2026 SPEAKERS

Shoeleh Assemi, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Imessa Research Inc. She holds degrees in chemistry, environmental radiochemistry, separation science, and analytical chemistry, and has more than 25 years of experience in nanoparticle separation and characterization. Her work has focused on...

Yousef Baioumy is a laboratory automation professional with a passion for bridging the gap between science and technology. With a background in automating complex workflows, integrating cutting-edge instrumentation, and streamlining data-driven processes, Yousef helps labs increase...

Peter studied Biochemistry at the University of Jena, earning a PhD in structural biology using NMR spectroscopy before heading Jena's NMR Spectroscopy Platform, where he digitized and scaled facility-wide operations. After leading a structure-based drug discovery research group as Principal...

Zachary Berenson-Barros is an Enterprise Account Executive at Uncountable. He helps multinational manufacturers adopt technology for R&D digital transformation and materials informatics. His clients make formulated products and advanced materials, including specialty chemicals, coatings, food...

Dhruv Bhatt is the Head of the Digital Transformation Office at Roche, Branchburg. With over five years dedicated to shaping the company's future, Dhruv has been instrumental in transforming traditional manufacturing and quality processes into a highly efficient, data-driven enterprise. His...

Caroline Briggs is the Founder and CEO of MyAmici, the lab operations platform trusted by over 200 biotech organisations to connect procurement, inventory, assets and compliance into a single operational backbone. A trained chemist, Caroline spent fifteen years in senior procurement and operations ...

Bryce Butler is an Automation Engineer II at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, operated by Leidos Biomedical Research Inc. in support of the National Cancer Institute, where he builds and maintains the automated systems behind patient derived organoid drug screening. He is...

Dr. Larry Callahan is Chief Scientist at Autopoiesis Sciences, an AI research lab building systems capable of autonomous scientific discovery. He leads the scientific vision behind the company's flagship platforms, including Aristotle, an AI co-scientist that achieved 92.4% accuracy on GPQA...

J.P. has always had a passion for helping others, which led him to obtain a degree in Cell & Molecular Biology and begin a career in Life Sciences Research & Development. As Flagship’s Sr. Director of Lab Services, J.P. oversees lab operations support in Southern California. His experience...

20+ years as an automation engineer / scientist in the field of early drug discovery executing lead discovery (uHTS), lead evaluation (SAR/SLR), lead profiling (ADME-Tox) and sample management operations. Currently a Scientific Director, Head of Core Automation, responsible for automation and...

Arijit is a Life Sciences engineering, presales and solutioning leader with more than 25 years of experience spanning biopharma industry roles, product management and global consulting. He helps pharmaceutical and MedTech clients shape transformation programs across research, clinical...

Ted Corl is the Founder and President of AminoCloud, a cloud-native laboratory resource system built for independent clinical diagnostic labs. Ted's path started at the bench in the R&D department at GENETWORx, where he conducted assay validations, wrote SOPs and study documentation, and...

Susannah (Susie) Cox, Ph.D. is a scientific leader at Corteva Agriscience, where she advances the use of automation, high-throughput experimentation, and data-driven approaches to accelerate discovery and product development. With expertise spanning chemistry, laboratory automation, and research...

Ena Chan Cratsenburg is Chief Business Officer of Ginkgo Bioworks, where she leads the commercialization of the company's autonomous laboratory solutions - robotics that replace manual bench work. Her work sits at the intersection of synthetic biology and lab automation, bringing these platform ...

Steven Das, PhD, MBA, Six Sigma Master Black Belt Steven Das is a visionary healthcare executive and thought leader in laboratory medicine, serving as Chief Laboratory Officer and President of the Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Bon Secours Mercy Health. With extensive leadership...

Alyssa Deely is the Technical Account Manager for the West Coast at Automata, with a background in biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, antibody discovery and laboratory automation. Prior to joining Automata, she spent nearly four years as an Application Consulting Scientist where she...

Shubh (Shubhlakhan) Dhillon is a Senior Scientist at Merck with over a decade of experience in drug discovery, specializing in laboratory automation and the development of high-throughput cell-based and biochemical assays. Throughout her career, she has played a key role in advancing drug...

Amanda Dioszeghy is a sustainability leader in the life sciences industry with experience building and scaling sustainability programs in complex laboratory environments. She specializes in transforming sustainability from isolated initiatives into strategic programs that reduce environmental...

Ana Foley is the Associate Director of Culture and Community at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Her work focuses on organizational culture, team effectiveness, leadership development, and how people experience change at work. At Broad, Ana works across scientific, operational, and...

Bill Gigante is an engineering leader with over 25 years of experience designing, developing, and deploying laboratory automation systems for the life sciences industry. At Amgen, he leads engineering initiatives focused on advancing research capabilities through...

