The Department has a staff of 48, including 1 academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 10 professors and 27 senior engineers. The staff members with Doctor’s degree and Master’s degree have numbered 13 and 9 respectively. Besides, the Department also has 7 positions for short term researchers.

    The Department has been best-equipped with all types of laboratory and field facilities, including a 450 g-t geotechnical centrifuge, 100-t large scale static and cyclic triaxial soil testing machine, S3D cyclic triaxial soil testing machine, DTC-158 resonant column apparatus, electro-magnetic cyclic triaxial soil testing machine, electro-hydraulic servo-controlled rock testing machine, rigid rock testing machine, high-pressure large scale triaxial soil testing machine, versatile triaxial soil testing machine, universal oedometers, large capacity 3-dimensional electric resistance network, etc. Moreover, the Department has developed an entire suite of application software capable of solving major engineering problems and also procured various international application software.

    Over the past decades, by pursuing the objectives of “scientific research to be at the service of engineering and economic construction” and by relying on its own favorable technical capability, the Department has achieved successful accomplishment in undertaking extensive research projects and in providing consulting service to numerous national priority hydro projects, such as, Longyangxia, Ertan, Tianshengqiao, Lubuge, Miyun, crossing Yellow River Project, Pubugou, Zipingpu, Heizi, Jilintai, Xibeikou, Shisanling Upper Reservoir, Xiaolangdi, Three Gorges, Longtan, Lijiaxia, Xinanjiang, Xinfengjiang, Sanmenxia, Zhaxi, Liujiaxia, Dongjiang, Dongfeng, Manwan, Yantan, Jinshuitan, Dachaoshan, Xiaowan, etc. The Department has also completed many important assignments of the national key scientific research projects for the “Sixth Five-Year Plan”, “Seventh Five-Year Plan”, “Eighth Five-Year Plan” and “Ninth Five-Year Plan” sponsored by the State Commission of Science and Technology, more than ten research projects sponsored by the “National Natural Science Foundation” and numerous top priority research projects sponsored by various ministries and provinces. All these have yielded remarkable economic and social benefits, and the Department has accumulated rich theoretical and practical experiences. There are 18 research projects acquiring National Prizes of Science and Technology Advancement and National Prizes of Natural Science, and 66 research projects acquiring Prizes of Science and Technology Advancement awarded by the Ministries and Provincial Governments.