The Team

Daniel leads research on plant-derived protein functionality at the Sustainable Protein Action Lab. His work develops experimental systems that map protein behavior across variables (pH, salt concentration, temperature, mechanical shear) and translates experimental data into machine-learning-ready datasets with rigorous metadata and quality controls.

He earned a PhD in Plant Biology from the University of California, Berkeley as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, with doctoral research on metabolic flexibility and lipid accumulation in microalgae. Before founding the Data Garden, he spent nearly four years at Climax Foods designing protein screening workflows for a data-driven plant-based food company, and co-founded Matched Materials AI.

Iris is a plant biologist whose work spans plant–microbe interactions, plant pathology, and applied agricultural science. She earned her B.S. in Botany and Plant Pathology from Purdue University, where her research focused on post-harvest disease (specifically gray mold) to better understand plant immune responses and identify strategies to reduce food waste.

Most recently, Iris spent four years at Sound Agriculture conducting soil microbiome research. Her work focused on developing assays to quantify nitrogen fixation in diazotrophic microbes and translating microbial physiology into practical agronomic applications aimed at reducing synthetic fertilizer use.

Vivian earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington. Her prior work includes time as a Research Associate at Bettani Farms (formerly Climax Foods), where she developed plant-based cheese products using data-driven approaches, and research in the Aquatic Innovations in Materials Science Lab on removing PFAS water contaminants through polymer synthesis.

Outside of the lab, Vivian volunteers with East Bay Food Not Bombs preparing and distributing meals, and teaches with 18 Reasons' Cooking Matters nutrition program.