From thesis to technology: celebrating ÄIO’s new graduates

This year, we are proud to celebrate three members of our team who have reached an important milestone in their academic journey while already helping to build the future of sustainable fats and oils.

Research that doesn’t stay on the shelf

One of the biggest strengths of a deeptech company is the close connection between science and real-world application. At ÄIO, student research does not end when the thesis is submitted. The knowledge, methods, and ideas developed during these projects become part of our everyday R&D activities and help shape future products and technologies.

We work closely with universities (especially TalTech), support internships, offer scholarships, and encourage our colleagues to continue their studies while building their careers. This year, we are especially happy to congratulate three members of the ÄIO team.

• Andreia Axelrud Nunes has completed her Master’s degree CUM LAUDE with research directly connected to ÄIO’s work. Her thesis explores industrial upstream bioprocesses through virtual factory modelling and simulation, helping identify production bottlenecks, optimise resource use, and support future scale-up decisions. The work demonstrates how digital tools can improve fermentation manufacturing and create more efficient production systems. For a company preparing for larger-scale production, this kind of research has immediate practical value.
• Robert Puhk‘s journey at ÄIO started early. He joined the company as an intern during his first year of studies and quickly became a full-time team member. Today, he has graduated Cum Laude and plans to continue his academic journey while working at ÄIO. His Bachelor’s thesis, Metabolic Engineering of Rhodotorula toruloides for High Oleic Acid Oil Production, focused on improving microbial oil production through strain engineering. The work successfully increased oleic acid accumulation in engineered yeast strains and creates a strong foundation for future lipid development. Even better, the strains and knowledge developed during the project continue to support ÄIO’s research activities.
• Kristin Sepp joined ÄIO as ÄIO 2025 scholarship holder and is already contributing to the team’s future innovation journey. Her Bachelor’s thesis, Impact of fermentation conditions on the chemical, microbiological and sensory properties of an artisinal sourdough starter, explored one of humanity’s oldest fermentation technologies. Her research showed how flour type and fermentation conditions shape microbial communities and ultimately influence bread quality. It also opens exciting possibilities for future research, including the potential use of microbial ingredients to support fermentation processes and functional food development. Although her thesis was completed before joining ÄIO, the topics strongly connect with our work, and we are excited to see where her future Master’s studies will lead.

Growing together

Deeptech companies are built on people who are curious enough to ask new questions and motivated enough to find the answers. That is why internships, scholarships, and collaboration with universities are such an important part of ÄIO’s journey. We are proud that our students become colleagues, our colleagues become researchers, and our researchers help turn scientific discoveries into real-world solutions.

Congratulations, Andreia, Robert, and Kristin. We cannot wait to see what you discover next.