The Research Center for Marine Biology and Carbon Sequestration was founded in June 2014. The center is divided into six research subgroups: Marine carbon sequestration, Marine microbial ecology, Marine ecological "Omics", and three Collaborative groups of Single cell analysis, Carbon fixation for application, and Marine microbial resources. The mission of the center is to address marine environment and ecological issues, with a focus on the coastal areas of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. The research interests of the center cover the marine carbon sequestration, marine biomass energy, marine microbial ecology, ocean acidification, marine environment monitoring and marine biotechnology.

Currently, the center has 13 full-time and 3 adjunct faculty members with more than 15 graduate students. The center is carrying out both basic and applied research in marine science and technology and training high-caliber young scientists for the local and national needs of social and economic developments related to oceans. To that end, we value close collaboration with domestic and international institutions in marine science through short-time visits and graduate student exchange. Currently, the center has established close collaboration with research institutions in USA, Canada, and France, etc. Our “first-five year” goal is to become the first-class research center in marine carbon sequestration and marine biomass energy.

Also, the center owns a state-of-the-art technical platform to support the current research. The platform includes the hardware platform (such as 454 High throughput DNA sequencing machine, mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscope, transmission electron microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscope, etc.) and the software platform (bioinformatics analysis platform of the Single-Cell Center).

Moreover, in cooperation with China Future Ocean Alliance, local government and enterprises, the research center has built up the Time-Series Monitoring Stations for carbon sequestration in the Bohai Bay, typical aquaculture environment in Yellow Sea, and the inshore water of Qingdao.