Ai E. Oikawa

Ai E. Oikawa, Ph.D., is the CEO and CSO of AFINGEN® | Astalake Biosystems, Inc., a company focused on bioinformatics-driven genetic improvement for high-value biochemicals and crops. They founded Astalake Biosystems in 2019 and have led various high-impact projects in collaboration with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Energy and NASA. Previously, Ai served as an Affiliate Scientist at Berkeley Lab and held positions as Project Director and Principal Investigator, driving innovations in cisgenic and intragenic approaches for agricultural improvement. Ai completed their postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, and has contributed significantly to bioenergy and crop production research throughout their career.