Rocky Institute of Biotechnology advances knowledge in the agricultural, biological, medical, public health, and food sciences, and shares its research openly with researchers, students, educators, policymakers, and the public.
Rocky Institute of Biotechnology is an independent, nonprofit scientific research organization that advances knowledge in the agricultural, biological, medical, public health, and food sciences for the benefit of the public. Through original and collaborative research, and the open dissemination of its results, the Institute works to strengthen agricultural science, biological science, medical science, public health, food safety, and environmental protection, and to make reliable scientific knowledge, technology, and products available to researchers, students, educators, policymakers, and the public.
Findings, data, methods, and tools are made available to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis through peer-reviewed publication, open datasets and software, technical reports, and education, never held for the private gain of any individual or company.
We work at the intersection of agriculture, molecular biology, and public health, with a particular emphasis on food safety and the responsible application of computation and artificial intelligence to the life sciences. We collaborate with universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, and pursue grant and sponsored research that advances our charitable, educational, and scientific mission.
The Institute was incorporated in California in 2026 and is organized and operated exclusively for scientific, educational, and charitable purposes. The Internal Revenue Service has recognized the Institute as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The Institute's research is organized into the following departments.
Plant cultivation, breeding, and pathology, advancing crop science and healthy, sustainable agricultural systems.
Plant, microbial, and molecular genetics and genomics, genetic engineering, and the responsible development of biotechnology.
Biomedical and molecular research, antimicrobial resistance, and the prevention of disease to protect the health of communities.
Food safety and quality, microbial hazards in the food supply, and science-based prevention from farm to table.
Microbial hazards in the food supply — including Salmonella control, antimicrobial resistance, Listeria in ready-to-eat products, and HACCP-based prevention.
Plant and microbial genetics, genomics, and molecular mechanisms — from breeding and trait improvement to the genomic basis of resistance and virulence.
Plant cultivation, breeding, and pathology — advancing crop science and the health of agricultural systems for sustainable production.
The molecular and biochemical processes underlying biology — the foundation connecting our genetic, microbial, and food-safety research.
Computational biology and data analysis — building databases, pipelines, and analytical tools that turn biological data into reliable knowledge.
The responsible application of artificial intelligence to agricultural, biological, and food-safety problems — from prediction to decision support.
Institute findings are disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, open datasets and software, and educational materials — available to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
A selection from more than forty peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and technical reports across plant pathology, genetics, molecular biology, and food safety. Forthcoming items are accepted or in preparation and not yet in print. The complete record is maintained on ORCID.
The complete peer-reviewed record of the Institute's research director is maintained on ORCID.
ORCID: 0009-0001-1306-8923 ↗Interested in a dataset, method, or technical report? We're glad to share.
Request materialsDr. Cheng is a research scientist with decades of experience across plant genetics, molecular biology, and food safety. His doctoral scientific training was completed at Cornell University under Professor Ray Wu, a pioneer of plant genetic engineering, and his research career has spanned academic, government, and agricultural-research institutions.
He has worked on transgenic crop development, plant pathology, and — most recently — microbial food safety and antimicrobial resistance, with a growing focus on bioinformatics and the application of artificial intelligence to the life sciences. He founded the Institute to conduct and openly share this research for the public benefit.
The Institute is led by its founder, Dr. Cheng. Additional directors and scientific advisors may be added as the organization grows.
We welcome partnership with universities, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and individual researchers who share our commitment to open, public-interest science.
Joint projects, sponsored and grant-funded research, and collaborations with academic and government laboratories.
Scientific and technical consultation in food safety, genetics, data analysis, and the application of AI to biological problems.
Presentations, training, and openly available materials for students, educators, and the broader public.
Gifts to the Institute support independent research, open datasets and methods, and educational materials that are shared freely with the public.
The Institute is a 501(c)(3) public charity, so contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. To make a gift or to discuss grant or sponsored-research support, please email dcheng@rockybiotech.org.
Please consult your tax advisor about the deductibility of your gift. No goods or services are provided in exchange for contributions unless stated in writing.
For collaboration, data requests, or general inquiries, we'd be glad to hear from you.