Mission
The mission of the School of Life Sciences at Guangzhou University is to cultivate practical talents of biological technology with strong fundamental knowledge, and significant abilities to put ideas into practice and innovate, through its excellence in teaching and intensive research.
General Description
The School of Life Sciences at Guangzhou University was established in July 2005. Its predecessors are the Department of Biology and the Department of Bioengineering at Guangzhou University which were merged by the Departments of Biology of Guangzhou Teachers College and Guangzhou Institute of Education.
The School of Life Sciences provides two undergraduate programs: Bioscience and Biopharmaceutical sciences and one level 1 Master program of Biology with two research areas: Teaching (Biology) and Chemical Engineering (Biochemical Engineering). At present, the school has more than 700 students. The Bioscience Program is a provincial program, the Bioengineering Program is a provincial pilot program of major comprehensive reform and the Bioengineering Program is a municipal key course.
At present, the school has 86 full-time faculty, 59 of whom have doctorate degrees. There are 20 professors, 25 associate professors, 8 post-doctoral supervisors, 8 PhD supervisors, 36 master supervisors and 30 staff members have study abroad experiences. There are 3 professors among the 13 technical staff.
The school has a provincial teaching demonstration center of biological sciences and technology. It has laboratories covering 11000 square meters with laboratory instruments in the value of 13 million yuan. To meet the needs of teaching and research, there sets up 1 biopharmaceutical pilot plant, 1 provincial college students practical teaching base, 2 graduate students practical teaching bases, 7 university internship bases and more than 10 school internship bases in the school.
2. Academic Programs
Undergraduate Programs with Curriculum
Biological Sciences
Degree: Bachelor’s Degree of Science will be conferred with four-year study
Objectives: Graduates of this program will be competent to teach biological sciences and responsible for research and management work in secondary schools. Graduates will be able to become outstanding biology teachers and leaders in their fields. Meanwhile, the program will prepare the students for higher graduate education.
Characteristics of the Discipline: This program has a good pedagogical background to educate primary and secondary school teachers in the Pearl River Delta region. It focuses on food safety, inspection and quarantine and educating modern biological detection technical personnel with a solid experimental foundation
Career Development: Students could become middle school biology teachers, teachers in vocational-technical schools in biology, agriculture and forestry-related majors, technical and management personnel in laboratory, technical management and marketing personnel in related industry, technical management personnel of government departments and biological enterprises.
Main Courses: botany, zoology, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, cytology, genetics, animal physiology, ecology, biology pedagogy, pedagogy basics.
Pharmaceuticals
Degree: Bachelor’s Degree of Science will be conferred with four-year study
Objectives: Relying on the biomedical industry chain of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, this program aims to educate high-level professionals with broad knowledge of pharmacy and biology, strong biological and pharmaceutical research and application ability, who will be able to work in the area of development, production and process design, quality control and production management of biopharmaceuticals.
Characteristics of the Discipline: This program inherits the practice teaching system that the Biological Engineering program of Guangzhou University has always adhered to, and focuses on fostering students' integrative engineering thinking, integrative engineering technical capacities and integrative capacities of innovative engineering experiment. After graduation, graduates will be able to engage in the research and development of biological drugs, production and process design, technological innovation, quality control and production management, as well as the production and application of health care products and medical-related products involved in biological medicine.
Career Development: Professional technicians and engineers in the research and development, production, analysis, inspection and promotion of biopharmaceuticals, health food and traditional Chinese medicine. After a certain period of experience accumulation, they will also be competent for the management of the above industries.
Main Courses: pharmacy, biology, bioengineering, biochemical engineering, molecular biology, genetic engineering, cell engineering, enzyme engineering, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology techniques, biological pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, principles of chemical engineering, biopharmaceutical equipment, engineering drawing, principles of fermentation technology, pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutical analysis and drug design.
Curriculum of Graduate Programs
The 21st century is the century of life sciences. Biotechnology is becoming the fastest growing, most widely used and most competitive field. In the 13th five-year plan, both the state and Guangdong Province have listed the biotechnology industry as a high and new technology industry, and Guangzhou city has proposed to build the biopharmaceutical industry as an emerging mainstay industry. In 2016, Guangzhou officially launched the high-level university building project, and "life and health" was recognized by Guangzhou University as one of the seven priority subjects. The School will educate the urgently needed talents to include the academic master of biology, master of materials and chemical engineering and education master of teaching (biology) for Guangzhou city and the Pearl River Delta region to include Guangzhou biology island, to enhance the ability of serving Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta region.
Academic Master Programs: Master's degree in biology to include five major research areas: botany, zoology, physiology, genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology.
