ESB AI Lab

ESB AI Lab is now an independent nonprofit. We incorporated in California on April 22, 2026 and are applying for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Support our mission →

ESB AI Lab Corporation is an independent nonprofit research organization developing computational methods in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and genomics to address challenges in food security, species conservation, climate resilience, human health, and language preservation.

Research Focus

View all research programs →

AI-Directed Breeding and Aquaculture

Computer vision and genomic approaches for sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, including AI-assisted sex determination in sturgeon.

Computer Vision for Conservation

Computational methods supporting the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species.

Climate and Disease Ecology

Climate-driven changes in vector-borne disease distribution and vector genomics.

Genome Evolution and RNA Biology

Biological adaptation to environmental change, RNA regulatory mechanisms, and structural variation in crops and model organisms.

Computational Pathology and Cancer Genomics

Machine learning and genomic analysis applied to human health.

Endangered Language Preservation

NLP, speech recognition, and AI-assisted OCR for endangered languages.

Edge AI for Field Research

Multi-sensor edge AI systems for real-time data collection in field and farm settings.

Open Science and Education

Accessible AI tools and educational programs broadening scientific participation.

Funding

Our research is supported by:

NSF ACCESS Computing Allocations

Get Involved

We welcome collaborators, volunteers, and supporters at all levels. Whether you are a researcher, student, or community member, there are ways to contribute to our mission.

Learn more about opportunities

Support our work

Contact

Get in touch with us

news

May 11, 2026	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.
May 09, 2026	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.
May 04, 2026	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.
Apr 30, 2026	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.
Apr 28, 2026	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.

selected publications

Front. AI

Deep Learning Classification of Reproductive Tissue from Ultrasound: Sex Determination in Red Abalone (Haliotis rufescens)

Edwin A. Solares, Anthony Tong, Sohyun Yoo, and 9 more authors

Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 2026

Bib HTML

@article{solares2026abalone,
  title = {Deep Learning Classification of Reproductive Tissue from Ultrasound: Sex Determination in Red Abalone (Haliotis rufescens)},
  author = {Solares, Edwin A. and Tong, Anthony and Yoo, Sohyun and Gosline-Niheu, Welokiheiakeaeloa and Jacob, Kevin and Feliz, Gordon and Loecher, Sachin and Zhai, Yuan and Mah, Maggie and Boles, Sara Elizabeth and Fagbohun, Ayodeji and Gross, Jackson A.},
  journal = {Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence},
  volume = {9},
  year = {2026},
}

Genome Res.

miRNA-like secondary structures in maize (Zea mays) genes and transposable elements correlate with small RNAs, methylation, and expression

Galen T. Martin, Edwin A. Solares, Jeanelle Guardado-Mendez, and 3 more authors

Genome Research, 2023

DOI Bib

@article{martin2023maize,
  title = {miRNA-like secondary structures in maize (Zea mays) genes and transposable elements correlate with small RNAs, methylation, and expression},
  author = {Martin, Galen T. and Solares, Edwin A. and Guardado-Mendez, Jeanelle and Muyle, Aline and Bousios, Alexandros and Gaut, Brandon S.},
  journal = {Genome Research},
  year = {2023},
  doi = {10.1101/gr.277459.122},
}

PNAS

Sex-linked gene traffic underlies the acquisition and loss of sexually dimorphic UV color vision in Heliconius butterflies

Mahul Chakraborty, A. Guadalupe Lara, A. Dang, and 9 more authors

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2023

DOI Bib

@article{chakraborty2023butterfly,
  title = {Sex-linked gene traffic underlies the acquisition and loss of sexually dimorphic UV color vision in Heliconius butterflies},
  author = {Chakraborty, Mahul and Guadalupe Lara, A. and Dang, A. and McCulloch, K. J. and Rainbow, D. and Carter, D. and Solares, E. A. and Said, I. and Corbett-Detig, R. and Gilbert, L. E. and Emerson, J. J. and Briscoe, A. D.},
  journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
  year = {2023},
  doi = {10.1073/pnas.2301411120},
}

Insights into the domestication of avocado and potential genetic contributors to heterodichogamy

Edwin A. Solares, Abraham Morales-Cruz, Rosa Figueroa Balderas, and 6 more authors

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 2023

DOI Bib

@article{solares2023avocado,
  title = {Insights into the domestication of avocado and potential genetic contributors to heterodichogamy},
  author = {Solares, Edwin A. and Morales-Cruz, Abraham and Figueroa Balderas, Rosa and Focht, Eric and Ashworth, Vanessa E. T. M. and Minio, Andrea and Cantu, Dario and Arpaia, Mary Lu and Gaut, Brandon S.},
  journal = {G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics},
  volume = {13},
  number = {2},
  year = {2023},
  doi = {10.1093/g3journal/jkac323},
}

BMC Bioinf.

HapSolo: An optimization approach for removing secondary haplotigs during diploid genome assembly

Edwin A. Solares, Y. Tao, A. D. Long, and 1 more author

BMC Bioinformatics, 2021

DOI Bib

@article{solares2021hapsolo,
  title = {HapSolo: An optimization approach for removing secondary haplotigs during diploid genome assembly},
  author = {Solares, Edwin A. and Tao, Y. and Long, A. D. and Gaut, Brandon S.},
  journal = {BMC Bioinformatics},
  volume = {22},
  pages = {9},
  year = {2021},
  doi = {10.1186/s12859-020-03939-y},
}

Nat. Plants

The population genetics of structural variants in grapevine domestication

Yongfeng Zhou, Andrea Minio, Mélanie Massonnet, and 5 more authors

Nature Plants, 2019

DOI Bib

@article{zhou2019grapevine,
  title = {The population genetics of structural variants in grapevine domestication},
  author = {Zhou, Yongfeng and Minio, Andrea and Massonnet, Mélanie and Solares, Edwin A. and Lv, Yuanda and Beridze, Tengiz and Cantu, Dario and Gaut, Brandon S.},
  journal = {Nature Plants},
  volume = {5},
  pages = {965--979},
  year = {2019},
  doi = {10.1038/s41477-019-0507-8},
}

Rapid Low-Cost Assembly of the Drosophila melanogaster Reference Genome Using Low-Coverage, Long-Read Sequencing

Edwin A. Solares, Mahul Chakraborty, Danny E. Miller, and 5 more authors

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 2018

DOI Bib

@article{solares2018drosophila,
  title = {Rapid Low-Cost Assembly of the Drosophila melanogaster Reference Genome Using Low-Coverage, Long-Read Sequencing},
  author = {Solares, Edwin A. and Chakraborty, Mahul and Miller, Danny E. and Kalsow, Shannon and Hall, Kate and Perera, Anoja G. and Emerson, J. J. and Hawley, R. Scott},
  journal = {G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics},
  volume = {8},
  number = {10},
  pages = {3143--3154},
  year = {2018},
  doi = {10.1534/g3.118.200162},
}