Who Is David Rooklin Biography: Career, Education, Wife, Family, and Life in Science

David Rooklin is an American scientist, computational biologist, and biotechnology entrepreneur best known for his work in computer-assisted drug discovery. He is the co-founder of Redesign Science, a biotechnology company that combines molecular simulation with modern computational methods to develop potential therapeutics. His scientific background includes research in computational biology, chemistry, molecular modeling, and drug design.
Outside scientific circles, Rooklin is also widely recognized as the husband of comedian, actor, writer, and producer Ilana Glazer. The couple married in 2017 and later welcomed a daughter. Despite his connection to a well-known entertainer, Rooklin has maintained a relatively private public profile, with most reliable information about him centered on his education, scientific research, biotechnology career, and family life.
Quick Facts About David Rooklin
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | David Rooklin |
| Age | Not publicly confirmed |
| Birth date | Not publicly confirmed |
| Birthplace | Not publicly confirmed |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Scientist, computational biologist, biotechnology entrepreneur |
| Known for | Co-founder of Redesign Science; husband of Ilana Glazer |
| Height | Not publicly confirmed |
| Education | Oberlin College; New York University |
| Degree | Bachelor’s in Biochemistry; Ph.D. in Computational Biology |
| Relationship status | Married |
| Spouse | Ilana Glazer |
| Marriage year | 2017 |
| Children | One daughter |
| Net worth | Not publicly confirmed |
| Social media | Public LinkedIn profile; other accounts not consistently verified |
Rooklin’s education and professional roles are supported by his public professional profile, NYU records, scientific publications, and information about Redesign Science. Reliable sources confirm his marriage and child, while basic biographical details such as his exact birth date and height have not been established by comparably strong public sources.
David Rooklin Biography
David Rooklin has built a career at the intersection of biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science. Rather than following the entertainment career associated with his spouse, he has spent much of his professional life studying how computational tools can help scientists understand biological systems and discover new medicines. His work has included academic research as well as biotechnology entrepreneurship. A professional biography published for a New York life-sciences event described him as a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur working across biology, physics, and computer science.
His research background is particularly connected with computational approaches to drug discovery. Rooklin has appeared as an author on peer-reviewed scientific research, including work on AlphaSpace, a computational method designed to analyze areas on protein surfaces that may be useful in molecular design. His career eventually moved from academic research toward building a biotechnology company around computational approaches to discovering therapeutics.
David Rooklin Early Life and Education
Reliable public information about David Rooklin’s childhood, parents, exact birthplace, and birth date is limited. Although some online biography websites provide specific dates and locations, those details are not consistently supported by authoritative or primary sources. For that reason, his exact date of birth and birthplace are best described as not publicly confirmed.
His higher education is much better documented. Rooklin earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Oberlin College before pursuing graduate study at New York University. He later earned a Ph.D. in computational biology from NYU. The Yingkai Zhang Research Group at NYU lists Rooklin among its former graduate students and records his Ph.D. in 2012.
Rooklin’s time at Oberlin also included an activity outside the laboratory. Oberlin’s athletics records identify a David Rooklin who received an honorable mention in men’s lacrosse in 2000, while an archived student newspaper report describes Rooklin playing attack for the college team. These records offer a small documented glimpse of his college years beyond his later scientific career.

David Rooklin’s Scientific Career
Rooklin developed professional experience in both academic and pharmaceutical research. Public career information identifies earlier work as a research technician at the University of Colorado Boulder and an internship in Merck’s Cardiovascular Disease Department. He subsequently spent years conducting research at New York University, where his work included areas such as computational drug design and software development.
NYU became particularly important to Rooklin’s development as a scientist. The university provided the setting for his doctoral studies and later research. The Yingkai Zhang Research Group lists him as a Ph.D. graduate from 2012 and records his continued association with the group from April 2012 until September 2017. By the end of that period, Rooklin was moving from academic research toward leading a biotechnology business.
One of the notable projects associated with Rooklin is AlphaSpace. A 2015 peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling listed him as the first author alongside Cheng Wang, Joseph Katigbak, Paramjit S. Arora, and Yingkai Zhang. The research introduced AlphaSpace as a computational approach for mapping protein-protein interaction interfaces and identifying potentially useful binding regions.
