team_
Building the World Model for Molecular Biology requires a team bridging quantum mechanics, structural biology, drug discovery, and, of course, frontier AI engineering. These disciplines rarely intersect. Finding them all in a single team is exceptional. Yet Khumbu was founded precisely at this intersection. To reimagine how humanity discovers medicine.
founding team_
Dr. Hannes Nissen-Meyer
CEO & Co-Founder
Hannes Nissen-Meyer holds a PhD in Mathematical Physics from the University of Munich, where his research focused on the foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Electrodynamics, the same physics governing molecular interactions. As a scholar of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, he graduated at the top of his class at every level. After completing his PhD, he co-founded an AI software development company before turning his full attention to drug discovery. With nearly a decade of deep expertise in machine learning and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, he has led the development of Khumbu’s drug discovery platform since 2021, driving the scientific vision and company strategy.
Dr. Phillip Grass
CTO & Co-Founder
With a background in mathematics and physics, Phillip Grass completed his PhD at the University of Munich with highest distinction, working on mean-field dynamics and the mathematical foundations of particle interactions. After his PhD, he joined forces with Hannes to develop custom AI solutions for global enterprises. A winner of multiple Kaggle prizes, including a 1st place finish, and with exceptional expertise across a wide range of machine learning disciplines, he is the principal architect of Khumbu’s core AI drug discovery technology.
Dr. Grzegorz Popowicz
Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder
Grzegorz Popowicz bridges structural biology and drug discovery with advanced physics and computational methods. He earned his PhD at the Technical University of Munich under Nobel Laureate Robert Huber and has since spent nearly 20 years in drug development at the Max Planck Institute and Helmholtz Munich. The author of 116 research papers cited over 8,600 times, and recipient of the Erwin Schrödinger Prize for his contributions to combating parasitic diseases, he grounds Khumbu’s AI in real-world drug discovery and leads the company’s internal therapeutic programs.
scientific advisors_
Dr. Anna Czarna
university professor, jagiellonian university, małopolska centre of biotechnology
Dr. Czarna has worked at some of the world’s leading research institutions, including the Max Planck Institute in Munich under Nobel Laureate Prof. Robert Huber, as well as Harvard University and institutes in Guangzhou, China. She currently leads the KIND research group at the Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, where her work focuses on regenerative medicine and the application of organoids in drug discovery.
Prof. Dr. Oliver Plettenburg
Director of the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry at Helmholtz Munich
Prof. Plettenburg brings extensive pharmaceutical industry experience, having served as Head of Chemical Biology at Sanofi, where he led multiple drug discovery programs from early discovery through clinical Phase 2. He is currently Director of the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry at Helmholtz Munich. At Khumbu, he advises on medicinal chemistry and the path from early hits to clinical candidates.