Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
- 8:15 AM – 5:00 PM
- 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
- 8:15 AM – 9:30 PM
- 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SLAS2027 in San Diego: Lab Automation, Courses and Scientific Sessions
A question running through SLAS2027’s scientific program is how to make laboratory research more predictive without losing the scale and reliability that discovery work requires. Published sessions take up that challenge through patient-derived cell models, automation, AI and data integration; the conference also offers practical short courses before the exhibition opens.
Practical instruction comes before the exhibition
Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30–31, are preconference course days; the exhibition is scheduled for Feb. 1–3. Saturday morning’s half-day options, 8:30 a.m.–noon, are Intro to AI Agents: Transforming Your Ideas to a Working Agent and Liquid Handling Essentials (Interactive Course) - Morning. From 1–4:30 p.m., attendees can choose Get the Word Out: Strategic Communication and Marketing in Life Sciences or Liquid Handling Essentials (Interactive Course) - Afternoon.
Saturday’s full-day offerings include the Assay Guidance Workshop for High-Throughput Screening and Lead Discovery, scheduled for 8:15 a.m.–5 p.m., as well as six courses from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: Building Resilient Labs: Improving Scalability and Adaptability Across the Lab Value Chain; Genome Editing and AI-Driven Approaches in Drug Discovery and Target Validation; Introduction to Lab Automation; Introduction to Pre-Clinical Drug Discovery; Introduction to Python Programming for the Laboratory; and Phenotypic Screening, Why When and How? The range moves from a focused screening workshop to broader introductions and specialized methods.
On Sunday, Jan. 31, the morning half-day courses, 8:30 a.m.–noon, are Operationalizing DMTA: From Implementation to Continuous Optimization (NexusXp) and Practical Introduction to Data Science Methods with a Focus on Using Large Language Models. Advanced Pharmacology for Drug Discovery: Traps, Tips and Tricks is the afternoon course, 1–4:30 p.m.
Sunday’s full-day choices, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., are An Introduction to Mass Spectrometry and its Applications within Drug Discovery; High Content Screening: An Introduction to Instrumentation, Assay Development, Screening, Image and Data Analysis; Introduction to Autonomous Science; Mastering 3D Cell Culture: A Practical Toolbox from Research to High-Throughput; Sample Management: Best Practices, Trends and Challenges; and Streamlining Your Laboratory with Python. A separate Sunday add-on, Thrive in Science: Women’s Leadership Forum, runs 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; the organizer says all delegates are welcome and describes its focus as connection, leadership and growth.
These courses are additional purchases, not part of conference registration. For courses labeled “Laptop Required,” participants bring their own computer; the organizer says course rooms have internet access and charging stations. Course materials are downloadable PDFs rather than printed books or handouts.
Further reading: SLAS2027 | Short Course Program ↗ · Registration | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗ · SLAS2027 Schedule at a Glance | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗
Automation meets the complexity of disease
The published podium program is organized into eight tracks: Assay Development and Screening, Automation Technologies, Cellular Technologies, Data Science and AI, Micro- and Nanotechnologies, New Modalities, Omics & Spatial Omics, and Automating Translational Discoveries. A separate Sample Management Mini-Track addresses end-to-end automation, data traceability, storage and integration across systems.
Several track descriptions focus on what happens when discovery moves beyond simple experimental models. The program includes work on organoids, co-cultures, induced-pluripotent-stem-cell models and other 3D or microphysiological systems. One session description examines how patient-derived cells and more detailed readouts can help researchers connect drug or genetic perturbations to cellular states, response and resistance—not just a single viability result. Its stated challenge is to make biologically relevant assays scalable and robust.
Other sessions follow the computational and operational side of that work: AI-assisted assay design, autonomous laboratory systems, links between predictions and experiments, and data integration for translational research. In the automation track, published topics include adoption and workforce skills as well as laboratory workflows; that makes the program relevant to people responsible for implementation, not only those developing the technology.
The conference co-chairs bring complementary research contexts. Joe de Rutte, PhD, co-founded and leads Partillion Bioscience, whose work includes tools for single-cell analysis and next-generation therapeutics. Julea Vlassakis, PhD, directs Rice University’s Microtechnologies Laboratory for Pediatric Oncology and works on targeted and precision therapies for pediatric cancers, with a focus on Ewing sarcoma. The published track-chair roster also names Samantha Peel of AstraZeneca and Caitlin Mills of Harvard Medical School for Assay Development and Screening, and Tim Dawes and Zoe Hughes-Thomas for Automation Technologies.
The schedule places Cigall Kadoch, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the opening scientific keynote on Monday, Feb. 1, 8:30–9:30 a.m. Wendy Young, PhD—former senior vice president of drug discovery at Genentech and scientific advisor to Google Ventures—is listed for the Wednesday, Feb. 3, closing keynote, 3:30–5 p.m. These are keynote slots, distinct from the scientific podium sessions and NexusXp talks and panels.
