Nanjing University has been selected as one of the first batch of national key disciplines and authorized institutions for the doctoral program in acoustics. It is the only one university in China that has a full sequence of talent training system of undergraduate, master, doctor and postdoctoral students major in acoustics, and has formed a training system for acoustic talents at all levels, including masters, doctors and postdoctors. In 1954, Prof. Rongjue Wei (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Science) established the first acoustics teaching and research section in China at Nanjing University. In 1955, the Department of Acoustics was approved by the Ministry of Education. In 1978, the Ministry of Education approved the construction of the Institute of Acoustics. On the basis of the disciplines of acoustics, radio physics and the relevant teaching and research sections of electronic technology, the Department of Information Physics was formally established in 1984, and then was renamed the Department of Electronic Science and Engineering. In 2009, the acoustics specialty was separated from the Department of Electronic Science and Engineering and rejoined the School of Physics at Nanjing University, becoming the Department of Acoustic. The discipline of physics of Nanjing University has been recognized as the national first level key discipline by the Ministry of Education since 2007, among which the acoustic discipline has been listed as the national second level key discipline. It has ranked first in all previous second level key discipline evaluations organized by the Ministry of Education of China.

As an interdisciplinary and forward-looking discipline, acoustics has intersects with materials science, signal processing, life science and other disciplines to form emerging directions such as metamaterials, acoustic signal processing, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound. The Department of Acoustics of Nanjing University has built a strong teaching and research team with a uniform discipline distribution and a reasonable age structure, including 22 professors, 18 associate professors/associate researchers/senior engineers, 3 lecturers/engineers, Over the years, facing the major national demands, the acoustics discipline of Nanjing University has adhered to the development strategy of interdisciplinary integration. It has not only produced a number of original achievements in physical acoustics, medical ultrasound, sonochemistry, audio acoustics and other fields, but also played a demonstration and leading role in gathering outstanding talents and research groups, creating the atmosphere for academic exchange, building public facilities platforms and other aspects, and has become an important acoustic research and talent training base in Chinese universities.

【Research Directions】

1）Physical acoustics and nonlinear acoustics: mainly study the nonlinear vibration and propagation characteristics of large amplitude sound waves in various media (such as gas, liquid, solid and plasma) under different boundaries, as well as the nonlinear interaction between sound waves and materials.

2）Photoacoustics: mainly studies the theory and technology of energy conversion and propagation between light and sound, light, heat. etc.

3）Power ultrasound: mainly studies the interaction between high intensity ultrasound and materials, sonochemistry and industrial applications, dynamic behaviors of multi-bubble acoustic cavitation, sonoluminescence spectral characteristics, and industrial application of power ultrasound cavitation effects.

4）Ultrasonic electronics: mainly studies the development and application of piezoelectric films and devices; the theory and technology of acoustic sensors and actuators; designs and applications of ultrasonic transducers, surface wave devices, MEMS, intelligent devices and related materials.

5）Acoustical metamaterials and devices: mainly study elastic waves in periodic and quasi periodic structures; sound propagation characteristics in complex random medium; design of new acoustical metamaterials; control of acoustic energy flow; generation and control of acoustic orbital angular momentum; design and application of new principle acoustic functional devices.

6）Biomedical ultrasound: mainly studies the application of acoustic technology higher than audible frequency in life science and medical field, including diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound, biomedical ultrasound engineering, design and application of microfluidic devices, the application of artificial intelligence algorithm in ultrasonic diagnosis and treatment, development and design of a new generation of ultrasonic diagnosis and treatment instruments.

7）Audio signal processing and electroacoustics: Audio signal processing mainly studies the theory and technology of audible sound generation, transmission, reception and perception in media, as well as the interaction between acoustic environment and human activities, including environmental acoustics, speech signal processing, acoustic field regulation, physiological and psychological perception of audible sound, intelligent audio technology based on machine learning, etc. Electroacoustics mainly studies the principle and technology of acoustoelectric conversion, including the reception, storage, processing, transmission, measurement, replay and application of acoustic signals, the vibration analysis of electroacoustic devices and systems such as loudspeakers, computer aided design and testing, and the new technology of electroacoustic parameter measurement.