The College of Life Sciences of Shandong Agricultural University was founded in 1998. Since its establishment, adhering to the development philosophy that teaching and educating people is the foundation of the College , and scientific and technological innovation is the path to strengthen the College , all faculty and students have united, forged ahead, taken a pragmatic approach and pursued innovation, witnessing the College ’s growth from scratch and from weakness to strength.In 2003, the Postdoctoral Research Station for Biology was approved for construction. In 2006, the College  was authorized to confer the first-tier doctoral degree in Biology. In 2007, the State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology was completed and put into operation. In 2016, the Plant & Animal Science discipline was listed among Shandong Provincial First-Class Disciplines. In 2022, Plant & Animal Science entered the global Top 0.1‰ of ESI rankings, while Biology & Biochemistry entered the global Top 1% of ESI rankings.

At present, the College  consists of five departments: Botany, Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biotechnology. It runs two undergraduate experimental teaching centers: the National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center for Agricultural Biology and the Shandong Provincial Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center for Biotechnology and Engineering. The College  also serves as a core component of the State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology.

The College  has a faculty of 138 members, including 48 professors, 53 associate professors and 36 doctoral supervisors. Among them are 1 Chief Scientist of the National Basic Research Program (973 Program), 3 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 1 recipient of the National Ten-Thousand Talents Program, 3 candidates of the National Hundred-Thousand-Ten-Thousand Talents Project, 1 National Distinguished Teacher, 1 Young Yangtze River Scholar, 1 recipient of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, 2 National Young and Middle-Aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions, and 4 experts enjoying Special Government Allowances from the State Council. At the provincial level, there are 1 Taishan Scholar Climbing Program Expert, 7 Distinguished Taishan Scholar Professors, 7 Young Taishan Scholars, and 1 recipient of the Shandong Provincial Distinguished Young Scholars Fund. The College  boasts 1 Yangtze River Scholar Innovation Team approved by the Ministry of Education, 1 National Excellent Teaching Team and 1 Provincial Excellent Teaching Team.

Authorized with the first-tier doctoral degree program and postdoctoral research station in Biology, the College  covers five research directions including Botany, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology, as well as a professional master’s degree program in Bioengineering. It offers three undergraduate majors: Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Biological Science. Biotechnology is a National First-Class Undergraduate Major and a National Characteristic Major; Bioengineering is a University-level Characteristic Major. Botany was designated a Key Discipline for Shandong Province during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

Relying on the National Key Laboratory of Wheat Breeding, the College  undertakes key research projects including the National Major Scientific Research Program, National Basic Research Program (973 Program), National Key R&D Program, Special National Program for Transgenic Plant Research, and National Natural Science Foundation projects. Over the past five years, faculty have secured more than 200 provincial, ministerial and national research projects, such as sub-projects of the National Key R&D Program, key programs of the National Natural Science Foundation, and major basic research projects of the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation. More than 500 SCI-indexed papers have been published in top domestic and international journals including Trends in Plant Science, Molecular Plant, Advanced Science, Nature Communications and Nature Plants, among which 35 papers have an impact factor above 10.

The College  has built a complete talent training system covering bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral programs. It has cultivated over 6,000 high-quality undergraduates, more than 1,400 masters and over 300 doctors for the country. Currently, it enrolls 1,229 full-time undergraduates, 614 doctoral and master’s students, and 35 postdoctoral researchers. The College  has built off-campus bases for practical teaching, research and talent training with dozens of large and medium-sized domestic enterprises. It has also established long-term stable partnerships with universities and research institutions in the United States, Germany, Belgium, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Slovakia and other countries in scientific research and academic exchanges.

Facing new opportunities and challenges in the new era, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the College  takes as its mission to cultivate high-quality innovative talents for the new era and lead the agricultural biotechnology industry. Oriented toward major national strategic demands, agriculture, the future and the world, it adheres to the integrated development of teaching and scientific research, and upholds the College  spirit of unity, progress, pragmatism and innovation. Targeted at building a National First-Class Discipline, an Excellent State Key Laboratory, a National First-Class Talent Training Base, a National First-Class Teaching and Research Team, and producing world-class academic achievements, the College  will forge ahead with enterprising spirit and innovative vitality.