A new fully‑funded workshop dedicated to Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) working in the rapidly evolving field of liquid handling automation is taking place on 14–15 April. Hosted at the state‑of‑the‑art Edinburgh Genome Foundry, the workshop is bringing together leading suppliers, technical experts, and practitioners from across the UK.

Building on the strong engagement and positive feedback from the previous workshop held at the Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool in March 2025, this year’s programme is designed to provide even deeper practical insights, hands‑on knowledge exchange, and opportunities for strategic collaboration.

With huge thanks to our sponsors Thermo Fisher, Tecan, Opentrons Labworks Inc., Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Gilson, & Hamilton Lab Solutions.

Registration has now closed.

A Two-Day Programme Focused on Technical Excellence

Day 1 -14th April

Midday – 1pm Arrival and Badge Collection (Lunch & Networking)

1-1.10pm Welcome – Rennos Fragkoudis, Head of Edinburgh Genome Foundry, University of Edinburgh

1.10-20pm UK RAS STEPS – Marie Daniels, UK RAS STEPS Programme Manager

1.20-2.20pm Technical session – Genomics

1.20-1.35pm – “Newly established Centre for Innovation in Genomic and Microbiome Sciences at the University of West London”
Piotr Cuber, Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences, Centre for Innovation in Genomic and Microbiome Studies, University of West London

1.35-1.50pm – “Understanding genomics involved in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection”
Lee Murphy, Head of the Genetics Core at the Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility

1.50-2.05pm – Title TBC
James Lipscombe, Senior Research Assistant, Earlham Institute

2.05-2.20pm – “How Molecular Biology has changed with Automation”
Yuen Ting Mendis – Pathogen Genetics Scientist, UKHSA

2.20-2.50pm Techno Bite session, with Q&A

2.20-2.30pm OpenTrons

2.30-2.40pm Tecan

2.40-2.50pm Q&A

2.50-3.20pm Refreshments break

3.20-3.50pm Technical session – Applications

3.20-3.35pm – “Overcoming Liquid Handling Challenges in High‑Throughput, Image‑Based Screening”
Alistair Langlands, Facility Manager, National Phenotypic Screening Centre (NPSC), University of Dundee

3.35-3.50pm – “Development of high-throughput antimicrobial screening” – Sarah Bennett, Head of BioSRLs, University of Warwick

3.50pm-4.20pm Lightning talks followed by Q&A – Chair: Lee

“Finding the Fit: Navigating Automation Choices for Modern Lab Workflows”
Martina Conti, Technical Specialist, University of York

Title TBC
Umar Farooq, Principal Technician, University of Cambridge

Title TBC
Oliver Prowse, Technical Support Officer, Materials Innovation Factory, University of Liverpool

4.20-5.05pm Techno Bite session

4.20-4.30pm Beckman

4.30-4.40pm Hamilton

4.40-4.50pm Gilson

4.50-5.05pm Q&A

5.05pm-5.10pm – Wrap up

7pm – Dinner at The Scottish Cafe

Day 2 – 15th April

9-9.30am Arrival & refreshments

9.30-10.30am Technical session – Engineering Biology

9.30-9.45am – “Earlham Biofoundry – platforms & projects”
Davide Annese, Automation Specialist, Earlham Institute

9.45-10am – “The Manchester Biofoundry: Liquid handling workflows for Engineering Biology”
Mark Dunstan, Senior Technical Specialist, University of Manchester

10am-10.15am – “The Edinburgh Genome Foundry: Robotics Precision and Academic Expertise”
Rennos Fragkoudis, Head of Edinburgh Genome Foundry, University of Edinburgh

10.15-10.30am – “Automated Protein Expression in E. Coli”
Martyna Kasprzyk, PhD student, University of Edinburgh

10.30-10.40am – UK RAS STEPS Case studies

“From Pipettes to Precision: How UK RAS STEPS Helped Me Explore the Future of Lab Automation”
Katarzyna Hafezi, Senior Research Technician, University of Edinburgh

“How UK RAS STEPS Enabled My Journey to the Festival of Genomics”
Jeanette Selby, Genomics Technical Specialist, University of Warwick

10.40-11.10am Refreshment break

11.10-11.50am Challenges Panel with suppliers

11.50-12.00pm Wrap Up

12.00-1.00pm Tour 1/visit suppliers

12.30-1.30pm Lunch

1.30-2.30pm Tour 2 (if required)/visit suppliers

2.30pm Workshop close

Places are limited.