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
Shana Kelley, PhD, Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University and President of Bioengineering and Head of BioHub Chicago, joins Thrive in Science to discuss building interdisciplinary research teams, leading innovation and bringing AI and biology together to accelerate scientific breakthroughs. She shares lessons on balancing decisive action with long-term vision, the impact of mentorship, and why ...
In this episode, we celebrate Peer Review Week 2026 with guests SLAS Discovery Editor-in-Chief Bob Campbell, PhD, and SLAS Technology Editor-in-Chief Ed Chow, PhD, to discuss the growing pressures on peer review—rising submission volumes (especially in AI and bioinformatics), fewer available reviewers post-COVID, and the challenge of finding crossover expertise. They advocate for formalized mentorship of early-career research...
Join hosts Ginger Cooper and Madeline Farley as they sit down with Melanie Leveridge, Vice President of Assays, Profiling & Cell Sciences at AstraZeneca and SLAS Board Member. Melanie shares how embracing innovation, leading through change and building strong relationships have shaped her career, while offering her perspective on the future of AI, automation and what it truly means to thrive in science.
Upcoming Events:
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 to building trust, leading teams and naviga...
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
- Applic...
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 "thinki...
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 ...
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 f...
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 explo...
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 compatibility ...
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...
TheNexusXp: 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 ...
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...
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 program a...
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 us...
In this episode, we look at a forward-thinking programthat 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 und...
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 conversation covers ...
Emily Yamasaki, Ph.D., is joined by 2025 Innovation AveNEWparticipants, 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, its potent...
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