His connection to the project continued beyond the original publication. In 2020, another peer-reviewed paper introduced AlphaSpace 2.0, with Rooklin again among the authors. The updated research expanded methods for representing and comparing concave regions on biomolecular surfaces, which can be important when scientists study how potential molecules interact with proteins.
David Rooklin and Redesign Science
A major part of David Rooklin’s professional story is Redesign Science. The company grew from work connected with researchers at NYU and focuses on computational approaches to biotechnology and drug discovery. NYU Stern reported that Redesign Science won the $75,000 Technology Venture Prize in its 2015–2016 Entrepreneurs Challenge. Rooklin was named among the company’s founders alongside Ashley Modell and Joseph Katigbak.
Redesign Science was later established as a biotechnology company in 2017. Its public company profile describes it as a platform biotech operating at the intersection of physics-based molecular simulation and deep learning. The company says it uses these technologies in drug discovery, including work on protein interaction modulators associated with disease targets.
Public sources differ slightly in how they describe Rooklin’s current leadership title. His personal LinkedIn profile describes him as a co-founder and president, while other business profiles identify him as CEO. The consistent point is that Rooklin is a co-founder and senior leader at Redesign Science. Given those differing current titles, it is more accurate to describe him broadly as a company co-founder and executive rather than assume one title applies everywhere.
David Rooklin and Ilana Glazer
David Rooklin gained wider public attention through his relationship with Ilana Glazer, known for co-creating and starring in the comedy series Broad City. According to People, Rooklin and Glazer met in 2012 in New York City’s Washington Square Park. Their relationship developed largely outside the celebrity spotlight, reflecting a level of privacy they have continued to maintain.
The couple married in February 2017. Contemporary reporting described the marriage as a private event, and Glazer subsequently confirmed that they had married. Their relationship attracted attention partly because their careers are so different: Glazer works primarily in entertainment, while Rooklin’s professional background is in science and biotechnology.
They became parents several years later. In July 2021, Glazer publicly revealed that they had welcomed their first child, a daughter. The couple has chosen not to make extensive information about their daughter public, including keeping identifying details largely private.
David Rooklin’s Personal Life
Rooklin keeps much of his personal life away from extensive media coverage. Interviews and profiles involving Glazer occasionally provide details about their relationship, but Rooklin himself is far less publicly visible than his spouse. His public identity remains primarily connected with scientific research, biotechnology, and his role at Redesign Science.
That privacy means several details commonly included in celebrity biographies cannot be reliably stated. Information about his parents, siblings, childhood home, exact birth date, and many other personal details is not publicly confirmed through strong sources. Rather than relying on unsourced biography websites, those details should remain listed as not publicly confirmed.
One personal interest that has received some public attention is drawing. Media coverage has noted that Rooklin has shared sketches online, including artwork connected with Glazer. This creative interest provides a different side of his personality from the scientific work that dominates his professional biography.
David Rooklin Physical Appearance
David Rooklin’s exact height, weight, and other body measurements are not publicly confirmed through reliable sources. Various entertainment and biography websites may list physical statistics, but such figures should not be treated as established facts without a dependable original source.
Public photographs show Rooklin attending events with Glazer, but photographs cannot provide reliable measurements. Therefore, an exact height should not be assigned to him based only on visual comparisons or unsourced online profiles. For an accurate biography, David Rooklin’s height and related physical measurements should simply be recorded as not publicly confirmed.
David Rooklin Family
Information about Rooklin’s family before his marriage is scarce. The identities and occupations of his parents and details about possible siblings are not well documented in reliable public sources. David Rooklin’s parents and siblings are therefore not publicly confirmed.
His immediate family life is better documented. Rooklin is married to Ilana Glazer, and they have one child together. The couple welcomed their daughter in 2021 but has generally protected her privacy. Their decision to keep many family details outside public view is consistent with the relatively private approach they have taken toward their marriage.
David Rooklin Net Worth
David Rooklin’s net worth is not publicly confirmed. There is no reliable public financial disclosure establishing his personal wealth, salary, ownership value, investments, or other assets. Estimates published by celebrity-focused websites should therefore not be presented as verified figures.
