‘Resolution revolution’ pioneer Alexey Amunts leaves Max Planck to join China’s SMART

Cell scientist Alexey Amunts – an expert in mitochondrial biochemistry – relocated to China this month to join the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART).

Amunts, who was previously at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, confirmed he had joined SMART as a senior investigator and would “contribute to its international relations agenda”.

He is internationally recognised for his breakthroughs in visualising life’s molecular machinery at near-atomic resolution. Britain’s Journal of Cell Science featured him as a “cell scientist to watch” in 2021.

Amunts’ relocation highlights China’s growing appeal as a hub for cutting-edge basic science and translational innovation.

“Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long. The density of talent, technology and manufacturing capacity makes it unusually practical to move from concept to implementation,” Amunts said.

“I chose SMART because it combines long-term scientific ambition with a system that can execute quickly and connect excellent basic research to translational impact internationally,” he added.

SMART announced last week in a social media post that Amunts had joined its Institute of Bio-Architecture and Bio-Interactions.

Russian-born Amunts reposted the announcement, saying: “We’re forming a lab at SMART. Come to SZ to build your next chapter with us.”