Lab Automation 101

Lab automation can fail.

Not because the system was poor or because it was an incorrect fit with the needs of the lab, but rather because no-one really considered the people aspect.

People matter & moving from a manual process to an automated solution brings about changes that we sometimes brush off with our logical assumptions because the solution is so good.

We have emotions and what is rational for me, may not be rational for you. This isn’t just a lab issue either - as suppliers and manufacturers we also have a duty to provide the best solution possible and that has to take into account the people affected by the change.

Have a listen therefore to Carol McLysaght of McLysaght Consulting based in Chicago, share her experiences and insights gathered from working with numerous leadership teams & change initiatives across a multitude of industries and companies such as Mars, Pepsi, Braintree and many more, about:

• Why people resist change
• How to spot the the not so-obvious signs of resistance
• The importance of conversations of dissent
• A simple guide to ensure you consider when putting together your automation solution

Listen to Michael Vuke of Hamilton Company share his passion & excitement for lab automation and discuss his thoughts on:

• What lab automation means to him
• The 3 biggest hurdles to lab automation adoption & the steps we can take to overcome them
• Why lab automation can sometimes fail & what we can learn from it
• How to win over the lab team when it comes to lab automation

Are you looking to better your understanding of lab automation?

Do you sometimes wonder what automation even means?

It’s normal to perhaps “struggle” with lab automation and even to fathom how it can actually help your lab in particular.

Our first resident expert is Cole Yancey from Opentrons.

Listen in as he shares his own personal experiences in the lab as well as:

• Defining lab automation
• Advice for labs hesitant of making a transition (start small!)
• Discussing the importance of having a goal, keeping open communication and winning people over

Kicking off season 2 is Saba Khan from Tiger Team Lab Consultancy Group, based in Manchester UK.

Have a listen as Saba chats about:

-Her observations on the struggles/challenges faced by scientists in the lab

-How automation can help in that regard

-Why there is resistance to automated solutions – particularly in an academic environment - & steps that can be taken to help

-Identifying labs that are open to automation

-The ingredients needed for a successful implementation of an automated lab solution

Some people use adjectives to describe themselves, others use equations! Either way, we think it’s pretty cool and that’s how we’d describe our most recent guest on the Lab Automation 101 podcast - Keltoum Boukra from the London Biofoundry.
She’s most definitely the coolest Robotics Engineer we know!

Calling in from a wet & cold London have a listen as Keltoum chats about:

-How the London Biofoundry supports innovation and how she’s working on a virtual reality project in the lab

- What drives her passion for healthcare

-Her equation: Tech + Bio = Healthcare - what it means and how she works on bringing it to life

- Her thoughts on automation and the innovation process

- The Imperial X project as well as how she uses Chat GPT on the job

- Challenges in her role as a robotics engineer

- What the future of the lab looks like

- Her lab automation pitch to those stuck on manual processes