Rooklin is a biotechnology entrepreneur and a co-founder of Redesign Science, but the existence of a company does not establish the personal net worth of one of its founders. Private-company ownership, financing, compensation, liabilities, and equity arrangements can all affect personal wealth. Without reliable financial records, any specific David Rooklin net worth figure would be speculation.
David Rooklin Social Media
David Rooklin has a public professional presence on LinkedIn. His profile connects him with Redesign Science and New York University and describes his role with the biotechnology company. It also provides information about his professional background and scientific interests.
Reports have also discussed an Instagram presence where Rooklin shared drawings and occasional personal material. However, social-media handles and account status can change, and not every account using a public figure’s name is necessarily official. His LinkedIn presence is among the clearest publicly verifiable professional profiles. Readers should check account verification and current ownership before assuming other profiles belong to him.
Life Outside David Rooklin’s Scientific Work
Although science and biotechnology form the clearest public picture of Rooklin, available information suggests interests outside his laboratory and business responsibilities. His publicly discussed drawings are one example. Media profiles have noted his sketches, some of which have featured Glazer, showing a creative interest separate from computational biology.

His college record also provides evidence of an athletic side. Archived Oberlin material identifies Rooklin as a lacrosse player, including an honorable mention in 2000. Together, these details show that his documented interests have extended beyond research. Still, Rooklin does not routinely publicize his private hobbies, daily routine, property, travel, or lifestyle, so broader claims about those subjects would be speculative.
Interesting Facts About David Rooklin
David Rooklin’s career combines academic science with entrepreneurship. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and later completed a Ph.D. in computational biology at NYU. His scientific work includes peer-reviewed research on AlphaSpace, while his entrepreneurial work helped turn computational drug-discovery research into a biotechnology venture.
He also has a few less widely known documented connections outside biotechnology. Oberlin records show his involvement in college lacrosse, while media coverage has highlighted his interest in drawing. Rooklin and Ilana Glazer met in New York in 2012, married in 2017, and welcomed a daughter in 2021. Despite the public attention surrounding Glazer, the couple has kept much of their family life private.
Conclusion
David Rooklin has established a professional identity built around computational biology, molecular research, and biotechnology entrepreneurship. His education at Oberlin College and New York University led to years of scientific research, including published work involving AlphaSpace. He later helped develop Redesign Science, moving from academic research into the commercial biotechnology field.
His marriage to Ilana Glazer brought his name to a much wider audience, but Rooklin has largely remained focused on science rather than celebrity. The couple has been married since 2017 and shares a daughter. With many personal details deliberately or simply publicly undocumented, the most reliable David Rooklin biography is one centered on what can actually be verified: his scientific education, research contributions, biotechnology career, marriage, and family.
Frequently Asked Questions About David Rooklin
Who is David Rooklin?
David Rooklin is an American scientist, computational biologist, biotechnology entrepreneur, and co-founder of Redesign Science. He has a Ph.D. in computational biology from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Oberlin College. He is also known publicly as the husband of comedian and actor Ilana Glazer.
What does David Rooklin do for a living?
Rooklin works in biotechnology and computational drug discovery. He co-founded Redesign Science, a company using computational techniques including molecular simulation and deep learning in drug-discovery research. His earlier professional experience includes academic research at NYU and work connected with pharmaceutical research.
Is David Rooklin married to Ilana Glazer?
Yes. David Rooklin and Ilana Glazer married in February 2017 after being together for several years. According to People, they originally met in Washington Square Park in New York City in 2012. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2021.
How old is David Rooklin?
David Rooklin’s exact age and date of birth are not publicly confirmed through sufficiently authoritative sources. Some websites publish specific birth information, but reliable professional, academic, and major media sources do not consistently establish it. His age is therefore best listed as not publicly confirmed rather than presenting an unsupported figure.
What is David Rooklin’s net worth?
David Rooklin’s net worth is not publicly confirmed. Although he is a biotechnology entrepreneur and co-founder of Redesign Science, reliable public financial records do not establish his personal wealth. Online estimates that do not provide verifiable financial evidence should be treated as speculation rather than fact.
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