Ali Glaser is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Automata, focused on advancing intelligent, scalable lab automation solutions. A scientist by training, she began her career as a molecular biologist at the bench and brings over 20 years of experience across antibody discovery, cell therapy, and...

Andrey Gorin is an experienced laboratory operations leader with more than 10 years in the biotech industry and a particular focus on the design and operation of shared laboratory environments. As Lab Manager at Biolabs Philadelphia, Andrey oversees day-to-day laboratory operations, supports...

Matt brings more than 25 years of experience in software development and information technology to his role at LabVantage. He spent over 13 years with Thermo Fisher Scientific’s LIMS, SDMS, and CDS businesses, holding leadership roles across R&D, Product Management, Marketing, and Professional...

Marta Guron is a chemist, educator, project manager, and higher education leader whose work spans laboratory safety, sustainability, research administration, and STEM education. Currently at the University of Pennsylvania, she leads complex initiatives that support research, education, and...

Adam Hall is a Field Application Scientist supporting SPT customers across the East Coast of the United States, primarily in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, with additional coverage around the Boston area.Adam’s scientific journey began in the UK, where he studied Pharmacology...

Scott Hanton is the Editorial Director of Lab Manager. He spent 30 years as a research chemist, lab manager, and business leader at Air Products and Intertek. He earned a BS in chemistry from Michigan State University and a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Scott...

Based in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, Steven Heffner is a seasoned sales leader with a proven track record of driving growth and operational excellence in the life sciences and laboratory services sector. With over 14 years of experience, Steven has consistently delivered results by aligning...

Dwayne Henry is a 30-year plus employee of Montgomery College who is currently the instructional lab manager of chemical and biological sciences at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring, MD campus. After completing his BS and MA degrees in biotechnology in 1994, he spent one year doing toxicology studies...

Dr. Tracey, Founder, CEO & Chief Chemist of AcARRE and Founder of Ready To Launch PD comes from a long line of entrepreneurs from her Grandmother, Parents, Aunts and even sisters, so it is only natural for her to flourish in her own right at creating multi-use beauty products. Dr. Tracey is an ...

Jeff has an established book of business and long-standing customer relationships in the automation and reference-lab segment, and he's bringing those relationships with him to Thomas Scientific," said Adrian Whipple, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Thomas...

Del Ray Jackson is a seasoned professional in the field of product management with a strong background in laboratory technology. As the Director of Product Management at Hamilton Company, Del Ray leads a team dedicated to developing cutting-edge solutions for the lab industry. With over a decade of ...

Alexis Jacobs is a customer experience and product leader with a background in life sciences and biotechnology. She has helped bring major scientific platforms to market, including Tierra Biosciences’ Protein Platform for on-demand HTP protein production and Seer’s Proteograph ONE proteomics...

Marius Jacobsen is a life science professional with a background spanning clinical research, medical technology and laboratory environmental monitoring. He currently serves as VP of Business Development at Metinor, where he works with laboratories and regulated organizations to modernize how they...

Dr. Joanne Kamens is an accomplished executive leader, mentor, and scientist with extensive experience across the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and nonprofit sectors. She currently serves as the CEO of Women in Bio, where she is dedicated to empowering women leaders in the life sciences. With...

Josh is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Computational Biology Department in the School of Computer Science.  His teaching is primarily focused on giving students experience with experimental design and execution at the interface of lab experimentation (data generation) and computation (data...

Murat Keçeli is a Computational Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. His primary research goal is to accelerate chemical discovery to address the pressing challenges of the 21st century, such as sustainable energy, environmental protection, and advanced materials design. While quantum...

Lucius Kemp, MS, is Scientific Director at Biosero, where he works closely with customers to design and validate scalable, workflow‑centric laboratory automation solutions. With nearly 30 years of experience in laboratory automation and automated research workflows, Lucius brings deep expertise...

Brandon King is an accomplished leader with a proven track record in driving operational excellence across diverse sectors. Currently overseeing operations for a prominent Vaccines R&D site, Brandon brings a wealth of experience in optimizing systems, technology, and operations to deliver...

Julie Kitzler is Regional Director of Laboratory Services for Bon Secours Mercy Health, where she leads laboratory operations across the Lorain Market with a focus on quality, patient safety, operational excellence, and workforce engagement. Throughout her laboratory leadership career, Julie has...

Kat Kozyrytska is a life sciences technology strategist focused on how automation, software, data, and AI are reshaping scientific workflows, technology portfolios, and business models. Across operating, advisory, and entrepreneurial roles, she has worked with established life science technology...

Gaurav Kumar is an Associate Director in the Data Science division at Teva Pharmaceuticals, with expertise in applying advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI to biomarker discovery throughout the drug development lifecycle. His current interests center on harnessing AI and Large Language...

