Building Resilient Labs: Improving Scalability and Adaptability Across the Lab Value Chain

Laboratories rarely struggle because of a lack of commitment. They struggle because they cannot adapt. As scientific priorities, technologies, regulations, and business needs evolve, laboratories of all sizes face increasing pressure to remain effective without continuously reinventing themselves. This course introduces a practical framework for improving resilience across the laboratory value chain: objectives, processes, people, tools, and training. Participants will learn how dependencies between these elements influence flexibility, scalability, and long-term performance, regardless of whether their lab is fully manual, partially automated, or highly autonomous.

Through case studies, what-if scenario planning, and interactive exercises, attendees will learn how to identify hidden constraints, reduce operational risk, and implement incremental improvements without requiring major capital investments. The course emphasizes continuous improvement over one-time transformation, equipping participants with practical methods to improve adaptability, avoid vendor lock-in, strengthen knowledge distribution, and ensure their labs remain relevant over time.

Who Should Attend?

• Laboratory directors, managers, and supervisors
• Scientists, engineers, and analysts working in manual, semi-automated, or fully automated labs
• Laboratory operations and continuous improvement professionals
• Automation specialists and systems integrators
• Technology and product vendors seeking to improve the adaptability and long-term value of their offerings
• Consultants and service providers supporting laboratory transformation and optimization initiatives
• Project managers responsible for laboratory investments and strategic planning
• Early-career professionals interested in developing a systems-level understanding of laboratory operations

Course Benefits

Participants will:

• Learn how to map and assess their laboratory value chain across objectives, processes, people, tools, and training.
• Identify hidden dependencies, bottlenecks, and single points of failure that limit adaptability.
• Distinguish between laboratory wants and underlying needs to make more effective investment decisions.
• Apply what-if scenario planning to evaluate resilience against changes in science, demand, staffing, technology, and regulations.
• Develop strategies to reduce vendor lock-in and improve tool interoperability and lifecycle value.
• Improve knowledge distribution, cross-training, and workforce flexibility.
• Implement incremental, low-risk improvements that increase scalability without requiring major reinvestment.
• Leave with a practical framework that can be applied immediately within their own laboratory environments.

Course Topics

• Why Labs Struggle to Adapt: Common patterns that reduce flexibility and increase operational risk.
• The Resilient Lab Value Chain: Understanding objectives, processes, people, tools, and training as an interconnected system.
• Wants vs. Needs: Identifying root causes and avoiding over-engineered solutions.
• Dependency Mapping: Identifying bottlenecks, single points of failure, and hidden constraints.
• Continuous Improvement Strategies: Practical approaches for evolving existing laboratories incrementally.
• People and Knowledge Management: Cross-training, knowledge distribution, and reducing dependency on key individuals.
• Tool Selection and Lifecycle Thinking: Managing vendor lock-in, interoperability, and obsolescence.
• What-If Scenario Planning: Stress-testing laboratories against changes in science, demand, personnel, technology, and regulations.
• Case Studies: Lessons learned from manual, semi-automated, and highly automated laboratory environments.
• Building an Action Plan: Developing a roadmap for improving resilience within participants' own laboratories.

Instructors

Thomas Frech
Lab Innovation Coach, Independent

Thomas Frech is an independent Lab Innovation Coach with more than 20 years of experience in laboratory automation, orchestration, digital transformation, sample management, and laboratory operations. He is passionate about enabling laboratory teams to continuously improve by building the skills, processes, and organizational capabilities needed to sustain innovation.

Having assessed more than 200 laboratories across North America, Europe, and APAC, Thomas helps laboratories and vendors develop practical strategies that improve performance while avoiding unnecessary complexity and vendor lock-in. He has delivered transformation programs resulting in significant efficiency gains, cost reductions and business growth and has mentored and influenced hundreds of professionals throughout his career.

Thomas has been an active member of European laboratory automation communities, the SLAS community since 2013, and the SiLA community since 2011, serving in various roles including board member, session chair, auditor, speaker, and award judge.

David Dambman
Co-Founder & CIO, Lab-Sync

Pioneer in lab automation, known for developing the Green Button Go software platform and leading the use of autonomous mobile robots in labs. Has designed and deployed hundreds of automated systems accelerating drug discovery.

David Jennions
VP of Development (Product and Platform), Grail

David Jennions is an old-school systems engineer, enjoying the challenges of meshing the diverse disciplines of science and engineering. He started into Lab Automation at Applied Biosystems, leading architecture for a new oligonucleotide manufacturing plant. He moved from California to Milan, to join a drug discovery CRO, Axxam SpA, to create compound storage and management systems for high-throughput screening. He then moved back to the US to coordinate organizations of scientists and engineers to build a fully-integrated platforms with applications across genetic screening with Counsyl, mass-production of CRISPR RNA with Synthego, and liquid biopsy with GRAIL - the most recent role helping detect cancer at population-scale.

Jennions has been an active member of the SLAS community since 2009, serving in various roles including journal board, membership committee, award judging, and Board member. He has a Master in Physics at Cambridge University in the UK, a Masters in Instrumentation Systems, and a PhD in Medical Physics, creating novel instrumentation to detect breast cancer, both from University College London.

Rose Gonzales, PhD
Member-Manager, Thames Pharma Partners

Rose Gonzales, PhD, is a Partner at Thames Pharma Partners, bringing over two decades of expertise in early drug discovery technologies, laboratory automation, and sample management. A recognized industry leader and SLAS Fellow, she specializes in compound management, high throughput screening, assay development, project management, and clinical supply logistics.

Throughout her career, she has guided high-performing teams at major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Merck, Pharmacia & Upjohn, and Procter & Gamble. Notably, during her tenure at Pfizer, she received the R&D Achievement Award for her leadership in developing and implementing the company’s industry-leading Hit-ID infrastructure. Rose holds a doctorate in Chemical Engineering.