Jacob Rapp

Papers

Total Citations

169

H-Index

About

Jacob Rapp is a leading researcher at the intersection of artificial intelligence and protein engineering, with a primary focus on developing autonomous systems for biological discovery. His most impactful contribution is the creation of the Self-driving Autonomous Machines for Protein Landscape Exploration (SAMPLE) platform, which represents a paradigm shift in how proteins are engineered. This work, published in 2024 and already garnering 169 citations, demonstrates that closed-loop, AI-driven laboratories can autonomously navigate the complex fitness landscapes of proteins, dramatically accelerating the design of molecules with enhanced or novel functions. By integrating machine learning with robotic experimentation, Rapp has addressed a critical bottleneck in biotechnology: the slow, labor-intensive process of directed evolution. His research has profound implications for applications ranging from sustainable chemistry and renewable energy to therapeutic protein design. Rapp’s work is notable for its interdisciplinary ambition, merging robotics, computational biology, and biochemistry into a cohesive, self-operating system that promises to democratize and accelerate protein engineering on an unprecedented scale.