Residency

Betting big on entrepreneurs

Astera emphasizes efforts that could seed new fields and markets.

Ambitious challenges require top talent. The Astera Residency provides financial support to promising scientific innovators.

We like projects that don’t neatly fit the mold of current systems, offering a unique opportunity for impact and experimentation around scientific practices.

We are always on the lookout for latent potential and work closely with promising candidates to co-develop ideas and budgets for initial milestones. We provide additional support to help Residents grow as founders and field-builders.

Our Residents nucleate new directions and fields by pursuing scientific research or science-enabling work. We periodically share problem statements and have associated calls to enable broader coordination. For science enablement, Open Science is a major priority.

Learn more about our Open Science Residency program

Resident Spotlights

Our Residents are hungry, dedicated, and opinionated entrepreneurs. They have a theory of change they’re testing, and they’re doing it with urgency.

Our Constellation

Our growing network includes people who investigate new areas and directly support our residents to achieve their potential.

Michael Nielsen headshot
Michael Nielsen
Enhancing collective intelligence across nascent fields

Michael has always dived into fundamental problems that shed light on understanding our universe. Trained as a theoretical physicist, Michael was a pioneer in advancing quantum computing. A passionate advocate for the Open Science movement, Michael now devotes his time to align the field of AI with human values.
Vivek Wagle headshot
Vivek Wagle
Igniting communities through storytelling

A writer since childhood, Vivek realized that resonant stories have profound power to bring people together. He has held executive roles in editorial, marketing, and people leadership. Vivek works closely with the Astera team to share our residents’ vision and journey.
Lauren Detro Zier headshot
Lauren Detro Zier
Growing experts into leaders

A former VC operative and therapist, Lauren serves as an executive coach. Her background in multiple fields uniquely positions her to support Astera Residents who are transitioning into leadership roles and creating new organizations. Learn more about Lauren’s executive coaching practice.

Apply for Residency

Our next call will be focused on developing critical experimental software and hardware tools that enable scaling in synthetic biology.

We will be publishing a problem statement and accepting applications for public review beginning in April 2024. If you believe you could be a Resident, we invite you to apply. You can stay updated on all upcoming calls by following us on Twitter/X, or signing up for updates.