News

Executive Director Edwin Solares’s research on AI-assisted sex determination in endangered red abalone is featured by the San Diego Supercomputer Center. The study developed deep learning models trained on thousands of ultrasound images to identify abalone sex non-invasively, achieving approximately 86% accuracy with near-instantaneous results. Traditional methods require removing abalone from their shells, causing stress and potential injury. The work, conducted at UC San Diego using NSF ACCESS allocations on SDSC’s Expanse and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center’s Bridges-2 systems, supports conservation hatcheries in selecting mature breeding candidates more efficiently. This research was completed prior to Dr. Solares’s appointment as Executive Director of ESB AI Lab.

ESB AI Lab launches its Education Programs page, featuring 22 hands-on training programs across four domains: bioinformatics, machine learning, infrastructure, and hardware. Offerings range from free public seminars to multi-day bootcamps in AI, scientific computing, computer vision, and genomics. Programs are designed for working researchers with contact hours ranging from 4 to 32 hours. An interest form is now live for prospective participants to indicate which programs they would like to see scheduled first. Program dates will be set based on demand, and scholarship support is available.

ESB AI Lab Corporation is now a registered entity in the U.S. federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM.gov). The registration assigns ESB AI Lab a Unique Entity ID (UEI: D1SDZLS12KK6), enabling the organization to apply for and receive federal grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. This milestone positions ESB AI Lab to pursue funding from agencies including NSF, NIH, USDA, and DOE in support of its mission to advance scientific research through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and genomics.

PvGAP paper published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. This work describes a cost-effective amplicon panel with 80 high-diversity targets for population genomics and 8 targets of epidemiological interest for Plasmodium vivax, validated with Ethiopian field samples and computational assessment across three geographic regions. The panel supports drug resistance tracking, distinguishes infection origins, and helps separate reinfection from recrudescence in efficacy studies. Read the paper

Red Abalone deep learning paper published in Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. This work demonstrates that convolutional neural networks can classify reproductive tissue from ultrasound imagery non-invasively, reducing stress on animals, lowering operational costs for producers, and improving scalability in breeding programs. This is the first application of deep learning to sex determination in abalone and opens a pathway for AI-assisted species assessment in aquaculture more broadly. Read the paper

ESB AI Lab Executive Director Edwin Solares attends Web Summit Vancouver 2026. Looking forward to connecting with researchers, entrepreneurs, and technologists exploring how artificial intelligence can accelerate scientific discovery and address global challenges in food security, conservation, and climate resilience.

ESB AI Lab Corporation receives Employer Identification Number. The IRS assigned EIN 42-2446472 (Notice CP575E). This enables the Corporation to open a business bank account, apply for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and register with federal grant systems including SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and NIH eRA Commons.

Foundation Group engaged for 501(c)(3) formation. ESB AI Lab Corporation engaged Foundation Group under their SureStart Complete package to manage the full federal and state tax-exemption process, including IRS Form 1023, California FTB Form 3500, Attorney General CT-1 registration, and first-year Form 990 preparation.

ESB AI Lab Corporation holds organizational formation meeting. The Board ratified the Articles of Incorporation, confirmed the initial Board with staggered terms, elected officers, adopted Amended and Restated Bylaws, adopted a Conflict of Interest Policy, established the Education Program, approved the FY2026-27 budget, and authorized the Corporation to obtain an EIN, open a bank account, and file for federal and state tax-exempt status. The Bylaws were restated and ratified, demonstrating the Board’s commitment to ESB AI Lab’s mission of advancing scientific research and education through artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and genomics across food security, species conservation, climate resilience, human health, science accessibility, and language preservation.

Statement of Information filed and Incorporator Resolutions signed. The California SI-100 was filed (File No. BA20260926447) designating Edwin Solares as Executive Director, Kwasi Connor as Treasurer, and Allison Moreno as Secretary. Incorporator Initial Resolutions formally appointed all three as directors.

ESB AI Lab Corporation is officially incorporated in California. The California Secretary of State approved the Articles of Incorporation (Entity No. B20260165215), establishing ESB AI Lab as a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation organized exclusively for scientific, educational, and charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Sturgeon AI research featured in national media. Coverage in SDSC, ACCESS-CI, and SeafoodSource: “New AI Technology Aims to Revolutionize Fish Farming.”

Dr. Edwin Solares awarded approximately $465,000 from the USDA NIFA Western Regional Aquaculture Center (WRAC) as lead principal investigator. The grant supports development of computer vision and deep learning methods for non-invasive sex determination in White Sturgeon. This research was awarded to Dr. Solares individually through the University of California, Davis. The methods and domain expertise developed through this work inform the research directions ESB AI Lab is building toward in computer vision for aquaculture species assessment.

Dr. Edwin Solares awarded $50,000 through the University of California, San Diego under the CA CARES program. This funding supports computational research in bioinformatics and AI. The award was administered by UCSD. The research and expertise developed through this work inform the research directions ESB AI Lab is building toward.

Maize RNA structures research featured in SDSC press release. Read: “Supercomputing Simulations in Multiyear Study of Corn to Address Food Insecurity”

Avocado genome study published in G3. Featured in SDSC News and UC San Diego Today.

Paper published in Genome Research. “Diverse patterns of secondary structure across genes and transposable elements are associated with siRNA production and epigenetic fate.”