Institute of Sedimentary Geology

The former of the Institute of Sedimentary Geology is the Institute of Sedimentary Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu College of Geology established in 1985. As a matter of fact, it was originally a teaching team of sedimentary rocks of the teaching and research section of petrology established in 1956 under the Department of Geological Survey and Mineral Search of Chengdu College of Geological Exploration. In 1983, Chengdu College of Geology set up the Department of Geology and the Department of Geology and Mineral Resources, and the above teaching team of sedimentary rocks was upgraded to a research room, which, together with the teaching and research section of petrology, was affiliated to the Department of Geology. In 1985, upon approval by the former Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources, the Institute of Sedimentary Geology and Mineral Resources was established as a secondary teaching and research institution under the Chengdu College of Geology. In 2002, the College of Earth Sciences was established after Chengdu College of Geology was renamed Chengdu University of Technology (CDUT), and the the Institute of Sedimentary Geology and Mineral Resources became affiliated to the College of Earth Sciences. In 2005, CDUT was approved to establish the Institute of Sedimentary Geology. It is the only institution among colleges and universities in the country specializing in high-calibre talents cultivation and scientific research in sedimentary geology. It was first qualified to confer master’s and doctor’s degrees in the discipline. Besides, it was qualified to confer doctor’s degrees in Geology, and Geological Resources and Geological Engineering, and approved to set up postdoctoral research stations for the two primary disciplines. It also has two ministerial and provincial key disciplines: Sedimentology (including Paleogeography), Paleontology and Stratigraphy.

The Institute is an important supporting unit to the State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploration, the Key Laboratory of Deep-time Geographic Environment Reconstruction and Application of the Ministry of Natural Resources, "Geology" of the World First-Class Disciplines Project, the state key disciplines of "Geological Resources and Geological Engineering" and "Mineral Prospecting and Exploration", and the state characteristic discipline of "Resources Exploration Engineering". It consists of four teaching and research institutions which are the research room of paleogeography, research room of carbonate sedimentary rocks, research room of clastic sedimentary rocks, and the research room of paleoceanography, paleoclimate and paleontology and also has the "Longmen Mountain Devonian Geology Fieldwork Base" built in Guixi Village of Beichuan Country, the Institute of Marine Sciences jointly built with the Second Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Joint Laboratory for Marine Deposits and Reservoir Research built together with China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, the CDUT Branch of the Key Laboratory of Carbonate Rocks Reservoir built jointly with PetroChina Co Ltd., with all the devices and equipment worth over RMB 30 million, which have contributed to its accumulation of typical experimental teaching materials, written and physical, in complete sets and held more than 10,000 books in its reference rooms.

The Institute now has a faculty of 70 members including 63 full-time lecturers. Of them, 100% hold doctoral degrees, 70% are professors, over 50% have academic experiences abroad, and 2 are high-end experts (academicians) flexibly introduced. As of July 2021, the faculty has 1 member awarded the state title of Talent, 1 member awarded the provincial title of Talent, and has been included in the provincial Talent Project for 20 member-times. The Institute has been keenly engaged in national and corporate large-scale research projects. In the past five years, the number of ministerial and provincial projects and those of above levels is over 100 and its average annual research fund exceeds RMB40 million; it has compiled and published 15 series of textbooks and reference books on sedimentology and stratigraphic paleontology, and received 1 prize of the state Excellent Teaching Materials Award and 2 prizes of the ministerial Excellent Teaching Materials Award; it was given 1 first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 1 first prize of National Natural Science Award, 2 second prizes and 1 third prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, 3 first prizes, 14 second prizes and 18 third prizes of ministerial and provincial awards. Those scientific research outcomes have effectively helped ensure that the number of ESI citation of its discipline of "Geosciences" (based on ESI discipline classification) is among the top 1% in the world and its "Geology" discipline could be included in the World First-Class Disciplines Project.

Under the guidance of academic and technological leaders including well-known geologists Liu Baojun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Zeng Yunfu, and Wang Chengshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and carrying on the spirit of "solidarity, initiative, courage, and dedication", the Institute of Sedimentary Geology has steered itself toward discipline construction and high-caliber talent cultivation with scientific research as the foundation in order to establish and revive the Institute in high quality and with characteristics. Over more than three decades of development, the Institute has forged prominent strengths and features of its own in the fields of paleogeography reconstruction, carbonate sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and analysis of petroliferous basin, reservoir sedimentology, and rare events etc. and cultivated a large number of high-caliber talents in geology who are playing an active role on the fronts of teaching, scientific research, and in state-owned large- and medium-sized enterprises and government administrations.

Currently, the Institute is recruiting prominent talents to forge a high-level faculty in terms of teaching and scientific research. With the objectives of higher quality through construction of first-class disciplines, distinguished talents through cultivation, significant outcome through scientific research, and achievements through international cooperation, it is endeavoring to realize its high-quality development and contribute its part to the building of higher-level Chengdu University of Technology with more distinguished strengths and features.