In Shanghai, generous benefits lure foreign scientists

After several job interviews, including one at Pennsylvania State University in the United States, Canadian researcher Jeremy Murray chose to join a center at the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology early last year.

"From the perspective of the strength and atmosphere of scientific research, I believed the Shanghai institute was a perfect fit for me," said Murray, who is principal investigator at the Center of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Science, a joint venture of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Britain-based John Innes Center.

He previously spent seven years in plant science research at the British center.