AgTech, Gene Editing in Agriculture, Crop Engineering, Synthetic Biology, Biofuels, Crop-based SAF, Staple Food Crops

Dr. Bakirbas is an emerging professional in AgTech, with a focus on gene-edited crops. He has 10 years of experience in plant (crop) molecular biology and genetics, including the use of gene editing tools (e.g., CRISPR) to generate gene-edited crops. Additionally, he has over 8 years of experience generating and analyzing multimodal data (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) using various programming languages and high-performance cloud computing environments.

At Engine Ventures, he conducted technical due diligence on incoming opportunities and contributed to internal investment memos on potential investments in the AgTech, Biotech, and ClimateTech sectors. He built competitive landscapes in gene editing in agriculture, cover crops, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.

At Harvard University, he led a genomics project as part of a unique and strategic partnership with the research arms of the French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) and its subsidiary Christian Dior. This project involved analyzing the genomes of thousands of medicinal plant species and exploring their potential to reduce the effects of aging in humans.

Previously at Seres Therapeutics, he co-led a cross-functional team to address key conditions to induce sporulation in microbial communities. He designed and developed a computational pipeline for multiomic data analysis, which increased the efficiency of moving pre-clinical drug candidates into the clinic. Dr. Bakirbas holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MSc in Biology from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany. Contact Ahmet.