Professional Master Programs: 1) Master’s degree of materials and chemical engineering with the research filed of biochemical engineering; 2) Master’s degree of education for teaching biology. Full-time and part-time options are available.
3. Faculty and Research
Academicians, national experts, international experts and scholars
Li, Xiaoqin
Basic Information: Professor Li Xiaoqin, PhD Supervisor and Vice-President of Guangzhou University, is the Chair of Guangzhou Association for Promoting Democracy, the Vice Chair of Guangdong Association for Promoting Democracy, the Vice Director of China Fresh Corn Association, the Vice Director of Guangdong Provincial Agricultural Association and Consultant Expert of the Seed Branch of China Fresh Corn Association. She once served as an expert of corn variety certification in Guangdong province for two times. She has been engaged in the research and teaching of sweet corn genetics and breeding for more than 30 years and is an important promoter of fresh corn industry in Guangdong.
Research: Professor Li’s research interests focus on the function and utilization of sweet corn quality trait genes. She has led three national projects, one research and development project in key areas of Guangdong province and more than 30 other projects. She has published more than 30 papers in academic journals to include BMC Plant Biology, of which five are SCI papers. She has led to breed four new sweet corn varieties. She has won the first and second prizes of Guangdong Provincial Agricultural Technology Promotion and the third prize of Science and Technology Progress of Ministry of Agriculture.
Teaching: Professor Li teaches undergraduate courses to include “Genetics” and graduate courses to include “Advanced Plant Breeding Theory and Technology”. Professor Li was awarded "Third prize of outstanding young teacher" by China Ministry of Education and Fok Ying-tong Education Foundation.
Liu, Baohui
Basic Information: Professor Liu Baohui is a PhD supervisor and Director of Molecular Genetics and Evolution Research Center. He was selected for the Hundred Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and its final evaluation is excellent. He served as a member of the "13th Five-Year Plan" Committee on "National Soybean Breeding Major Scientific and Technological Research Program", an expert in the committee of the Department of Biology from the National Natural Science Foundation of Chinas, a member of the Heilongjiang Provincial Crop Variety Appraisal Committee, and a member of the Plant Genome Committee of the Chinese Society of Genetics, "J GenetGenomics", "JIPB", "Soybean Science", "Botanical Journal" editorial board. Professor Liu was also an evaluation expert of the meeting of the Department of Biology of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a member of the Chinese National Committee of the International Federation of Biological Sciences (CCIUBS), Deputy Director of the Molecular Biology Committee of the Chinese Botanical Society, a member of the Cell Biology Committee of the Chinese Botanical Society, and plant genome of the Chinese Genetic Society Member of the Professional Committee and Director of the Soybean Professional Committee of the Chinese Crop Society.
Research: He has long been devoted to the basic research on the molecular mechanism of photoperiod regulation and control of soybean flowering and the application of basic research on molecular design and breeding of early-maturing and high-yield soybean varieties. He has published more than 50 papers in Nature Genetics, Plant Physiology, Genetics and other journals with high international influence. He cultivated three new soybean varieties with a cumulative demonstration and promotion area of 3.305 million mu, increasing economic benefits by 200 million yuan. He won two provincial and ministerial scientific and technological progress second prizes. The main writing is facing chapter 24 of the 21st century, "Eleventh Five-Year" national planning textbook "Essays on Crop Breeding".
Teaching: Professor Liu teaches lectures on the graduate course "Plant Molecular Breeding".
Kong Fanjiang
Basic Information: Professor Kong Fanjiang, is a PhD supervisor, winner of the National Natural Science Foundation Outstanding Youth Fund, winner of the Chinese academy of sciences "introduction of one hundred outstanding talents project" and winner of Heilongjiang province Outstanding Youth Fund. He is the editorial board member of the academic journals "Molecular Breeding" and "Plant Science Journal" and the youth communication expert in agricultural field of "Engineering" and a member of Cell Biology Committee of Chinese Society of Botany.
Research: Professor Kong’s research interest is soybean molecular genetics and genomics. He mainly works on the discovery of genes controlling soybean important agronomic traits, regulation network and soybean molecular design breeding research. He has cloned a series of important genes controlling soybean adaptability and yield traits, illuminated the molecular mechanism of photoperiod regulating soybean flowering, and proved the selection rules of photoperiod adaptability genes during soybean domestication and mutation, and the important mechanism of improving soybean adaptability and yield. He has published as a corresponding author more than 60 papers in internationally renowned journals such as Nature Genetics.
Teaching: Professor Kong teaches undergraduate courses to include "photoperiod phenomena" and graduate courses to include "plant molecular breeding".
