The School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was established in 1928 as the Department of Chemistry of Jiao Tong University. Back then, it was attached to the School of Natural Sciences, and Professor Xu Mingcai served as the first chair of the department.

In 1937, when Japan invaded China and occupied Shanghai, part of the Chemistry Department moved with Jiao Tong University to Chongqing, while the remaining department continued to operate in the French Concession. The department temporarily suspended its classes during the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1942. Following the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945, Jiao Tong University returned to Shanghai, and the Chemistry Department was rebuilt.

In 1946, the Department of Chemical Engineering was established, with Professor Su Yuanfu as its first chair. Basic and applied research developed simultaneously. In the following years, the Department of Chemistry further established the Organic Chemistry Laboratory and the Biology Laboratory, resulting in more comprehensive academic development. 

During this period, the discipline of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Jiao Tong University flourished. Many renowned scholars have worked in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Jiao Tong University, such as Su Yuanfu, Gu Yidong, Zeng Zhaolun, Zhang Dayu, Wu Xuezhou, etc. They have cultivated a group of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, including Qian Baogong, Xu Guangxian, Gao Xiaoxia, Xu Xiaobai, He Zuoxiu, Wang Fangding, Wu Chengkang, Mao Yongze, Wei Qianguang, Wang Jingtang, Xu Ruren, Hu Ying, Guan Xingya, etc. These academicians have made outstanding contributions to the new China after 1949.

In 1952, following the model of higher education in the Soviet Union, a nationwide reorganization of departments and institutions occurred. The Department of Chemistry was completely transferred to Fudan University, while Chemical Engineering joined forces with other institutions to establish the East China Institute of Chemical Technology (now East China University of Science and Technology). In 1955, Jiao Tong University responded to the national call to move westwards and initiated a relocation process. Shortly after the departmental restructuring, the recently reestablished Chemistry Teaching and Research Office moved with the university to Xi’an, becoming an important pillar for establishing fundamental disciplines at Xi’an Jiao Tong University. In 1956, Shanghai Jiao Tong University reconstructed the Chemistry Teaching and Research Office again, marking a new chapter for SJTU after five years. In 1957, the Physicochemical Analysis Teaching and Research Office was established.

Over the next twenty years, the chemistry discipline at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) gradually recovered and developed amidst turbulent times. With the reform and opening up policy, it entered another period of rapid development. In May 1979, Shanghai Jiao Tong University established the Department of Applied Chemistry by integrating three teaching and research offices—chemistry, physicochemical analysis, and polymeric materials. The Electrochemistry Teaching and Research Office was also established in the same year.

In 1984, the Department of Applied Chemistry established the Environmental Science and Engineering Research Laboratory and the Institute of Biological Science and Technology. It began enrolling graduate students in Environmental Chemical Engineering and Molecular Biology. It laid the foundation for the rapid development of the two emerging disciplines (now the School of Environmental Science and Engineering and the School of Life Science and Biotechnology) at SJTU, demonstrating the foresight and wisdom of the Department of Applied Chemistry at SJTU.

From 1979 to 1997, the Department of Applied Chemistry made comprehensive developments in subject arrangement, research structure, and talent cultivation. The discipline of Chemical Engineering was gradually rebuilt. Against this background, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (SCCE) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University was formally established in 1997.

SCCE currently consists of four departments: the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Department of Polymeric Science and Engineering, and the Department of Chemical Biology. It also includes the Public Instrumentation and Equipment Platform (Research) and the Basic Chemistry Experiment Center (Teaching).

Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering and Technology disciplines have been authorized to grant bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees. They have found two stations for postdoctoral research. Polymeric Chemistry and Physics is a key discipline in Shanghai.

SCCE has four provincial key laboratories/platforms and jointly operates four state key laboratories. SCCE supports the Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, a secondary research institution directly under the university, which was established under the approval of the Ministry of Education on December 31, 2019. It aims to become a world-leading molecular science research institution.

SCCE, adhering to the mutual promotion of science and engineering and emphasizing both fundamental and applied studies, has achieved remarkable results in talent cultivation, basic theory, and technology research. Both the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering disciplines have been selected as “Double First-Class” disciplines by the national initiative. According to ESI rankings, the Chemistry discipline ranks among the top 1‰ globally. It also enters QS Global Top 50.