Raphael Townshend, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Atomic AI, a biotechnology company pioneering the fusion of RNA structural biology and artificial intelligence (AI) to power the next generation of RNA drug discovery. Since founding the company in 2021, he has raised $42 million in venture funding and built a multidisciplinary team of experts spanning machine learning, chemistry, biology and engineering.
In his role as CEO, Townshend leads Atomic’s scientific and strategic vision, guiding the development of breakthrough technologies including ATOM-1, the world-leading foundation model for RNA structure, and PARSE, an AI-driven platform for RNA-targeted drug discovery. These innovations position Atomic AI at the forefront of developing small molecules and RNA-based medicines for diseases previously considered undruggable. Townshend also represents the company on a global stage, speaking at conferences, contributing to policy discussions and fostering community at the intersection of AI and biology.
His academic work has been published in Science, Nature and Cell, with recognition including a Best Paper Award at NeurIPS, Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science (2023), and the Biocom Life Science Catalyst Award. Beyond company-building, he founded the NeurIPS Machine Learning in Structural Biology workshop, which has grown to several hundred annual participants, underscoring his commitment to advancing the field through interdisciplinary collaboration.
Townshend has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and computer science from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University.