Our department's predecessor includes the establishment of the Department of Oceanography in 1965 and the Department of Botany in 1971. In 1969, the Department of Oceanography was divided into two groups: Marine and Navigation, and in 1970, the Fisheries group was added. In 1974, the Marine group was renamed as the Geological group (later became an independent Department of Geology), and the Fisheries group was renamed as the Biological group.
To meet the national and societal demand for talent, integrate teaching resources, and enhance faculty expertise, our university merged the Marine Biology group of the Department of Oceanography and the Department of Botany in 1987 to form the Department of Biology. Since then, the faculty expertise in our department has encompassed fundamental botany and zoology, ecology, physiology, morphology, and molecular biology, providing broader academic coverage compared to the previous independent Department of Oceanography and Department of Botany.
In the late 20th century, biotechnology has become an important branch of biology. In response to academic trends and considerations for expanding students' career prospects, our department has gradually shifted its faculty and teaching focus towards a combination of ecology and biotechnology during the time of the Department of Biology. Starting from the academic year 2004, the department was officially renamed as the Department of Life Science.