Brief Information of NIGLAS
Font size： Print
Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS), formerly the Geography Institute of China, was founded in Beibei, Chongqing, in August 1940. It is the only institute specializing in the research of the lake-basin system in China. NIGLAS was ever directed by Huang Bingwei, Ren Meie, and Zhou Lisan, who are Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Academicians at a different time in its history.
The strategic goals of NIGLAS:
1) Research focuses on lake resources and the environment as well as regional sustainable development based on the exploration of the process and structure of the lake (including artificial lakes and reservoirs)-basin system and their interactions driven by natural and human activities.
2) The institute is developed to be a worldwide center for limnological research and training with great subject-integrated superiority, outstanding regional features, and a knowledge innovation system, a center for research on lake resource utilization and environmental engineering and technology, and a center for policy consultation on sustainable development of cities.
Research fields in NIGLAS include lake environment protection and resources utilization, lake-basin system evolution and manipulation, and regional sustainable development with a focus on lake sediment and environment evolution, lake hydrology and water resources, lake biology and ecology, lake environment and engineering, lake-basin process and manipulation, resources and environment of basin and regional development, as well as lake-basin monitoring and digital basin.
Currently, there are four research departments in NIGLAS: State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Research Center of Lake Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Research Center of Regional Development and Planning, and Lake Field Observation and Data Center (including Taihu Lake Ecosystem Research Station, Poyang Lake Wetland Integrated Research Station, Fuxian Lake Plateau-Deep-Lake Research Station, and Lake-basin Data Integration and Simulation Center).
Now, there are more than 250 staff members, including 62 professors. NIGLAS has established an education system consisting of a postdoctoral research station of geography, four Ph.D. programs (Physical Geography, Human Geography, Cartography and Geographic Information System, Environmental Science), and five Master's programs (Physical Geography, Human Geography, Cartography and Geographic Information System, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering). More than 20 post-doctors and 150 Master's and Ph.D.students are studying at NIGLAS.