Theoretical physics at ZhejiangUniversity is a national key discipline, and one of the first doctoral programs in China, approved in 1981. Its home institution is Zhejiang Institute of Modern Physics (ZIMP), which was founded in May 1991. The Director of the ZIMP is Professor T. D. Lee, a Nobel Laureate in physics. After the establishment of the new ZhejiangUniversity in 1998, Professor He Xiantu, a member of ChineseAcademy of Sciences, became Deputy Director of the Institute. In 2007, it was approved by the Ministry of Education as a national key discipline.
The discipline of theoretical physics at ZhejiangUniversity achieves many high-level research accomplishments in the fields of quantum field theory, nuclear and particle physics, non-equilibrium statistical physics, computational physics, theoretical condensed matter physics, cold atom physics, quantum information and computation, plasma physics and complex systems as well as related interdisciplinary subjects. The discipline now owns a dynamic research team in these above fields and other related research fields, mainly composed of young and middle-aged scholars, who have made significant contributions to theoretical physics research in China.
Currently, this discipline consists of 19 professors and 2 associate professors, among whom there is 1 member of the ChineseAcademy of Sciences, 6 distinguished professors of Chang Jiang Scholar Program, and 6 awardees of the National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scientists. It has undertaken more than 20 programs of National Natural Science Foundation, 863 Program, 973 Program and several programs of Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation. Researchers in this discipline have won important awards such as Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award, First Prize of the Natural Science Award of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and First Prize of the Natural Science Award of Higher Educational Institutions of China. In 2005, doctoral candidates in this discipline won the Award of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertations. The postdoctoral research station has attracted numerous outstanding young scholars since its establishment in 1991
