New Matter: Inside the Minds of SLAS Scientists

Thrive in Science: Women's Leadership Edition In the first guest episode of Thrive in Science, hosts Ginger Cooper and Madeline Farley sit down with Olga Seltser , Head of Automation and Laboratory Technology at Dash Bio, to explore the experiences, challenges and lessons that have shaped her 25-year career in lab automation. From taking calculated risks and stepping outside her comfort zone...

In this episode, we're joined by Lorna Ewart, PhD , CSO of Emulate , to discuss the company's SLAS 2026 New Product Award -winning product: AVA™ Emulation System . AVA™ is a self-contained, benchtop organ-on-a-chip platform that runs 96 chips simultaneously. Lorna shares how the device was developed and its impact on drug discovery and organ-on-a-chip technology.  Key Learning Points: De...

Our guest is the 2026 recipient of the SLAS Innovation Award , Steven Finkbeiner, MD, PhD , of Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco. Steven won the prestigious award for his podium presentation, “Development and Application of AI-powered Label-free Imaging for Assays and Screening." Our discussion takes us through his lab's development of an AI-powered, la...

In our first episode of Thrive in Science: Women’s Leadership Edition , hosts Ginger Cooper , CEO of Summit Success Group, and SLAS Scientific Director Madeline Farley, PhD , introduce themselves, share their career journeys, and share the inspiration behind launching this new podcast spotlighting women in science.  They talk about what it means to thrive in the field, the many paths to leadership...

In this episode, we’re joined by Anneke Mühlebach , Director Marketing Lab Productivity Innovation of Agilent Technologies, to preview the company’s upcoming NexusXp Flash Talk at SLAS Europe 2026 . The discussion explores the NexusXp theme of "the connected lab," which blends hardware, software, and human ingenuity across three levels of lab automation: guided workflows in the human-ope...

Thank you to SLAS Europe 2026 Sustainability Sponsor, PulpFixin , for sponsoring this episode. PulpFixin CEO Chad Jenkins returns to discuss the urgent need for sustainable sample management. He presents proven solutions, such as pre-barcoded tubes, standardized racks and new plastic-free alternatives like PulpFixin’s Auto-Rack and Auto-Sleeve, that can save on freezer space and costs, improve dat...

In this episode, we're joined by members of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and HSE•AG , Ian Shoemaker (Beckman Coulter) and Konstantin Lutze (HSE•AG), to discuss their SLAS 2026 New Product Award -winning collaboration, the eviDense UV Photometer : an on-deck module that seamlessly integrates into liquid handlers to measure optical density and absorbance - ideal for quantification and purity a...

XDemics is the 2026 SLAS Ignite Award winner, and we're joined by members of the team: Colin Cook, PhD (CTO & Co-Founder), Daniel Downie (Manager, Sales and Commercial Development), and Nicholas Scianmarello, PhD (VP Manufacturing), to discuss their respiring membrane technology. They discuss applications in viral vector manufacturing, cell banking, T-cell and stem cell culture, and exoso...

Thank you to SLAS2026 Sustainability Sponsor, My Green Lab , for sponsoring this episode! In this episode, host Emily Yamasaki, PhD, is joined by James Connelly , CEO of My Green Lab, for a conversation about sustainability trends in life science research. Connelly provides insight into the growing adoption of third-party certifications, such as the ACT® Ecolabel and My Green Lab Certification , d...

The   NexusXp :  The Connected Lab pavilion returns to SLAS2026 (Feb. 7-11), with an even sharper focus on integrative automation, seamlessly connecting devices, platforms and people to advance scientific workflows.  In this episode, we speak with each participating NexusXp Integration Showcase sponsor to preview each company’s innovative demonstration in the pavilion.  Designed to spark collabora...

Thank you to SLAS Europe 2026 Sustainability Sponsor, PulpFixin , for sponsoring this episode. In this special episode, host Emily Yamasaki, PhD, speaks with Chad Jenkins , CEO of PulpFixin, about the pervasive issue of plastics in laboratory settings, particularly single-use plastics. They discuss the environmental and health impacts of plastics, the need for alternatives, and the scientific comm...

The SLAS2026 Short Course Program consists of 20+ courses that will provide in-depth instruction on topics, issues and techniques related to the laboratory science and technology community. Short Courses run from February 7-8, 2026. This episode features several instructors who preview their courses, including lesson highlights, takeaways, and why you should attend. Attending SLAS2026? Browse the...

