The Physics Department of Fudan University was founded in October, 1952 which was first chaired by Prof. WANG Fushan.

Since the founding of Physics Department, and during it's initial shaping and development phase, the department successively founded the Shanghai Institute of Nuclear Science and the Shanghai Institute of Physical Technology of the China Science Academy, both supported by the department itself at the time. It, together with other departments, kept on "fission" into other new technology departments such as the Physics Department II, the Electric Engineering Department, the Light and Illumination Department, the Material Science Department, the Computer Science Department, etc.. All of these "offspring" contributed to the development of new research fields in Fudan University. Prof. XIE Xide, academician of the China Science Academy, is an eminent figure in both domestic and international academe circle. She contributed a great deal to the shaping of our department and the development of it's research branches. The excellent graduates of our department, including WU Hangsheng, DING Dazhao, FANG Shouxian, WANG Qiming, YANG Fujia, XU Zhixian and Wang Xun were successively elected academician of the China Science academy. Their outstanding academic achievements are of great contribution to the development of science and technology in China. They gained honor to our department.

Since the reform and opening of the nation in the late 1970's, the Physics Department educated nearly 1,200 bachelors, 350 masters and 90 doctors. Because of the overall achievements in teaching and scientific research, the excellence of our department's graduates is known to the nation and the world. About 45% of our recent graduates were admitted by universities and research institutes inside and outside of china to continue their graduate studies. Some of them were employed by colleges, universities and research institutes to do teaching and researching. Most of the students from our department who participated in the job interview of large companies and corporations (including the foreign and joint venture) were successful due to their high overall quality. They are being almost unanimously praised for their ability at work.

We have 148 high quality faculties and staffs at the present. Two of them are the academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Among the 115 faculty members, 45 are professors and 59 are associate professors. Forty five, namely 39% of the faculty members, have Ph. D degree from the Chinese or Foreign high institutions. 28 percent of the faculty members are under the age of 45. A group of core members consisting of young and mid age ones are bearing some of the key responsibilities of our department. Six members, whose names are CHEN Liangyao, HOU Xiaoyuan, HUANG Daming, JIN Xiaofeng, ZI Jian, WU Changqin, have been awarded the Fund for the National Distinguished Young and Mid-age Researcher from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. HOU Xiaoyuan. HUANG Daming. XU Lei and DAI Ning are supported by the Outstanding Young Human Resource Fund of the Department of Education of China. Profs. WANG Xun, NI Guangjiong and CHEN Liangyao are Chief Professors of the department. Prof. CHEN Liangyao, JIN Xiaofeng was selected as the first group of the "Chang Jiang Scholar" of the Nation. HOU Xiaoyuan and WU Changqin were hired as the Specially Professors of the school.

Starting from 1993, the Department of Physics was chosen by the Education Department of China as the second group of the Educational Bases for Researchers and Educators in the Fundamental Science─Physics. The Physics Department has two national key laboratories, three national key subject bases, three doctoral bases (theoretical physics, condensed matter physics, optics) and a postdoctoral mobile station. These key bases for advanced study are all lead by notable scholars and are orderly made up, in which young cadreman are growing quickly, and are beginning to be in charge of or have already done some of the national key research projects and higher level research works. One of the national research centers in fundamental science, namely the Shanghai Research Center for Applied Physics, is affiliated to our department. It hosts a National Center for Advanced Computation, which has the most powerful parallel computer of the region─SGTC1000A that was made in China. It is playing a very important role in the basic and applied research projects that are going on in the region.

The surface physics, optical physics, theoretical physics and teaching in experimental physics of our department are all part of the "211" Project Constructing Plan. The Physics Department have presently taken on research projects like the National Ascent Program, "863" Project, the important and key programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and all science projects from government ministries and City of Shanghai, all add up to around 200. All of these projects are basic research errands, their grants have increased in successive years, reaching a total of 10 million in 1998. Since 1986,science essays published in national or international professional journals add up to more than 2,000 pieces, most of which are published in national or international key publications. A lot of science research projects have won awards, among which are some influential awards like the first prize of the National Invention Award (one project), third, fourth prize of the National Nature Science Award (one project each), first prize of the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award (two projects), second prize of the Department of Education of China's Science and Technology Progress Award (ten projects), etc.. One of the Department of Education of China's national basic research center: Shanghai Application Physics Research Center is attached to the Physics Department. The Physics Department of Fudan University has become one of the bases of China's basic physics research.

Currently, the Condensed Matter Physics was selected as "the key among the important" research branch. Optics and Theoretical Physics were the important research branches, which is hiring "Specially Hired Professor of the University".

Full text of history of Physics Department, Fudan University(pdf file, need Adobe Acrobat)