Welcome to the World’s Premier Soft Matter Science and Engineering Program
About Us
  • SESM at SCUT
  • Welcome From the Dean
  • School History
  • International Academic Advancement Council

Overview

School of Emergent Soft Matter is one of the first built Schools of Guangzhou International Campus of SCUT. In the form of “School plus high-end research institute”, our School carries out forward-looking basic research, develops innovative technologies in the fields of soft matter science and soft matter functional materials engineering and technology, and cultivates high-quality talents with innovative and practical capabilities, aiming to build a world-class innovation highland and talent training base in soft matter areas.

Our school has established an “International Academic Advancement Council” consists of eight renowned academicians from China, the U.S., Japan, and Europe. This council is responsible for final evaluations of faculty recruitment. We have led the university's first National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Major Program, and we have been honored with both national and provincial awards within China's education system.

Our Vision

Committed to the essence of education, we embrace the philosophy of Zhu Xi (1130-1200), a leading Confucian scholar: “To establish oneself, one must first establish learning; To establish learning, one must root it in the study of books.” Guided by this philosophy, we empower students to reshape their futures, inspiring them to “uphold moral integrity and pursue academic excellence.” 

In 2022, we brought in the International School of Advanced Materials. In 2023, we launched an International Demonstration Class program. We cultivate students through joined study of Bachelor and Master's degree/Bachelor and Doctoral degree programs, blending the best practices from Chinese and international educational systems. We equip students with interdisciplinary technical and scientific knowledge, enabling them to attain a broad theoretical foundation, innovative awareness, basic scientific research capabilities, and industrialization capabilities.

About SCUT

South China University of Technology (SCUT) is one of China's leading universities directly under the Ministry of Education, and one of the national 211 and 985 project universities, which qualifies it as a prestigious institution in China. Situated in the vibrant metropolis of Guangzhou in South China, the university boasts a substantial campus spanning 407 hectares, comprising three distinct campuses: the Wushan Campus, the University Town Campus, and the Guangzhou International Campus.

Soft matter is defined as “all physicochemical systems that have large response functions”. It encompasses polymers, colloid, gels, granular materials, liquid crystals, liquids, and biological materials that share an important common feature: they can be deformed or altered structurally by a small mechanical stress or perturbation at room temperature. Thus, soft matter plays an important role in our daily life as well as the industry. Therefore, our vision is to be recognized as having one of the best academic programs worldwide for our positive impact on humanity through contributions to and leadership in soft matter science and technology.

School of Emergent Soft Matter (SESM) focuses on research and development in various areas of soft matter, conducting both fundamental and applied research. Our interdisciplinary approach is centered on new molecular designs and syntheses, functional and intelligent materials and manufacturing, as well as practical applications. Overall, SESM is dedicated to academic discovery, invention and innovation, technology development, as well as the cultivation of talent and world-class education in soft matter.

We are excited to announce that SESM will open admissions for students worldwide to join our undergraduate and graduate programs while recruiting faculty and researchers globally to join our team. At SESM, you will collaborate with a diverse, international team dedicated to academic excellence and technological innovation.

Together, we are creating our future!

  • 2025

    • May 2025

      Our research team co-published a paper in Science: “Resiliency, morphology, and entropic transformations in high-entropy oxide nanoribbons”.

    • Apr 2025

      Our research team published a paper in Nature Chemistry: “Universal membranization of syntheticcoacervates and biomolecular condensates towards ultrastability and spontaneousemulsification”.

    • Mar 2025

      Our research team co-published a paper in Nature Water: “Synthesis of two-dimensional ordered graphdiyne membranes for highly efficient and selective water transport”.

    • Feb 2025

      Our research team co-published a paper in Science: “Engineering grain boundaries in monolayer molybdenum disulfide for efficient water-ion separation”.

    • Jan 2025

      Our research team co-published a paper in Science: “Stereomicrostructure-regulated biodegradable adhesives”.

  • 2024

    • Mar 2024

      Our research team published a paper in Nature Physics: “Flexoelectricity-driven toroidal polar topology in liquid-matter helielectrics.”

    • Mar 2024

      The first undergraduate program in Soft Matter Science and Engineering in China was launched.

    • Feb 2024

      Our research team published a paper in Nature Materials: “Self-assembled soft alloy with Frank–Kasper phases beyond metals”.

  • 2023

    • Dec 2023

      Giant journal received its inaugural Impact Factor of 7.0.

    • Jun 2023

      Prof. Stephen Z.D. Cheng donated over CNY 7 million to establish the Dean’s Education Fund.

    • May 2023

      Our research team co-published a paper in Science：“Three-dimensional inhomogeneity of zeolite structure and composition revealed by electron ptychography”.

  • 2022

    • Dec 2022

      Soft Matter Science and Engineering was approved as a Guangzhou Key Interdisciplinary Discipline.

    • Oct 2022

      SCUT’s discipline on Polymer Science supported by our school ranked the first globally in 2023 US News and World Report Rankings.

    • Jul 2022

      Our research team co-published a paper in Science: “DNA-guided lattice remodeling of carbon nanotubes”.

    • Jun 2022

      Our research team published a paper in Nature Nanotechnology: “Nanostructured block copolymer muscles”.

    • Mar 2022

      Phase II of International School of Advanced Materials was initiated.

  • 2021

    • Dec 2021

      The School was renamed School of Emergent Soft Matter.

    • May 2021

      Soft Matter Science and Technology Platform was certified as a Class C Public Laboratory of SCUT.

  • 2020

    • May 2020

      The school was designated as Guangdong's only institution for standardized management of highly toxic chemicals.

    • Mar 2020

      The English-language international journal Giant was founded, in collaboration with Elsevier.

  • 2019

    • Oct 2019

      The Guangdong Key Laboratory of Functional and Intelligent Hybrid Materials was established.

    • Sep 2019

      Our research team published in Nature Chemistry: “Identification of a Frank–Kasper Z phase from shape amphiphile self-assembly”
      The school was awarded “National Advanced institution in Education System”.

    • Jun 2019

      The first Research Frontiers in Soft Matter Sciences Summer School was held.

    • Mar 2019

      Undergraduate program in Molecular Science and Engineering was launched and approved for enrollment

  • 2018

    • Dec 2018

      The school led the university’s first National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Major Program.

      Soft Matter Science and Engineering was approved by The Ministry of Education of China as secondary interdisciplinary discipline.

    • Nov 2018

      School of Molecular Science and Engineering was established as one of the first built Schools of Guangzhou International Campus of SCUT.

    • Apr 2018

      South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology building completed.

  • 2017

    • Apr 2017

      The first International Symposium for Soft Matter Science and Technology (SMST) was held.

  • 2016

    • Oct 2016

      The first “International Academic Advancement Council” was founded.

    • May 2016

      South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology was established.

International Academic Advancement Council

To ensure the highest standards of academic excellence and a democratic hiring process, our school has established the International Academic Advancement Council, comprising eight distinguished academicians from leading research institutions across China, the U.S., Japan, and Europe. This council conducts interviews for candidates and makes final decisions on faculty recruitment, ensuring that every faculty aligns with our mission to foster groundbreaking research, transformative education, and cross-border collaboration.

Quick Links

Guangzhou International Campus: 777 Xingye Avenue East, Panyu District, Guangzhou, 511442

TEL.: +86-20-39381048; +86-20-39381029

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