Tian, Chang-en
Basic Information: Professor Tian Chang-en is a PhD supervisor, Dean of the School of Life Sciences, Director of the Guangzhou city key laboratory of plants stress resistance genes function research, academic leader of Guangzhou University biology first-level master subject, "Thousand-Hundred-Ten Talents Project" provincial trainee, journal editor of "Journal of Botany", committee member of Chinese plant physiology and plant molecular biology society, Vice Director of Guangdong province plant physiology society and a member of Guangdong universities biology teaching steering committee.
Research: Professor Tian focuses on the functional research and utilization of important genes to include plant IQM family and fungal laccase. He has led six national research projects and more than 20 others. He has published more than 130 research papers in Plant Physiol and other journals to include more than 30 SCI journals. He has obtained six national invention patent authorization, with two having been transformed.
Teaching: He teaches undergraduate courses to include "Genetic Engineering" and graduate courses to include "Gene Function Research Technology". He has won five awards for excellent teaching achievements of the city and the university, edited one textbook of science press, guided the students to win one third prize in the "challenge cup" national competition, won one second prize in the provincial competition and three second prizes. He was awarded the title of "outstanding instructor of extracurricular academic activities of college students in Guangdong province".
Qiao, Yunbo
Basic information: Associate Professor and Doctor Qiao Yunbo is a master supervisor and winner of Guangdong Outstanding Youth Fund.
Research interests: Dr. Qiao’s research focuses on the epigenetic regulation mechanism of early embryonic development and cell directed differentiation using embryonic stem cells and mouse early embryos as research models, the fate determination of stem cells and the molecular regulatory mechanisms in important diseases gene using editing technology and he is engaged in developing treatments based on gene editing technology. He has led five projects of national natural science foundation of China, provincial fund and local fund, and published more than ten SCI papers as the first or corresponding author in high-level journals to include Cell Research and Cell Reports.
Projects, Scientific Platforms and Research Teams
Center for Molecular Genetics and Evolution
The center was established in 2016 and currently has a total of 42 researchers, to include five professors (one awardee of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and two awardee of the Hundred Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences), four associate professors, five lecturers, eleven post-doctors and 17 master students.
The Center focuses on the four distinct research fields to include genetics; plant epigenetics; molecular evolution; crop molecular design breeding with strong strength, reasonable age structure and multi-disciplinary research; and huge development potential. It has become an important base for influential basic biological research and talent cultivation.
The scientific research projects undertaken at present include the Distinguished Young Scholars Fund, Key Fund, General Fund, Youth Fund from the National Science, one project level, two task level funds from Foundation of "Thirteenth Five-Year" National Key R & D Project, project funds from the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with research funding of 64.31 million RMB yuan.
Researchers from the Center have published more than 100 research papers in internationally renowned academic journals to include Nature Genetics, Nature Plant, Plant Cell, Plant Physiology and other journals. The Center has bred six soybean varieties, with a total growing area of 300 thousand hectares.
Laboratory for Excellence in Precise Genome Engineering and Health
Laboratory for Excellence in Precise Genome Engineering and Health of Guangzhou University focuses on gene editing system and several common human diseases to include tumors, neurological disorders and metabolic disorders. The laboratory is dedicated to making new discoveries and developing novel gene editing technologies, creating animal or cell models of human disorders, elucidating molecular and cellular mechanisms of diseases and exploring novel approaches for gene therapy. It includes several supporting units for researches on molecular biology, cellular biology, and experimental animal. The laboratory recently undertook multiple research projects in pursuit of scientific questions mainly supported by Natural Science Foundation of China, National Health Commission and Guangdong Province Government. The research team comprises about 50 individuals to include six professors, five associated professors and eight instructors. Collaboration is encouraged in pursuing research excellence and serving the general public health.
Laboratory for Function Study on Plant Stress Resistance Gene
Established in 2007, the Laboratory is a key laboratory of Guangzhou city. The laboratory keeps up with the frontier of the field and focuses on research and development in the fields of "discovery of stress resistance genes" and "functional analysis and application of stress resistance genes". There are eight professors, nine associate professors, seven lecturers, fifteen overseas returnees, two selected members of “the hundred talents program” of Chinese academy of sciences, 1 "Thousand-Hundred-Ten Talents Project" provincial trainee, one national institute committee member, six provincial institute committee members and six editorial board members of academic journals. The Laboratory has research equipment in total value of more than 30 million yuan and the laboratory area is more than 3,000m2. Over the past five years, the Laboratory members have undertaken more than 80 projects to include more than ten national projects, published more than 100 papers to include more than 50 SCI papers, won five science and technology awards and won more than ten invention patents.
