The Physical Science at Nanjing University was initiated at Nanjing Higher Normal School in 1915, and the Department of Physics was established in 1920, placing it among the most historical ones in China. Over the past one hundred years, the Department has contributed significantly to the scientific developments and the modernization of the country. It has always been aiming at the strategic demands of the nation, performing world-class, cutting-edge research both on the fundamental and applied aspects, and educating innovative talents, many of whom have become the leaders in various fields. Therefore, it has been one of the most prestigious Physics programs in China. Among the many famous physicists studying or working at the Department, there have been dozens of Fellows of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, including Wu You-Xun, Yan Ji-Ci, Zhao Zhong-Yao, Shi Ru-Wei, Lu Xue-Shan, Yu Rui-Huang, Wu Chien-Shiung, Zhu Guang-Ya, Cheng Kai-Jia, Yang Cheng-Zhong, Wei Rong-Jue, Tang Ding-Yuan and Kang Feng. There have also been many politicians and social activists such as Jiang Shu-Sheng, GuoJin-Long, and Li Kwoh-Ting.
On December 30th 2009, Nanjing University launched the new School of Physics, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, based on the original Department of Physics, Department of Electronic Science and Engineering, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
The School of Physics now has 206 faculty and staff, including 105 Professors and 41 Associated Professors. Among the faculty members, there are 8 Fellows of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Cheung Kong Professors of Ministry of Education of China, and 30 National Distinguished Young Scholars of the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC). In addition, it has 2 NSFC innovative groups, 3 Ministry of Education’s innovative teams, and 9 Chief Scientists of National Key Projects for Research and Development of China.
The School of Physics has “Physics” as the National First-Class Key Discipline, composed of Theory Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Acoustics, Optics, Atom and Molecular Physics, Particle and Nuclear Physics, Biophysics and Soft Matters, Atom and Molecular Clusters, and Applied Electronics and Technical Physics. Among these, Theory Physics, Condensed Matter Physics and Acoustics are the National Second-Class Key Disciplines. It has National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Ministry Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Nanotechnology, and over 10 other multidisciplinary research institutes and centers. The multidisciplinary Nanjing National Laboratory for Microstructures is also being established. The School has been an important base for training the talents of Physical Science nationwide. The University Teaching Lab has been a National Physics Talents Training Base and National University Physics Teaching Demonstration Center. The “Physics” Postdoctoral Station is the National Excellent Postdoctoral Station