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US researcher Wali Malik starts a new era of biotechnology in Vienna
US biotechnologist Wali Malik is moving to Vienna in 2025 to conduct research at the AI institute AITHYRA and revolutionize biotechnology.
US researcher Wali Malik starts a new era of biotechnology in Vienna
Vienna has a new enrichment in biotechnology: Wali Malik, a 38-year-old biotechnologist from the USA, set foot in the Danube city with his family two weeks ago. Malik, who previously worked in Boston at the interface between Harvard and leading biotech companies, sees it as an opportunity to make a fresh start. His decision to leave the USA was due to cut research funding and an increasingly bad mood in science.
Wali Malik has been head of the AI Driven Lab Robotics at the AITHYRA Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Vienna since August 2025. Interestingly, he had never visited the city before making his move. His first words here? “Coffee, tea, please”, a short cultural introduction to the Viennese way of life.
With an impressive academic background that includes a master's degree in Molecular Targets of Diseases and High Throughput Drug Discovery from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of Maryland, Malik brings a wealth of experience. He has worked for over 17 years in strategic laboratory automation, high-throughput screening and data solution development in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. This expertise is crucial as AITHYRA aims to become Europe's leading AI-driven life sciences institute, which is challenging given current trends in biotechnology.
Artificial intelligence in biotechnology
Artificial intelligence is currently the big topic in biotechnology. It is revolutionizing not only the healthcare industry, but also nutrition and the environment. Loud nucleovisual.com For example, AI accelerates the discovery of viruses, drugs and tailored treatments. Malik and his team are faced with the task of integrating innovative approaches such as DeepMind's AlphaFold3 system, which predicts three-dimensional structures of proteins, and intelligent tools such as PROTEUS.
One of the exciting areas that Malik would like to explore together with his colleagues in Vienna is personalized medicine. AI is used to analyze large amounts of biomedical data to make advances in drug development and food safety. In the context of current food production, which is characterized by increased efficiency and environmental protection, AI will also play a key role.
Wali Malik's resettlement in Vienna could prove to be a real benefit for the local research scene. Since AI and biotechnology go hand in hand, Malik hopes to make a significant contribution through his experiences and the offerings of his new institute. With him at the helm, AITHYRA could be at the forefront not only in Austria, but also in Europe.