At Northwestern Polytechnical University’s School of Life Sciences, a focus on biotechnology and its related fields is matched by a commitment to international collaboration
Situated in the city of Xi’an in central China, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) is part of the country’s Outstanding University Alliance programme and currently serves more than 30,000 students. The university has several focus areas, from aeronautics to marine engineering, but one of its most prominent emerging disciplines is life sciences, for which NPU has dedicated a bespoke institution and has received extensive attention.
NPU’s School of Life Sciences was founded in 2004 with the aim of becoming a talent cultivation and scientific research hub for the fields of aeronautics, astronautics, marine engineering, and related disciplines within life sciences.
The school currently has 94 faculty members, 57 of whom are full-time teachers. It primarily offers two first-class degree programmes: a biomedical engineering doctoral programme, and a master’s in biology. The school also recruits students for its undergraduate major in biotechnology and postdoctoral research in biomedical engineering, aerospace science, and materials science.
Notable areas being researched at the school include space bioscience and technology, aerospace science and technology, and special environmental biology. In supporting this research, NPU’s School of Life Sciences is contributing to the kind of cutting-edge study that could aid cancer prevention and organ regeneration in mammals, including humans.
Other research proposals developed at the school include the mitigation of environmental pollution using organic waste biomaterials, and the biomedical potential of peptide-based nanomaterials for use as a panacea.
The School of Life Sciences takes talent recruitment and cultivation extremely seriously for both students and faculty. The school promotes education and teaching reform to ensure its students display a broad knowledge base, strong leadership skills, and all-round development in terms of their moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic skill sets. For faculty members, the school has a long-term recruitment strategy of hiring outstanding academic talent from all over the world, offering strategic, technological and financial support.
The School of Life Sciences also places significant emphasis on collaboration with higher education institutions outside China. Examples of the school’s commitment to international cooperation can be found in its partnerships with the German Aerospace Centre, Harvard University, the University of Sydney and Strathclyde University, as well as many other internationally renowned universities and research institutions.
The school accepts five-year dual degree students, offering joint training for individuals taking part in “3-2” undergraduate and master’s degree programmes, in addition to undergraduate international exchange projects with a variety of institutions including Canada’s McMaster University and the University of Toronto. Visiting professors are hired to further emphasise the school’s international vision.
As part of NPU, the School of Life Sciences has quickly gained a reputation as one of the top institutions for scientific research in China. However, the school has broader aims. It will continue actively engaging with domestic and international research groups, promoting interdisciplinary and collaborative innovation, and striving to achieve major breakthroughs in life sciences.
As the school continues to lead innovative developments in cutting-edge fields, it will welcome outstanding scholars based both in China and overseas to seek common development opportunities and create an exciting future together.
Find out more about the School of Life Sciences at Northwestern Polytechnical University.
