New Matter: Inside the Minds of SLAS Scientists
The official Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) podcast explores advances in automation, cellular imaging, big data and what's coming in the spaces between traditional scientific disciplines. Guests often include members of SLAS along with innovators, leading experts and other members of the global scientific community to highlight technology and even career stories. Episodes are released every week and subscribe to New Matter - available on all podcast players.
Episodes
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:
- Development of the AVA emulation system
- A...
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, label-free imaging and a closed-loop &qu...
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, and what’s ahead in upcoming conversa...
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-operated lab, fully automated w...
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 data integrity, and divert waste from la...
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 assessment of DNA and RNA samples.
They ...
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 exosome production, emphasizing compatibi...
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, driven by both voluntary commitments fro...
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 collaboration between vendors and researchers, Nex...
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 community’s role in addressing these chall...
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 full course progr...
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 (studying regenerative medicine and bioprinti...
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 formation using neural ordinary differential eq...
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.
- Isabella Alvarez Kennedy, an un...
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 AveNEW participant in 2023 to now, highlighting their innovative AI technology designed to automate analytical data interpretation in the biotech and pharma industries. The ...
Emily Yamasaki, Ph.D., is joined by 2025 Innovation AveNEW 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 highlights the unique features of their platform,...
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, Ph.D., who speaks with SLAS Discovery...
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 discuss themes of integration, communic...
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's mission is to streamline tedious m...
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 adaptability for diverse scientific appl...
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