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Shi Huang

Structural biologist Alexey Amunts – an expert in mitochondrial biochemistry – has joined the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART).
Amunts, who holds research position in Germany, confirmed he joined SMART in January this year as a full-time senior investigator and would “contribute to its international relations agenda”.
He is internationally recognised for high-resolution structural studies of the molecular machines that underpin cellular energy conversion and protein synthesis. Britain’s Journal of Cell Science featured him as a “cell scientist to watch” in 2021.
Amunts’ move 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.”


SMART announced last week in a social media post that Amunts had joined its Institute of Bio-Architecture and Bio-Interactions.
Amunts reposted the announcement, saying: “We’re forming a lab at SMART. Come to SZ to build your next chapter with us.”
Before joining the Shenzhen institution, Amunts was a Humboldt Scholar at the Max Planck Institute with a prestigious ERC grant at Munster University.
He received his PhD from Tel Aviv University in 2011 with research on solving the structure of a multi-subunit complex Photosystem I, which performs light-driven energy conversion in plants. He then conducted postdoctoral research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, where he studied the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of mitochondrial ribosomes, or mitoribosomes.
His work on the mitoribosome contributed significantly to the “resolution revolution” in structural biology. That refers to the transformative impact of cryo-EM, which has allowed direct visualisation of molecular mechanisms that fuel life.
Mitochondria are organelles that act as cellular powerhouses. They use inhaled oxygen and nutrients from food to produce the energy essential for life. This process is carried out by intricate molecular machines embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
Cryo-EM has enabled scientists to determine the high-resolution structures of these large protein complexes and other cellular machinery.


In 2016, Amunts established his own independent laboratory at Stockholm University, where he was an associate professor at SciLifeLab.
His laboratory studies the energy-conversion processes of mitochondria, focusing on the mechanisms, assembly and evolution of bioenergetic complexes.
In addition, Amunts helped establish the Swedish National Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility. In 2023, he received the Westlake Senior Research Fellow Award, which supported research leave in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in eastern China.
“My sabbatical at Westlake University in Hangzhou, hosted by Yigong Shi, made one thing very clear to me: China is undergoing a genuine shift in its scientific model. The emphasis is moving towards originality and building new capabilities rather than simply refining what already exists,” Amunts said.
The day after the announcement, SMART posted that Amunts’ research team was recruiting for positions ranging from associate researcher and postdoctoral fellow to lab manager.
The recruitment notice states that the team will use world-class research platforms, foster an active open international environment and offer competitive salaries and benefits.


An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Alexey Amunts had left the Max Planck Institute in Germany. He maintains ongoing commitments in Germany, including an active research group. The report has also been changed to clarify elements of his research.


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‘Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long,’ Amunts says of new position


‘Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long,’ Amunts says of new position.


‘Resolution revolution’ pioneer Alexey Amunts joins China’s SMART lab

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long,’ Amunts says of new position

‘Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long,’ Amunts says of new position