Yasha Ektefaie is an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fellow and Postdoctoral Associate in the Sabeti Lab. He earned his PhD from Harvard Medical School, where he was co-advised by Maha Farhat and Marinka Zitnik. 

His research investigates how AI systems can serve as independent engines of biological discovery, learning directly from data without the constraints of human-centered assumptions. He develops methods to enable models to reason over complex biological structures, including evolutionary relationships, molecular systems, and clinical data. His work spans differentiable approaches to phylogenetics, applications in antibiotic discovery, and AI agents for public health surveillance and decision-making. In parallel, he studies the limitations of current AI systems in scientific reasoning and develops approaches to improve their ability to discover, rather than simply predict.

Outside of research, he enjoys running, swimming, and biking, and he regularly participates in marathons and triathlons. He also loves watching movies and reading books.