Live from SLAS Europe 2025 in Hamburg, host Emily Yamasaki, PhD, speaks with Lukas Gaats, MBA, MSc , CEO of mo:re (Modern Research) who is a winner of the SLAS Europe 2025 New Product Award. Based in Hamburg, mo:re is revolutionizing 3D cell culture automation with a modular, biology-first platform designed for organoids, spheroids, and tumor models. Lukas shares his journey from academia (studyin...

New Matter host Emily Yamasaki, PhD, speaks with Vasumitra  “ Vasu” Rao , MS, PhD candidate –recipient of the 2025 SLAS Graduate Education Fellowship Grant–about his innovative research at the Jensen Lab (University of Michigan). Vasu’s work focuses on AI-driven characterization of non-model oral bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus mutans ), aiming to predict microbial growth dynamics and biofilm format...

In this episode, we look at a forward-thinking program that brought undergraduate and graduate students from Mexican universities to the SLAS2025 International Conference & Exhibition in San Diego. Host Emily Yamasaki, PhD is joined by: Cris Herrera Ramirez, a biotech engineer and U.S. Air Force veteran, who spearheaded the program to bridge the gap between Mexican academia and global research...

Emily Yamasaki speaks with Expert Intelligence 's Lalin Theverapperuma , Ph. D. (CEO), and Andreas "Andi" Krupke , Ph. D. (Science Officer), on the SLAS2025 exhibition floor. The duo shares the company's inspiring journey from being an Innovation Ave NEW participant in 2023 to now, highlighting their innovative AI technology designed to automate analytical data interpretation i...

Emily Yamasaki, Ph. D., is joined by 2025 Innovation Ave NEW participants, React4Life 's co-founders Silvia Scaglione , Ph. D., (CSO) and Maurizio Aiello , Ph. D. (CEO), on the SLAS2025 exhibition floor. They discuss their company's innovative organ-on-a-chip technology, the MIVO® system, and its applications in cancer research, nutraceuticals and dermocosmetics. The conversation highlig...

New Matter is excited to announce that the SLAS Journal podcasts– SLAS Discovery Author Insights and SLAS Technology Authors Talk Tech –are merging with New Matter! All episodes will gradually be republished to the New Matter feed and referred to as a "Special Episode" in the title. To kick off this merge is the first episode of SLAS Discovery Author Insights featuring host Robert Howes,...

Live from SLAS2025, Emily Yamasaki, Ph. D., speaks with David Jennions, Ph. D. , Senior Director of Platforms and Systems Development at Grail and SLAS board member. Jennions discusses his role at Grail, which involves overseeing the development and deployment of large-scale automation systems for clinical diagnostics, ensuring they are fit for purpose and operationally efficient. Later, the two d...

In this episode, Emily Yamasaki, Ph. D., speaks with Lab Donkey Director Safwan Hak at SLAS2025 in San Diego. Safwan shares his extensive background in software development and how his newfound passion for lab automation led to the creation of Lab Donkey, a software platform designed to streamline lab automation processes. Originating from the British term "donkey work," Lab Donkey'...

In this episode, SLAS Scientific Director Lesley Mathews, Ph. D., speaks with returning guest Opentrons CEO Jon Brennan-Badal to discuss their mission to democratize laboratory robotics. The conversation delves into the integration of AI to enhance automation efficiency, explores vendor equipment compatibility via the Opentrons Automation Marketplace, and highlights the platform’s open-source adap...

Are you someone who wants to hit the ground running with your first job in a laboratory? Or a company seeking to enhance the skills of your liquid handling specialists? In this episode, we discuss everything you need to know about the SLAS Applied Liquid Handling Boot Camp — a first of its kind course — that will take place April 8-9, 2025 . What is this course? Who is it intended for? What does i...

The SLAS2025 Short Course Program consists of 20+ courses that will provide in-depth instruction on topics, issues and techniques related to the laboratory science and technology community. Short Courses run from January 25-26, 2025. This episode features several instructors who give a preview of their respective courses such as lesson highlights, takeaways and why you should attend their course....

In this special episode, Sapio Sciences Vice President Product and Pre-Sales Rob Brown , M.Sc., Ph. D., speaks with SLAS Scientific Director Lesley Mathews, Ph. D., to discuss how AI, large language models and a unified data platform revolutionize scientific informatics. Rob explains the benefits of a single data object and unified platform that streamlines data analysis and integrates seamlessly...

SLAS Scientific Director Lesley Mathews, Ph. D., speaks with several winners of our Tony B. Travel Award who presented at the SLAS Europe 2024 Conference and Exhibition. Congratulations to our winners! (Listed in interview order) Shitanshu Devrani, Ph. D. (University of Gothenburg) An Automated High-Throughput Platform for AI-Guided Development of Nanopore Membrane Biosensors and Real-time Edge Pr...