About
Hi! My name is Ana-Maria Istrate, and I’m a Staff Research Scientist in AI/ML at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, working at the intersection of machine learning, biology, and reasoning. My research focuses on developing virtual cell models and reasoning-based ML frameworks that integrate knowledge from experimental data, language, and world models of biology. I’m particularly interested in language as a modality and its relationship with other forms of biological representation. These ideas drive my work on rBio and scGenePT, efforts I’ve led at CZI.
Previously, I built NLP models for mining scientific literature at scale, contributing to open-source datasets such as the CZ Software Mentions Dataset, Open Global Data Citation Corpus, and Global Biodata Resource Inventory. I enjoy giving talks and speaking publicly about virtual cell models and machine learning for science.
I completed a BS in Mathematical and Computational Science (Applied Math) and an MS in Computer Science (AI track), both at Stanford. I’ve taught or assisted several courses, including CS109, CS106A/B, and CS223A.
I have been passionate about math and science since early on, competing in national and international science Olympiads — including the Chemistry Olympiad ‘D.I. Mendeleev’ (Bronze), the International Earth Science Olympiad (Bronze), and the European Union Science Olympiad (Gold). I also ranked consistently in the top five nationally in the Romanian National Chemistry Olympiad. I believe there is fundamental beauty in trying to understand the world around us and strive to leave it a little better than we found it.