Laboratory for South China Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization
Established in 2011, this Laboratory is a key laboratory of Guangzhou University. Based on the rich tropical and subtropical biodiversity resources found in south China, especially in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Laboratory carries out research and development in the fields of "Environmental protection, development and utilization of important economic flora and fauna resources in south China" and "Systematics and adaptive evolution of rare flora and fauna". There are four professors, eight associate professors and six lecturers, six overseas returnees, one national institute committee member and four provincial institute committee members. The Laboratory has research equipment in total value of more than 30 million yuan, and the laboratory area of more than 2500 m2. Over the past five years, laboratory members have undertaken more than 60 projects to include more than ten national projects, published more than 150 papers to include more than 50 SCI papers. won three science and technology awards and won more than ten invention patents.
4. Awards
1) Professor Liu Baohui obtained a grant of the key project of national natural science foundation of China in 2020;
2) Faculty members obtained grants of the national natural science foundation of China in 2020: Luo Fujun, Kong Bo, Wu yi, Yang Li, Hou Liping, Yu Haibin, Cheng qun, Liu Min, Yue Lin, Chen Liyu, Bu Tiantian, Kong Lingping;
3) Faculty members obtained grants of the natural science foundation of guangdong province in 2019: Qiao Yunbo, Guo Peiguo, Zhang Yuanwei, Tian Changen;
4) Faculty members obtained grants of the 2018 national natural science foundation of China: Dong Zhicheng, Li Meina, Zhao Xiaohui, Nan Haiyang, Tang Yang;
5) Winner of Guangdong Ding Ying science and technology award in 2019: Kong Fanjiang;
6) Winner of Guangdong Outstanding Youth Fund in 2019: Qiao Yunbo;
7) Wang Xiongjun published one paper in Nature: UDP - glucose accelerates SNAI1 mRNA decay and impairs lung cancer metastasis. Nature, 2019, 571:127-131;
8) Kong Fanjiang and Liu Baohui's team published one papers in Nature Genetics: Stepwise selection on homeologous PRR genes controlling flowering and maturity during soybean domestication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-020-0604-7.
5. Alumni
Wang Yingqiang 1989
Wang Yingqiang, graduated in 1989, is a professor in South China Normal University, a PhD supervisor, a member of the Ministry of Education undergraduate colleges and universities forestry professional teaching steering committee, the Deputy Director of Guangdong Province undergraduate course colleges and universities forestry professional teaching steering committee, Committee Member of Botanical Society of China, the Vice Eirector of Guangdong botanical society, the argumentative expert of major administrative decisions in Guangzhou and the editorial committee member of “Guangxi Plants”. He is the winner of "national excellent doctoral dissertation", national candidate of "new century hundred talents project" and expert of "special government allowance of the state council". He focuses on tropical-subtropical plant breeding ecology and evolutionary biology, garden plants and flowers germplasm resources conservation and development. In recent years, he has led a number of projects to include the key projects of the national natural science foundation of China - Guangdong joint fund project and the general projects of the national natural science foundation of China. He has published more than 40 papers in important journals to include Nature.
Tang Tian 1999
Tang tian, graduated in 1999, is currently a professor and PhD supervisor in the School of Life Science at Sun Yat-sen University. She has been selected the outstanding young teacher of Guangdong province in 2013. Her research interests focus on evolutionary genetics and genomics. She has led a number of national natural science foundation projects, published more than 30 SCI papers in important international journals such as PNAS and Plant Cell, won three national invention patents, and won the first prize of ministry of education university natural science award in 2008 and the second prize of national natural science award in 2011.
Tao Jun 2001
Tao Jun, an alumnus of the class of 2001, is currently a professor of the school of tropical crops at Gainan University, a PhD supervisor, a high-level talent of Hainan province, and a member of Hainan Genetic Society. His research interests focus on the interaction mechanism between plants and pathogenic microorganisms. He has led a number of national natural science foundation projects and published SCI papers in important journals to include Nucleic Acids Research, Molecular Plant Pathology and Molecular Plant-microbe Interactions. He teachers some high-quality courses of Hainan province, such as Biostatistics and Genetics.
Feng Jielian 1987
Feng Jielian, an alumnus of the class of 1987, is a member of Chinese peasants' and workers' Democratic Party, a special-class teacher in Guangdong province, an outstanding teacher of Guangzhou city, supervisor of Master of Education (biology) in Guangzhou University, Guangzhou ordinary high schools teaching level assessor, and Guangya Middle School Biology chief teacher. With high teaching level, she has won the outstanding contribution award of Guangzhou college entrance examination for multiple times. With strong teaching and research ability, she has written nearly 60 papers, edited more than ten college entrance examination review guides. She has guided more than 70 students and awarded in the national biology league.
