Dr Chun Guo is a faculty member in Biosciences at the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield. Trained initially in clinical medicine (MBBS, Soochow University) followed by doctoral research at De Montfort University (PhD), he had held academic and research appointments at Soochow University, the University of Manchester and the University of Bristol. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms governing cell survival, cell death and tissue repair in response to cellular stress. In particular, his laboratory investigates how post-translational modifications—specifically protein SUMOylation and deSUMOylation—regulate mitochondrial dynamics, selective autophagy (mitophagy) and cell fate decisions. By deciphering the physiological roles of sentrin-specific proteases (SENPs) and their downstream substrates (such as DRP1, MFF and FIS1), Dr Guo’s work aims to translate basic cellular insights into potential therapeutic targets for ischaemic conditions, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Dr Guo is a Fellow of the Anatomical Society (FAS, elected 2026) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, 2018). He actively leads teaching in Molecular Cell Biology and Human Neuroanatomy, while holding key academic leadership roles within the School of Biosciences and the Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield.