Can’t make it this time? Sign up for alerts about upcoming Applied Liquid Handling Boot Camps.
Course Overview
Do you want to excel at your first job in a laboratory and shorten your learning curve?
Laboratory managers: Do you want to enhance the liquid handling skills of your lab personnel and fast-track their understanding of lab automation?
Enroll in the SLAS Applied Liquid Handling Boot Camp to learn from expert instructors about manual and automated liquid handling, operating automated liquid handling equipment, and drug discovery processes.
This course is essential for scientists at any career stage who have limited or no experience using automated liquid handling equipment.
When: November 17-18, 2026
Where: Green Acre Campus Point (Hosted by Eli Lilly and Company)
10300 Campus Point Dr.
San Diego, CA 92121
Course Highlights
What you'll gain from this course:
- An increased understanding of automation in laboratory sciences with a specific focus on developing skills needed to run liquid handling automation equipment in an academic, biotech and/or industry setting.
- Exposure to a variety of actively used liquid handling automation equipment in functional automation laboratories
- Participation in hands-on training experiments aimed at understanding the fundamentals of liquid handling
- Education and awareness of the drug development and discovery process.
- An overview of the drug development process
- How and why automation and liquid handling biology are essential to the process
- Career selection and preparation for a successful transition into liquid handling automation.
- Familiarity with automated liquid handlers
- Hands-on experience programming and troubleshooting protocols
- Opportunity to network with peers and experts in the field
Completion of this course will grant participants the ability to:
- Understand the fundamentals of the drug discovery process and how automation is used
- Develop and set up a protocol using an automated liquid handler
- Assess pipetting accuracy
- Understand how liquid classes impact pipetting
- Solve common pipetting problems
- Determine how to best implement automation in their labs
Schedule at a Glance
| Day One |
| 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. |
Registration and badge pickup. |
| 8:30 a.m. |
Breakfast |
| 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. |
Introduction and review of the online program |
| 9:45 - 11:15 a.m. |
Manual Pipetting |
| 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Introduction to Automated Liquid Handling |
| 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. |
Protocol Development and Setup |
| 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. |
Coffee / Refreshment Break |
| 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. |
Assessing Performance by Photometry |
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. |
Comparing Liquid Classes |
| Day Two |
| 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. |
Registration / Check-in |
| 8:30 a.m. |
Breakfast |
| 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. |
Q&A from Day 1 |
| 9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Problem Solving |
| 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 12:45 - 2:10 p.m. |
Developing Experience |
| 2:10 - 2:30 p.m. |
Coffee / Refreshment Break |
| 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. |
Lab Tours – Lilly Biotechnology Center (5-10min walk) |
Course Fees
| |
Early Bird Rates Through October 19 |
Advance Rate: October 19 - Onwards |
| Industry |
$2125 |
$2500 |
| Academia / Government (postdoc or higher) |
$1700 |
$2000 |
| Student (Undergrad / Graduate) / Unemployed – Limited seats! |
$425 |
$500 |
Hear more about the course from former SLAS Scientific Director, Lesley Granberg, Ph.D., on a special episode of the New Matter podcast.
Listen Now
Enter into a rewarding professional career by acquiring the necessary skills in liquid handling to accelerate the scientific discovery process.
This course is designed for:
- Individuals who have completed an undergraduate degree in a science-related field
- Anyone looking to upskill to a full-time lab position
- Graduate students and post-docs looking to explore a hands-on career in lab automation and drug discovery
This comprehensive course will prepare you for an entry-level position in the growing lab automation and liquid handling field. The course allows for hands-on training on a variety of lab equipment, as well as gold-standard classroom instruction and significant peer group interaction.
- An introductory self-paced online learning program before the in-person event
- A two-day, hands-on program
- Select office hours with members of our expert faculty for clarification and follow-up
- Digital badge on completion
This program is a perfect opportunity to upskill your organization's newly hired or incumbent workers.
This course is ideal for:
- Those who have graduated with a science-related undergraduate degree or are in their first lab position
- Those looking to excel as an Automated Liquid Handling Specialist or Technician position in a lab
- Graduate students and post-docs looking to explore a hands-on career in lab automation and drug discovery
This comprehensive course will prepare participants for an entry-level position in the growing lab automation and liquid handling field. The course allows for hands-on training on a variety of lab equipment, as well as gold-standard classroom instruction and significant peer group interaction.
- An introductory self-paced online learning program before the in-person event
- A two-day, hands-on program
- Select office hours with members of our expert faculty for clarification and follow-up
- Digital badge on completion
