Established in December 2010, the College of Nano Science & Technology (CNST) at Soochow University is the first college in China dedicated to interdisciplinary education in nanomaterials and nanotechnology. It was jointly founded by Soochow University, Suzhou Industrial Park, and the University of Waterloo in Canada. Shortly after its establishment, CNST was selected as one of the 17 National Pilot Colleges by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in October 2011, placing it at the forefront of higher education reform in China.
CNST is built upon the Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), founded in 2008. With its strong research base, FUNSOM provides the college with solid academic support and keeps its teaching connected to the latest advances in the field. Together, they have formed a model in which research and teaching reinforce each other, nurturing innovative talents with an international perspective in nanotechnology.
Over the years, CNST has grown rapidly alongside FUNSOM. Together, they have received multiple national designations, including the National Collaborative Innovation Center under the National 2011 Project, the Overseas Expertise Introduction Center for Discipline Innovation (National “111 Project”), and the National “Huang Danian-style Faculty Team”.
Committed to delivering high-quality professional education, CNST and FUNSOM jointly offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs centered on nanoscience and nanotechnology. The college currently has 1,297 students: 433 undergraduates, 645 master’s students, and 219 doctoral candidates. It is supported by a strong faculty of over 170 members, including two academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, two fellows of the World Academy of Sciences, and multiple fellows of the Chinese Chemical Society, AIMBE, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
CNST has established mature teaching and research facilities, with more than 30,000 square meters of lab area and internationally advanced equipment for materials characterization, nanodevice fabrication, and optoelectronic testing. Its laboratory has been approved as a provincial demonstration center for industry-university cooperative practice education, providing a first-class platform for student training and innovation.
The college’s faculty has undertaken a large number of national and local research projects and produced over 1,500 high-level papers, including publications in Science and Nature. Its research has been recognized with major awards, and its intellectual property has led to successful technology transfer and the incubation of high-tech companies.
CNST has achieved notable success in talent development. Its students have won national awards in major competitions, and its graduates are active in fields such as new materials, new energy, information technology, and biomedicine. More than 170 alumni serve as professors or associate professors, 33 have been granted national key talent programs (including youth programs), and 11 have been recognized as global highly cited researchers. Many alumni also hold senior positions in industry, contributing to frontier fields worldwide.
