Autonomous Science Lecture Series at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way science is conducted, from automating experiments to enabling fully autonomous scientific systems. This rapidly growing area requires deep collaboration and communication across previously siloed areas of expertise.
This webinar series explores the latest advancements in AI-enabled autonomy for scientific discovery, featuring insights from experts in AI, robotics, and autonomous systems. Join us to discuss how AI-driven instruments, laboratories, and field deployable systems are transforming research and shaping the future of autonomous science, from fundamental discovery to real-world impact across a range of scientific disciplines, including energy science, critical materials, and Earth and environmental systems.
Each lecture will be followed by discussion, and engagement across scientific areas is highly encouraged. For those unable to attend, the lectures will be recorded and posted on this web page.
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July 31, 2025, 1:00 p.m.
Data-Rich Autonomous Labs for Accelerated Materials Discovery
Milad Abolhasani, ALCOA Professor and a University Faculty Scholar, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University
Abolhasani will present recent advancements of autonomous fluidic labs that integrate modular flow reactors, real-time feedback from high-throughput in situ characterization, and AI-assisted decision-making to autonomously explore and optimize complex multi-step chemistries. These autonomous labs function as intelligent robotic co-pilots, capable of conducting more than 4,000 experiments per day, reducing materials discovery and development timelines from decades to mere weeks. He will discuss the autonomous synthesis of colloidal quantum dots (metal halide perovskites and II–VI/III–V) for next-generation photonic and energy applications, demonstrating precise control over composition, size, and optoelectronic properties.
Milad Abolhasani is the ALCOA Professor, a University Faculty Scholar, and the Director of the Graduate Program in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University. He also serves as the Director of Accelerated Technologies within NC State's Integrative Sciences Initiative. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 2014. Prior to joining NC State University, he was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT (2014-2016). At NC State University, Dr. Abolhasani leads a multidisciplinary research group that studies self-driving labs tailored toward accelerated discovery, development, and manufacturing of advanced functional materials and molecules using fluidic micro-processors. Dr. Abolhasani has received numerous awards and fellowships, including NSF CAREER Award, Dreyfus Award for Machine Learning in the Chemical Sciences & Engineering, AIChE Allan P. Colburn Award, AIChE Catalysis & Reaction Engineering Early Career Investigator Award, AIChE 35 Under 35, Scialog Fellowship, AIChE NSEF Young Investigator Award, I &EC Research 2021 Class of Influential Researchers, and Emerging Investigator recognition from Nanoscale, Lab on a Chip, Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, and Digital Discovery.