Amit Samanta

Amit Samanta is a Team Leader at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL), part of Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, Germany. He leads the CMI COMOTION team, focusing on developing methods to bring large biomolecules into the gas phase and cool them to ultra-cold temperatures for atomic resolution diffractive imaging using X-ray free-electron lasers.

Dr. Samanta completed his PhD at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Kolkata, India (2006-2011), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA (2011-2016). He then joined DESY as a Research Associate (2016-2019) before becoming a Team Leader at CFEL in 2019.

His research primarily focuses on method development for biomolecular imaging using advanced laser and cooling techniques. Specifically, he works on:

• Bringing large biomolecules (peptides, proteins, viruses, cells) into gas phase
• Rapidly cooling biomolecules to ultra-cold temperatures (~4 K) using buffer gas cooling
• Creating intense, collimated beams of cold biomolecules and nanoparticles
• Developing techniques to control cryogenically-cooled bio-nanoparticles using electric or optical fields
• Enabling time-resolved studies of ultrafast biochemical dynamics

Analysis of Dr. Samanta's recent publications (2020-2025) reveals a strong focus on advancing single-particle imaging techniques using X-ray free-electron lasers. His work spans computational modeling of nanoparticle injection systems, laser-induced alignment of nanoparticles, time-resolved structural biology, and charge-state analysis of aerosolized nanoparticles. The research demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach combining physics, engineering, and biology to solve challenges in biomolecular imaging.

Dr. Samanta leads the CMI COMOTION team at CFEL, which is dedicated to Controlled Molecular Imaging using COld Molecule Optical techniques. The team works on developing instrumentation and methodologies for creating, controlling, and imaging biomolecules at the single-particle level, with applications in structural biology and nanotechnology.