functional materials.
The School emphasizes strong foundations, practical training, and interdisciplinary integration. Relying on its integrated undergraduate, master's, and doctoral cultivation system and research platforms, it cooperates with relevant institutes of the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaborative education. Graduates pursue employment and further study in universities, research institutes, semiconductors and microelectronics, optoelectronic displays, advanced manufacturing, and other fields. A number of students have continued their studies at Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, and well-known overseas universities. The quality of talent cultivation continues to improve. In the past five years, three full-time teachers have been recognized as outstanding models in graduate employment work among Shanghai universities.
Looking ahead, the School will build on the platform of the Faculty of Basic Sciences and the University's 15th Five-Year Plan layout, adhere to the principle of serving the world's scientific and technological frontiers, the main economic battlefield, major national needs, and people's health, strengthen its advantageous directions, and develop interdisciplinary frontiers such as terahertz science, quantum materials, photonic devices, new energy materials, and advanced sensing. It will deepen collaborative integration between science and engineering and strive to build a high-level School of Physics with distinctive characteristics and national influence.
