Renowned neurobiologist Chih-Ying Su leaves US for China's Shenzhen Academy of Medical Sciences

Neurobiologist Chih-Ying Su, a specialist in the sense of smell, has departed from her role at the University of California San Diego to take up a position at the Shenzhen Academy of Medical Sciences (SMART).

Su's research laboratory investigates how olfactory receptor neurons process odor information, which serves as the primary sensory input. Her significant contributions to neuroscience and biology have been recognized through publications in prestigious journals such as Nature, Neuron, Nature Communications, and PNAS.

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I decided to join SMART at the end of last year, deeply impressed by the advanced hardware conditions and the strong academic atmosphere of the research institute.

In an email interview, Su expressed her enthusiasm for joining SMART, stating, "I decided to join SMART at the end of last year, deeply impressed by the advanced hardware conditions and the strong academic atmosphere of the research institute." She further added that the "outstanding leadership and academic vision of [SMART] president Yan Ning deeply attracted me."

Su, formerly a tenured professor and vice-chair of neurobiology at UC San Diego, utilizes fruit flies as a model organism in her studies. These insects are chosen for their ease of breeding, rapid reproduction, and the similarity of their key genes and signaling pathways to those found in humans, making them valuable for fundamental life science research.

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The outstanding leadership and academic vision of [SMART] president Yan Ning deeply attracted me.