19-21 May 2026
Vienna Congress & Convention Center
Vienna, Austria
19-21 May 2026
Vienna Congress & Convention Center
Vienna, Austria
The SLAS Europe 2026 Conference and Exhibition program will feature important tracks focused on life sciences and their global impact. Details on our Program Chairs and Keynote Speaker are below.
Special thanks to the SLAS Europe 2026 Program Chairs: James Pilling, MS (AstraZeneca) and Vivian Lu Tan, PhD (VBCF).
Associate Principal Scientist
AstraZeneca (England)
James Pilling, MS, is an associate principal scientist in Functional Genomics within Discovery Sciences at AstraZeneca. With over 20 years of experience in drug discovery, Pilling’s career encompasses the discovery and validation of novel targets, the development and implementation of innovative methods and technologies and the creation of disease-relevant cell models.
Managing Director
Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities (Austria)
Vivian Lu Tan, PhD, has a career spanning over 15 years, encompassing diverse roles in scientific research, project management and consultancy across academia and industry in the UK, Switzerland and Austria. Currently, Tan is the managing director of Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities (VBCF), where she oversees the delivery of cutting-edge scientific services that support the pioneering research conducted at the Vienna BioCenter, home to over 3,000 staff and scientists.
Professor of Precision Medicine
Radboud University Medical Center
Eindhoven University of Technology
Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Trained Therapeutix Discovery
Co-founder
BioTrip.nl, Nanoworx
Willem Mulder, PhD, is a biomedical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He develops innovative, bioengineered nanomedicines and controlled-release systems for immunotherapy in cancer, inflammatory, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as to prevent allograft rejection in organ transplantation.
Podium presentations will be organized into three educational tracks: Advances in Drug Discovery, Advances in Laboratory Automation and Screening Applications & Diagnostics. Track descriptions are listed below.
Advances in Drug Discovery
Innovative technologies, integrative approaches and emerging modalities are revolutionizing drug discovery. This track examines advancements in AI-driven drug design, spatial biology, multiomics, and RNA biology, highlighting their impact on accelerating timelines, enhancing precision, and addressing unmet medical needs.
Discussions will also cover strategies such as drug repurposing and systems pharmacology, highlighting how translational models and computational tools bridge the gap between discovery and patient treatment. The sessions will highlight how these approaches drive the identification of first-in-class targets, improve translational predictivity, and accelerate the development of transformative therapeutics across modalities.
Co-chairs: Davide Gianni, PhD (AstraZeneca) and Philipp Jaeger, PhD (Boehringer Ingelheim)
Advances in Laboratory Automation
The Advances in Laboratory Automation track features presentations by renowned experts and innovators at the forefront of leveraging advanced laboratory automation and IT. These technological advancements will drive scientific discovery by enhancing laboratory processes and the flow and analysis of high-quality data.
The increasing volume and complexity of data generated from manifold screening technologies, omics and sample management have catalyzed the development of cutting-edge algorithms rooted in big data analytics and machine learning/artificial intelligence. From self-driving experiments to scalable, complex biological models, attendees can expect to gain valuable insights into the utilization of the latest laboratory automation and IT breakthroughs that have the potential to revolutionize their businesses and streamline their processes.
Co-chairs: Johanna Huchting, PhD (Fraunhofer ITMP) and Brinton Seashore-Ludlow, PhD (Karolinska Institutet)
Screening Applications & Diagnostics
This track aims to provide a clear perspective on the evolving landscape of screening applications and diagnostics, particularly in light of recent advances in AI-assisted drug discovery and development. Renowned experts and innovators will guide us through the latest technologies and breakthroughs shaping key topics, such as perturbation screening, biologically relevant models and assays, spatial multiomics, comprehensive biomarker profiling, and molecular diagnostics.
Additionally, the role of AI and machine learning in streamlining target and lead discovery and addressing global challenges will be explored. We will delve into integrating these technologies into new patient-centric testing paradigms. Attendees can expect to gain unique insights into cutting-edge innovations as experts highlight key trends to watch in the years to come.
Co-chairs: Fernando Ramon-Olayo, PhD (Servier) and Tillman Buerckstuemmer, PhD (Myllia)