Written by Vivek Ramaswamy.
I came into the AI for Science fellowship with a plan to build a “JARVIS for biology”. What I needed was the discipline to make it real. Every two weeks, we had to ship a build, record a video, write about it, and put it in public. I’d worked in agile teams before, but explaining my work to strangers was new.
A proof of concept in rare disease became a platform to demo
I set out to build my version of “JARVIS” to enable more efficient exploration of the domain of therapeutic hypotheses that might be created in a rare disease context. For my final demo, I focused on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I brought biological data into an inference system that could generate disease hypotheses, then used models to design AAV capsid structures for specific cell types. Sharing that work brought outreach from people working on other rare diseases who want to collaborate.
Posting my projects helped my new team find me
Before the fellowship, I hardly posted on LinkedIn. Publishing every two weeks taught me to explain why a build mattered. A recruiter found my profile after the team had interviewed many people for a role focused on technology innovation. She wanted someone with a broad background who liked to make things. I think my posts helped her see that I fit.
When I contacted the hiring manager, I could point to what I’d shipped and the community I’d built with. Having visible work gave us something concrete to talk about.
Now I work on a team at this innovation center (a big company focused on energy). We find emerging technologies and startups, explore their potential in energy, and build prototypes. I’ve helped my team adopt a two-week shipping rhythm. I’m also still writing myself to help share ideas and bring in new partners.
Advice for future builders
Ship even when you do not feel ready. Some weeks it feels like working out when you don’t want to, but the habit gets stronger when you show up. Make the video. Write the post. Give people something concrete to respond to. And build alongside other inspired people, even if you think you’re too busy. Their work will give you new ideas.
I’m most grateful for these three things:
- The discipline to get hands-on and ship something every two weeks.
- The fellowship lead’s steady introduction to new technologies and connections across the community.
- A community of like minded builders whose projects gave me ideas and whose willingness to collaborate kept me inspired.