Introduction to IWHR
China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) is situated in the western part of Beijing, consisting of south campus and north campus. The history of IWHR can be traced back to the establishment of the first Hydraulic Laboratory in Tianjin in 1933. Over 50 years of evolution since its establishment in 1958, IWHR has now become the largest comprehensive research institute at the top level in the field of water resources and hydroelectric power in China. IWHR has built a professionally excellent team with 2 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and 5 academicians of Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Several secretariats of the Chinese committees of international organizations are stationed in IWHR. A considerable number of senior experts of IWHR have assumed important positions in international organizations. The institute has established extensive exchanges and cooperation with nearly one hundred foreign research institutions, prestigious universities, academic communities and international organizations. IWHR is also engaged in consulting services for many overseas projects, undertaking research, planning, design, construction and management tasks. IWHR has carried out a wide range of professional services including technical consultancy, construction supervision, project monitoring and safety evaluation.
Over the years, IWHR has completed many research and consultancy tasks for hundreds of key projects. The scope of these tasks covers a wide extent, water resources management for nationwide and large river basins, water environment protection, flood control and drought relief, river regulation and inter-basin water transfer, sedimentation in rivers and reservoirs, structural optimization, earthquake resistant analysis, complex foundations treatment, hydro-electric equipment testing and checking, power plant automation, safety monitoring, construction materials design and control, new technology for concrete faced rock-fill dam and roller compacted concrete dams, hydro-turbine sets and rehabilitations, cooling water study, fly ash deposit, etc. These works are related to almost all the huge multipurpose projects in China.
Based on the research achievements accumulated over the years, IWHR has developed a variety of practical technologies and products. Most of them have accessed markets home and abroad. IWHR has participated in the preparation of 237 professional standards. A large number of scientific and technological products of IWHR have been accredited with national patents.
Introduction to IWHR Graduate School
IWHR started its graduate education in the 1950s. It was approved by the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council as one of the first institutions that have the authority to confer master’s and doctoral degrees in the first-level discipline of hydraulic engineering, and designated by the central government as the only organization in the field of water and hydropower that can train visiting scholars from western China. It has 2 postdoctoral programs in 2 first-level disciplines, namely hydraulic engineering and civil engineering, and has been authorized to confer master’s and doctoral degrees in 8 specialties: geotechnical engineering, hydrology and water resources, hydraulics and river dynamics, hydraulic structure engineering, hydraulic and hydropower engineering, hydro-environment, hydro-informatics, as well as water disaster and security.
The graduate education at IWHR is carried out jointly by IWHR Graduate School and the 14 postgraduate-training units, namely the 13 non-profit research departments or centers and 4 high-tech companies under IWHR. The Graduate School is responsible for enrollment, teaching, and conferral of academic degrees, as well as overall course management during the period of postgraduates’ course study, while the postgraduate-training units are in charge of the overall management of postgraduates’ research work until they finish their theses or dissertations. IWHR has excellent research facilities and equipment, a large number of cutting-edge research projects, adequate research funding, numerous literature resources, a top-notch team of graduate supervisors and a wide range of international cooperation and exchange activities, which can provide powerful supports for postgraduates’ research work, their exposure to real engineering problems, and cultivation of their innovative ability.
As of the end of 2018, IWHR has 266 postgraduate supervisors, including 91 supervisors for PhD candidates and 175 for master’s degree candidates. 1994 postgraduates and post doctors have graduated from IWHR, and 90 visiting scholars from western China have finished their training at IWHR.
After 6 decades of exploration and development, IWHR has established a complete and unique system of graduate education, and is now playing an increasing important role in cultivating China’s professionals in the field of water and hydropower, which has laid a solid foundation for promoting the internationalization of IWHR’s graduate education and accomplishing the goal of making IWHR a world-class institute of water resources and hydropower research.
