TIME100 AI 2026 · Thinkers
Alex Rives
Head of Science, Biohub and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
He started and led Meta's ESM project, which built the first large-scale transformer language models for proteins, then co-founded EvolutionaryScale.
- Born
- Not published
- Now
- Head of Science, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
- Studied
- New York University, Yale University
Interesting facts
- Detour
Studied philosophy and biology at Yale and co-founded biotech companies including Fate Therapeutics and Syros before earning a computer science PhD.
linkedin.com - Numbers
His team trained a protein model on 250 million protein sequences and found that biological structure and function emerged on its own.
science.org - Turning point
In 2025 the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative bought his startup EvolutionaryScale, and its 50 employees joined Biohub with him as head of science.
axios.com - In their words
Sums up his approach in five words: "I believe in scaling laws."
youtube.com
Career
- Chan Zuckerberg InitiativeHead of Science, Biohub2025 to now
- MITAssistant Professor, EECS2025 to now
- Broad InstituteCore Institute Member2025 to now
- EvolutionaryScaleCo-founder and Chief Scientist2023–2025
- MetaResearch Scientist, FAIR2020–2023
- Flatiron InstituteData Scientist2014–2016
- KallyopeCo-founder2014–2023
- Syros PharmaceuticalsCo-founder2009–2023
- Fate TherapeuticsCo-founder2005–2023
- ARCH Venture PartnersAffiliate2005–2016
Education
- PhD, Computer science, New York University
- BS, Philosophy and biology, Yale University
