Make The Everyday Experience Simpler

Holly Oakes, Product Owner | TAGCenter

When I think about the laboratory of the future, I don't picture a lab dependent on systems and processes that need constant attention. I picture researchers spending less time managing the work around their research and more time making discoveries.

From my perspective, that future starts with products like TAGCenter, a central hub that connects the lab to the results and supplies researchers need to keep their work moving. The best technology doesn’t demand attention. It simply works. When it’s working the way it should, a researcher shouldn’t have to think about it. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to.

The laboratory of the future is one where the connection between the lab, its data, and the systems supporting it feels seamless. Systems work together instead of creating extra manual steps, and researchers can trust that the information and tools they need are there when they need them.

That also doesn’t mean replacing everything that exists today. It means continuing to improve the systems researchers already rely on, so they become more connected, intuitive, and adaptable as research evolves. To me, that’s how we build the lab of the future: by continuing to make the experience simpler, more reliable, and easier for researchers to navigate.

At the end of the day, the goal isn’t to add more technology for the sake of technology. It’s to use it in a way that gives researchers more time to focus on the science itself. If we can do that well, then we’re moving in the right direction.

Connect Researchers With The Materials They Need

Kenneth Reese, VP of Laboratory Management | Tissue by BrainBits

For research teams, access to the right material can determine when an experiment can begin. The Tissue service provides research material while helping investigators consider the requirements of their studies. Getting tissue to a lab is only part of the job: researchers need useful information about what they are receiving and a clear way to discuss their needs with specialists.

Kenneth Reese envisions more connected access to materials, expertise, and data. In his submission, he describes a future in which researchers can collaborate across disciplines more easily and spend less time sourcing materials or repeating routine tasks. The purpose of that coordination is to give scientists more time to interpret results, ask the next question, and pursue the moments of discovery that motivate their work.

That future still depends on careful methods. Reliable records, reproducible results, and transparent information about materials help research teams work with confidence. Automation can support these steps, while scientific judgment remains central to choosing the right material and interpreting what it reveals.

Make Reliability Routine

Mike Gahan, VP of Operations | Operations & Robotics

The Lab of the Future isn't a distant vision for us in Operations — we live it every day through the reliability we build behind the scenes. It looks like a laboratory where researchers never have to think about their equipment, their data pipeline, or their service partner, because it simply works. That is already here; the infrastructure exists today, and our job is to keep tightening the gap between "possible" and "standard."

What changes in the future lab is what disappears from it: downtime, guesswork, and reactive fixes. Smarter service means we identify and resolve issues before they interrupt research, using data and proactive monitoring instead of waiting for a call. That's where precision matters most for Operations — not just in diagnostic accuracy, but in service accuracy: right technician, right technology, right time.

Ultimately, the Lab of the Future should give researchers back their focus. Every process we streamline on the service side is time returned to science.

At AALAS 2026, tell us which everyday laboratory task would benefit most from better support.