Manoj Kumar is an accomplished R&D Manager with extensive expertise in leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to drive innovation and optimize research outcomes within the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) sector. Currently serving as Computational Science Manager at Mars...

Michael Langner is a seasoned professional with a strong background in research and development in the field of automation and digitalization. As the Head of Research Area at Fraunhofer IPA, he leads a team of experts in driving innovation and technological advancements in the laboratory...

Kyle Larsen is a Senior Informatics Product Manager at the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), leading efforts to digitally transform laboratory methods and standards. He works at the intersection of analytical laboratory practice, informatics, and data architecture—translating complex, text‑based...

Miu-Ling Lau is Director of Analytical Informatics in Merck’s Manufacturing Division, where she leads a team responsible for regulatory submission data management, analytical data trending, visualization, analysis, and reporting across pre- and post-approval products. She also serves as the...

Bo Li, Ph.D. leads life science innovation at Galatek, where he applies smart automation and AI to address complex biological challenges. With expertise spanning cell biology and laboratory automation, he is passionate about closing the gap between AI-driven experimental design and physical...

Dr. Bingda Li is the Co-Founder and CEO of Whelix, a Boston-based company building intelligent robotics for life-science research. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, researching stem-cell-derived therapies for organ transplantation in collaboration with...

Dr. Vivian Li holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, with over a decade of experience spanning biomedical research, pharmaceutical R&D, venture investment, and biotech partnerships. She conducted postdoctoral...

Zi-Kui Liu is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. He joined Penn State in 1999 after receiving his education in China and Sweden and working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and QuesTek Innovations. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of CALPHAD...

Amy A. Lo, MD, MS, is Senior Director of Histopathology and Senior Principal Scientist–Pathologist at Genentech, where she leads strategy for three pathology core laboratories supporting drug discovery and development across multiple therapeutic areas. She also provides pathology expertise to...

Michelle MacRae is Co-Founder and CEO of Bower, an augmented research platform bringing AI into the physical workflow of science. She has previously held product and technology roles at Google, Microsoft and Dovetail. At Bower, Michelle is focused on how AI, computer vision and wearable technology...

Ross brings extensive experience in laboratory operations with a background in precision metrology within atomic and molecular spectroscopic physics. Before founding Lab Belay, Ross's career has focused on improving precision in labs, classrooms, and boardrooms. An experienced academic...

I build the workforce infrastructure for laboratory automation. Labs are buying instruments faster than they are building the people to run them. That gap is where I work: education guidelines, competency and career frameworks, and training programs that get scientists productive on automation...

Curtiss McNair Jr. is Vice President of Operations at Precipio, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRPO), a New Haven, Connecticut-based biotechnology company dedicated to eliminating cancer misdiagnosis through innovative diagnostics. Precipio operates a CLIA-certified reference laboratory and develops proprietary...

Dr. Ahmed Moustafa is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Heis renowned for his leadership in the CHOP Microbiome Sequencing Core and co-directs the microbialARC initiative, focusing ...

Jim Mumm is CEO of Sunlight Energy Group, a New York City energy management firm serving commercial clients from the Mid-Atlantic region throughout New England. A Certified Energy Manager (CEM) with more than 40 years of leadership experience, he reports frequently on New York City's Local Law...

Purpose‑driven Lab Operations Leader with 20+ years of experience optimizing laboratory environments through operational excellence, safety leadership, and cross‑functional collaboration. As Associate Director of GREW Lab Services Americas at dsm‑firmenich, I oversee lab services across the...

Natalie O'Neil, Director of Innovation, leads RAPID's Operations within AIChE, the global professional association for Chemical Engineers. She is also a seasoned instructor at Rutgers University, teaching within the School of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Education. A...

Meric Overman is Product Manager at LabWare, where he helps define the strategic direction of the LabWare platform, including laboratory digital transformation, connectivity, integration, and emerging technology initiatives. He works closely with customers, partners, and development teams to...

Aaron L. Parr is the CEO and Co-Founder of inRoot.io, where his team builds decision infrastructure, models, and custom datasets for lab-to-market founders and enterprise innovation teams. A Chemical Engineer, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Board Director of the AIChE Management Division, Aaron...

Chandni Patel is a dynamic and results-driven professional with over 15 years of experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. Currently serving as the Director of Medical Information at Novo Nordisk, Chandni is a strategic leader known for her expertise in developing and implementing...

Alisha is the Sustainable Labs Manager at the University of Pennsylvania and leads the Green Labs program. Alisha took on this role after working in a biotechnology lab while completing her master’s studies in environmental biology. She coordinates events like the annual freezer challenge and fume...