Chen Zhinan 1989
Chen Zhinan, a 1989 alumnus, a senior high school teacher, the current Guangzhou No.13 High School principal. She is a renowned school principal trainee of "hundreds of thousands of talents training project", renowned school principle of Yuexiu district, practice tutor of South China Normal University and Guangzhou University "excellent high school principals training project". She has been an academic researcher of “China education journal” and a member of the board of directors of “education guide journal” and “China teachers”. She has won the "third-class merit" and "commendation" award of Guangzhou city and Yuexiu district for many times. She is an outstanding educator of Guangzhou city, an outstanding communist youth league cadre of Guangzhou city, and an outstanding communist party member of Yuexiu district.
Li Tong 1993
Li Tong, a 1993 alumnus, a middle school senior teacher, is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of Guangzhou Nansha District Education Bureau. After graduation, he was assigned to Xiangxian Middle School in Panyu District. He was transferred to Nansha Dongchung Middle School in July, 2002, to act as vice principal, principal and party branch secretary. He was a special teaching and research member members of Guangzhou City, a member of special teaching and research association of biology of Guangzhou middle school. He has published more than ten papers or achievements in national and provincial journals. He has won the honorary titles of "district outstanding teacher", "district advanced worker" and "advanced individual" for promoting education modernization in Guangdong province, and "outstanding teacher" in Guangzhou.
Wang Jianchun 1997
Wang Jianchun, a 1997 alumnus is a senior teacher in the middle school and a special-grade teacher of Guangdong province. He is currently the Party and Administrative Head and Vice-President of Guangzhou Baiyun District Education Research Institute, the backbone teacher of the first batch in Guangdong province, Master supervisor of South China Normal University and Guangzhou University, a renowned basic education teacher in Guangzhou, the trainee of education experts of Guangzhou. He has led and completed seven national projects, published more than 30 teaching and research papers and more than 30 management papers. He has won eight national awards, 16 provincial awards and 19 municipal awards.
You Yongliang 2000
You Yongliang, a 2000 alumnus, is a high school senior teacher. Currently, he is the Party Branch Secretary and Principal of Jianggao No.2 Middle School, party committee member of Guangzhou No.65 Middle School Education Group, the educational inspector of Baiyun District, Guangzhou renowned school principal trainee, trainee of backbone principals and outstanding young and middle-aged principals of Guangdong Province. He once served as Party Branch Secretary and Vice Principal of Guangzhou No.68 Middle School (the current Baiyun District Art Middle School), Baiyun District Longgui Middle School Principal and Party Branch Secretary, and Guangzhou No. 16 middle school Principal and Party Branch Secretary.
Yang Qingsong 1986
Yang Qingsong, an alumnus the class of 1986, is currently the executive director of Vista International Management Institute Pte Ltd. Singapore. In recent years, he has been invited to serve as an independent director, non-executive director or management consultant in several domestic group enterprises. He founded the Hongjian International Management Institute in 2000 which is mainly engaged in providing management training and consulting services for government and enterprises. Since its establishment, the institute has provided training and consulting services to public administration departments and enterprises in China, Singapore and southeast Asian countries and regions. Up to now, the number of customers trained and served by the institue has exceeded 10,000 person-times, and the service objects include domestic municipal and town administrative departments, domestic famous listed companies, etc., and are highly appraised by customers.
Guo Yongfeng 1995
Guo Yongfeng, an alumnus of class of 1995 is a middle school professor-level teacher. He is currently the Director of Guangzhou Xiehe Middle School Scientific Bureau, a consulting expert of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization China's education sustainable development (ESD) project, the Deputy Secretary-General of Guangzhou Educational Experiment Research Association, Adjunct Professor of Department of Education at South China Normal University. Besides having yielded substantial accomplishments in teaching, he also bear the school's research and construction of energy saving and emission reduction. As a project manager, he has led and completed the Guangdong Province special major science and technology project, Guangzhou city public energy saving project and Guangzhou city environmental protection bureau of science and technology demonstration projects. He has got ten patents, won the third prize of the science and technology prize of Chinese circular economy association in 2018.
Yu Lianlian 2001
Yu Lianlian, a 2001 alumnus, is currently Vice-President of Guangdong Tongli Power Supply Technology Co., LTD., and general manager of foreign trade sales. Tongli Power Supply Company at present has two production bases, four factories and more than 1200 employees. Its main products are car batteries, motorcycle batteries, UPS power supply, solar cells, solar panels and solar systems. The products have been sold well all over the world and are welcomed by consumers.
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