The iHuman Institute at ShanghaiTech University was founded in late 2012 by Professors Raymond Stevens and Zhi-Jie Liu, opening officially on September 30, 2013. The goal of the institute is to image the human body at the molecular, cellular, and organ scale in order to build an atomic resolution model of the human body for improving our understanding of disease and developing new medicines. Given the tremendous amount of scientific data that is accumulating world-wide, we believe the key to innovation and novel approaches to human health is the improved integration of these data across scales.
Drawing on inspiration from the organizational structure of many of the world’s leading research institutes, iHuman is built on strong research cores and 20 laboratories each with 15 members. An important aspect of the model was a commitment from the University to waive any requirement for faculty to apply for grants thus allowing a focus on innovative science and mentoring. Each research laboratory actively collaborates with at least three other laboratories within iHuman thus forming the cohesive network that is working towards our shared objective.
