The initial mission of the Department of Ecological Sciences (DCE) was to develop research in the area of Natural Sciences in a modern context, focused on the study of organisms, plants, animals and microorganisms, as well as teaching requirements in the program of the Degree in Biology and later of the careers of Biology with mention in Environment and Engineering in Molecular Biotechnology, together with the interest for the development of the Ecology projected to different levels of biological organization.
DCE academics are subject to periodic assessments and qualifications about the quality of teaching and research. In addition to these, the DCE seeks to develop instances of academic stimulus to achieve and improve the purposes for which the DCE was created. Jointly, it seeks to evaluate and review periodically the state of teaching and research within the framework of the current activities of the Faculty of Sciences and the University of Chile.
The initial objectives of the DCE have been improved since its creation, complementing and incorporating contemporary aspects of knowledge in various areas of research in ecology and evolutionary biology.
The current mission of the DCE is to develop Ecology and Evolutionary Biology both in its theoretical aspects and in its applications in the country's needs, through scientific research of excellence and consequently pre and postgraduate teaching.
The DCE goals focus on the following aspects:
- Develop disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientific research of excellence with national and international collaboration in the areas of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
- Maintain high productivity of national and international publications indexed, as well same research projects at a level of excellence in the country and abroad.
- Stimulating the realization of projects of national and international interdisciplinary research.
- Promote national and international collaboration on specific aspects of research in the areas of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
- Teaching experience at the highest level in undergraduate courses of departmental responsibility.
- Perform postgraduate teaching excellence.
- Promote national and international collaboration on specific aspects of teaching in the areas of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
- Train human resources at the graduate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology maintaining national leadership in this area.
- Be a center of excellence in human resource training for Latin America as a whole
- Advise and participate in the development of public and private management and environmental planning.