Jacob Roberts is the CTO and co-founder of AlkaLi Labs, a startup using genetically engineered microbes to extract critical minerals from industrial waste. A proud Buffalo native, Roberts studied applied physics at Cornell University before working as a software engineer at Google X. He later pivoted to biotechnology, earning a Ph.D. in bioengineering in the Keasling Lab, part of UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he met his AlkaLi co-founder, Luis Valencia.
AlkaLi Labs is developing biosorbents that extract critical minerals from abundant industrial waste streams. This technology overcomes key limitations of conventional mining from low-grade resources because it is tolerant to contaminants and effective at low concentrations. Further, this breakthrough unlocks significant domestic mineral resources, positioning the United States for supply chain independence.