Who is Vikram Bajaj, Bezos's co-CEO at $6B AI start-up
What's the story
Vikram "Vik" Bajaj has been appointed as the co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a new artificial intelligence (AI) venture backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The $6 billion start-up aims to build cutting-edge AI systems for the physical economy, including advanced manufacturing and engineered products. Bajaj brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Verily, Google X, GRAIL, and Foresite Labs.
Career journey
Bajaj's diverse background in science and technology
Bajaj is a scientist, physicist, and chemist with a career spanning academia, biotechnology, and AI. He co-founded Xaira Therapeutics in January 2023 and continues to serve as its Director and Interim President. Since October 2017, he has been the Managing Director at Foresite Capital where he has influenced investments across technology sectors such as data science, precision health, and biotechnology.
Google tenure
Bajaj's significant contributions to Google and academia
Bajaj co-founded Verily (Google Life Sciences) and served as its Chief Scientific Officer from March 2013 to October 2016. He worked closely with Google's co-founder Sergey Brin at Google's X, a research initiative often dubbed "The Moonshot Factory." Since September 2014, he has been an Adjunct Associate Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and an Advisory Board Member for UC Berkeley College of Chemistry from February 2015 to August 2021.
Education
Bajaj's educational background and scientific awards
Bajaj earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he conducted advanced research in the physical sciences. He also holds a combined Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degree in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. His scientific awards include the Anatole Abragam Prize (2012), two R&D 100 Awards (2011 and 2013), and the DOE LBL Innovation Grant (2013).