As Director of Corporate Relations at Seeding Labs, Jennifer partners with life-science companies and academic institutions to give their excess lab equipment a second life. Seeding Labs offers partners a sustainable, one-stop solution for decommissioned and excess equipment, keeping working...

Eric Robbibaro is the Head of Sales at Reach Industries, where he leads their commercial strategy. Trained as an electrical engineer, Eric built his career inside the lab automation and robotics space, holding sales leadership roles at Biosero and Aspen Biosciences before joining Reach.Over the...

Melissa Ronan is a biotechnology leader with over 15 years of experience advancing laboratory automation, high-throughput screening, and drug discovery. During her eight years at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, she has led cross-functional teams developing automated workflows and software...

Abhishek Roy is the Global R&D Leader of Digital and AI at Cargill, where he spearheads the development and execution of enterprise-wide AI strategies to transform research and innovation across the global food system. With nearly two decades of of experience in data science, machine...

Burkhard Schaefer has been an active member of the laboratory informatics community for over 25 years. He started his career working on instrument control and data standards at Los Alamos National Laboratory and later the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He co-founded BSSN...

Dr Srijit Seal is a computational scientist and researcher working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, chemoinformatics, and drug discovery. He currently serves as a visiting scientist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Principal Advisor/Scientist at Human Chemical Company, and...

Hannah Sobotka-Briner is a seasoned Senior Automation Scientist at Merck, with a proven track record of leveraging cutting-edge technologies to drive innovation in the laboratory space. With a strong background in automation, robotics, and digital connectivity, Hannah is at the forefront of...

Jeremy Springall is Director of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods within Global Technical Operations at AstraZeneca, based in Frederick, Maryland. He leads and contributes to the development and implementation of advanced analytical approaches supporting biopharmaceutical...

Kelly Sullivan is Global Head of Operations and Labs at CIC, where she oversees lab and campus operations across a network of innovation campuses in the US, EU, and Japan. With a PhD in Biochemistry and 15+ years spanning lab operations, compliance, and cross-functional leadership, she builds the...

James Swinyard draws on a background in entrepreneurship and mission-driven work as Senior Director of Investments and Partnerships at My Green Lab, leading fundraising and strategic partnerships to advance the organization's nonprofit mission of cultivating a global culture of sustainability...

Speaker Bios: Sadi Caldarazzo is a Laboratory Administrator for the City of Baltimore’s Department of Public Works, Laboratory Operations Division. She has 18 years of  combined experience with water and wastewater analysis and 6 years experience in water/wastewater management. She holds a B.A. in...

Dr. Sandip Tiwari is a pharmaceutical scientist and industry leader with over 26 years of experience in formulation science and drug product development. He currently serves as Head of Technical Services for Pharma Solutions (North America) at BASF, where he leads scientific initiatives focused on...

Filippos Tourlomousis is the founder of Biological Lattice Industries (BLI), a company building the new way to advance the bioeconomy through collaborative cyber-physical AI agents for innovators who design and make advanced formulations and devices serving human health and the environment.His work ...

Adam Washburn is a Director and Lab Automation Lead at Eli Lilly and Company, where he leads efforts to modernize and transform analytical laboratory operations through advanced automation and digital integration. In this role, he works at the intersection of analytical science, engineering, and...

D.J. White is the CEO and co-founder of Cytodyme and a biotech leader with more than a decade of experience across GMP manufacturing, quality, and clinical development. He was part of the team behind one of the first approved cell and gene therapies at Kite Pharma and later helped establish a...

Robert H. Williams is Director of Customer Collaborations at Agilent Technologies. He partners with a diverse mix of industrial partners, research organizations, and academic institutions to design and deploy key technologies that will power the next generation of laboratories. His areas of focus...

Kelli M. Wilson, Ph.D. is the acting Directof of the Research Services Core (RSC), within NCATS’ Division of Preclinical Innovation (DPI), where she focuses on collaboration with NCATS scientists who require support for multiple aspects of high-throughput compound screening using automated...

During his career, Dr. Wisotzkey has held senior positions with clinical laboratories including Chief Scientific Officer and Clinical Laboratory Director in Pennsylvania, Alabama (Huntsville) and Tennessee (Nashville) and has served on numerous executive leadership teams to facilitate the growth of ...

Liyang Zhang is Co-Founder and CEO of SciOne AI, where he builds the operating intelligence for research and development organizations across life sciences, chemicals, and beyond. He has spent close to ten years delivering AI, digitalization, and IoT solutions to the world's most complex...

Yan Zhou is Digital Lead and Research Scientist at Quaker Houghton, the global leader in industrial process fluids, where he leads the R&D AI and digital function. His work spans instrument digitization, scientific data management, and applied AI in R&D. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials...