Sichuan University (SCU)
四川大学

China

Sichuan University is one of the earliest modern universities in China, with a history that can be traced back to the Sichuan Sino-Western School founded in 1896. The current Sichuan University is the result of two mergers, first with the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology and then with the former West China University of Medical Sciences. The expanded Sichuan University has three campuses --- Wangjiang, Huaxi and Jiang’an in the historical and cultural city of Chengdu, sprawling 7,050 mu (approximately 470 hectares).

With a long tradition in education, Sichuan University has, over the past 120 years, given rise to many academic heavyweights, industrial elites and leading administrators who are pillars of the society. Its famous alumni include Zhu De, one of the founding fathers of the People’s Republic of China, and Yang Shangkun, China’s former president, as well as Guo Moruo and Ba Jin, renowned masters of modern Chinese literature, who have all once studied at Sichuan University. Moreover, over 50 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) are Sichuan University alumni.

Currently, the university is dedicated to cultivating globally competitive innovators. It has more than 37,000 full-time undergraduate students and 20,000-plus master and PhD candidates, as well as nearly 3,000 international students.

The university offers a comprehensive range of disciplines to its students, with 33 colleges, covering 12 subject areas, such as humanities, science, engineering and medicine. According to Thomson Reuters’ Essential Science Indicators (ESI), 13 of its disciplines, including chemistry, clinical medicine, engineering, pharmacology and toxicology, biology and biochemistry, mathematics, physics, neuroscience and behavioral science, molecular biology and genetics, agricultural sciences, plant and animal sciences and social science are ranked among the global top 1%. Particularly, chemistry is ranked among top 1‰ globally.

With a strong faculty team of 5,238 full-time faculty members, including 1,051 full professors, 1,230 associate professors and 15 CAS and CAE academicians, Sichuan University has built robust research programs, having made a series of representative research achievements. For example, Feng Xiaoming’s catalytic asymmetric Roskamp reaction provided a new method for the synthesis of chiral compounds. Studies on carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and CO2-mineralization are promoting the rise of a new energy industry in China and even globally. Cross-disciplinary studies on translational medicine led to an innovative technological chain of gene discovery – drug R&D – clinical treatment. In 2014 alone, 3,647 papers were published in journals listed in the Science Citation Index (SCI). Based on the Nature Index data in 2014, Sichuan University is ranked at 106th among global academic institutions.

The university’s research strength is also demonstrated in 13 national-level research bases and four state-level international science and technology cooperation bases. Having achieved many national-level science and technology awards, the university has already become a major driver of the socioeconomic development in western China.

Looking forward, Sichuan University is committed to making greater contributions to the progress of society and human civilization.

Find Sichuan University’s custom publishing on Nature

1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018

Region: Global
Subject/journal group: All

The table to the right includes counts of all research outputs for Sichuan University (SCU) published between 1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018 which are tracked by the Nature Index.

Hover over the donut graph to view the FC output for each subject. Below, the same research outputs are grouped by subject. Click on the subject to drill-down into a list of articles organized by journal, and then by title.

Note: Articles may be assigned to more than one subject area.

AC	FC
242	136.55

Outputs by subject (FC)

Subject	AC	FC
Chemistry	155	100.71
Physical Sciences	50	22.35
Earth & Environmental Sciences	6	2.06
Life Sciences	42	14.72

Highlight of the month

Graphene layer boosts magnetic properties

© LAGUNA DESIGN/Science Photo Library/Getty

Using a layer of graphene one atom thick, to boost the magnetic properties of materials, could be the key to high-density memory and smaller, lower energy electronics.

A team led by Sichuan University researchers performed simulations of graphene’s effect on magnetic excitations known as magnetic plasmons that travel along the interfaces between materials.

These magnetic excitations are created by optical light, and are insignificant in naturally-occurring materials. However, they can be enhanced by creating artificial layered materials, called metamaterials, which contain regular nanoscopic patterns of conducting and insulating materials.

The simulations compared the magnetic response to optical light for thin layers of silicon dioxide sandwiched between a gold film and a gold grating, with and without a layer of graphene on its surface.

The graphene increased the magnetic response by up to 25 per cent, and also shifted the wavelength of the peak response. By adding charge to the graphene layer the response could be actively tuned, enabling dynamic control of future devices based on magnetic plasmons.

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