Ariel J. Ben-Sasson is the co-founder and CTO of ZipBio Therapeutics, a start-up focused on developing a new generation of gene therapies by applying rational and ML protein modeling and design methods to compress native proteins. Prior, Ariel joined the Baker Lab at the Institute for Protein Design (2013-2020) as an HFSP Cross Disciplinary Fellow. Ariel’s research interests are in the areas of de novo protein design, ML, functional/conductive bio-materials, and man-machine interfaces. Ariel’s recent publications include designing the first binary protein materials (Nature 2021), applying those to control cell fate (Cell 2023), and exploring physics-informed neural networks protein design methods (Biomolecules 2023). Ariel received his PhD at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology at the Organic Materials and Devices Lab where he developed the self-assembly based Vertical Organic Field Effect Transistor (VOFET). His research garnered awards from the SPIE, EMRS, MRS, TSMC and the Azrieli Fellowship, and multiple refereed publications and patents.