04/07/2026
By Dongming Xie
AI and Chemical Engineering Seminar - Building Scientific Superintelligence: Turning the Wheel of Science with AI
Alexandra Sneider, Co-Founder and VP, Head of Origins, Lila Sciences
Day: Thursday, April 9
Time: 3:30-4:45 p.m.
Location: Ball Hall 210
Abstract:
AI models will not truly understand science until they can design, execute, and learn from real experiments in the lab. LILA is building the world’s first autonomous operating system for science powered by Scientific Superintelligence. Our advanced AI platform and autonomous lab (AI Science Factory) technology transforms R&D to run the entire scientific process at a pace and scale never experienced before. LILA’s system accelerates R&D across healthcare, materials, energy, and defense.
Biography:
Alexandra Sneider is the Co-Founder and VP, Head of Origins at Lila Sciences, where she shapes the company's strategic direction through partnerships and commercial growth. She brings a track record of founding and advancing ventures across life and material sciences, having previously served as LILA's Head of Corporate Development, and Head of R&D for Physical Sciences.
Prior to LILA, Alexandra was a Principal at Flagship Pioneering, where she built companies grounded in platform science with applications spanning sustainability and human health, and designed foundational R&D programs and IP portfolios positioned for long-term impact. She is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the Siebel Scholarship, awarded for academic excellence, research potential, and leadership at the intersection of science and innovation.
Alexandra holds a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, an AB in Archaeology and Anthropology from Harvard University, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.