Further reading: Learn | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗ · Event Scheduler ↗ ·
Three days, with the exhibition sharing space with the science
Monday, Feb. 1, begins with opening remarks at 8:15 a.m. and Kadoch’s keynote. The exhibition is open 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; scientific podium sessions run 10 a.m.–noon and 3–5 p.m. Poster Presentations: Sessions A and B are scheduled in Sails Pavilion from 1–2 and 2–3 p.m. The Main Stage hosts NexusXp Flash Talks & Panels from noon–5 p.m. Other choices include Solutions Spotlight presentations, exhibitor tutorials, Ignite Award finalist presentations and Topical Interest Group sessions. The plan places lunch in the exhibition hall from noon–1 p.m., a beverage break there from 2:30–3 p.m. and a reception in the hall from 5–6 p.m. A partnering area and private meeting pods are listed as open 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, the exhibition runs 9 a.m.–5 p.m. A Main Stage NexusXp Headline Speaker is scheduled for 8–9 a.m., followed by Flash Talks & Panels from noon–5 p.m. Podium sessions are set for 10 a.m.–noon and 3–5 p.m.; Poster Presentation Sessions C and D run 1–2 and 2–3 p.m. The day also lists Solutions Spotlight presentations, exhibitor tutorials and Topical Interest Group sessions. The morning beverage break is 9–10 a.m., lunch is noon–1 p.m. and the afternoon break is 2:30–3 p.m. The SLAS Community Reception in Sails Pavilion is scheduled for 5–7 p.m.; a FUNd Run is listed for 7–8 a.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 3, has the shortest exhibition window, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., while podium sessions continue from 10 a.m.–noon and 1–3 p.m. Poster Presentation Session E is scheduled for 2:30–3:30 p.m. The Main Stage lists another NexusXp Headline Speaker from 8–9 a.m., then Wendy Young’s closing keynote and the Passport to Prizes & Awards Presentation from 3:30–5 p.m. Breakfast in the exhibition hall is listed 9–10 a.m.; lunch is noon–12:30 p.m. and the schedule also places a beverage break in Sails Pavilion from 2:30–3:30 p.m.
Further reading: SLAS2027 Schedule at a Glance | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗
Monday evening moves into the Gaslamp Quarter
The Monday Night Party is scheduled for Feb. 1, 6:30–9:30 p.m., in the Gaslamp Quarter, which the event page describes as a short walk from the convention center. The listed format is a neighborhood block party with a DJ, food and drink stops. Named providers are Old Spaghetti Factory, Mary Jane’s, Lou & Mickey’s, Houston’s Hot Chicken, Dan Brothers Pizza Truck, Rockin’ Baja and Savilla’s paella station; beer and wine are also mentioned.
Hamilton sponsors the party. Registration information lists it among full-conference access, but does not establish that exhibition-only registration includes it. Check the access terms for the registration type you choose.
Further reading: Monday Night Floating Party ↗ · Registration | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗ · Getting Here & Around - San Diego Convention Center ↗
A preliminary schedule, with several ways to follow the research
The selected course options, keynote slots and daily schedule above follow SLAS’s published preliminary program. The organizer says the schedule may change; check its current event scheduler for updates before planning around individual sessions.
Saturday, January 30, 2027 · Short courses ·
- Half-day courses include Intro to AI Agents: Transforming Your Ideas to a Working Agent and Liquid Handling Essentials (Interactive Course) - Morning.
- Half-day courses include Get the Word Out: Strategic Communication and Marketing in Life Sciences and Liquid Handling Essentials (Interactive Course) - Afternoon.
- Full-day course: Assay Guidance Workshop for High-Throughput Screening and Lead Discovery.
- Full-day courses include Building Resilient Labs: Improving Scalability and Adaptability Across the Lab Value Chain; Genome Editing and AI-Driven Approaches in Drug Discovery and Target Validation; Introduction to Lab Automation; Introduction to Pre-Clinical Drug Discovery; Introduction to Python Programming for the Laboratory; and Phenotypic Screening, Why When and How?
Sunday, January 31, 2027 · Short courses ·
- Morning half-day courses: Operationalizing DMTA: From Implementation to Continuous Optimization (NexusXp) and Practical Introduction to Data Science Methods with a Focus on Using Large Language Models. Afternoon half-day course: Advanced Pharmacology for Drug Discovery: Traps, Tips and Tricks.
- Full-day courses include An Introduction to Mass Spectrometry and its Applications within Drug Discovery; High Content Screening: An Introduction to Instrumentation, Assay Development, Screening, Image and Data Analysis; Introduction to Autonomous Science; Mastering 3D Cell Culture: A Practical Toolbox from Research to High-Throughput; Sample Management: Best Practices, Trends and Challenges; and Streamlining Your Laboratory with Python.
Sunday, January 31, 2027 · Thrive in Science: Women's Leadership Forum ·
- Leadership forum focused on connection, leadership and growth; the registration page says all delegates are welcome and lists it as a paid add-on.
The practical details: registration, materials and travel
Jan. 30–Feb. 3, 2027
SLAS2027 is at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 W Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. Jan. 30–31 are preconference course days; the conference and exhibition run Feb. 1–3. Exhibition hours are Monday 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Tuesday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Wednesday 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Published schedule times are U.S. Pacific Standard Time.
The official schedule is preliminary and may change. Individual presentation titles, times and abstracts, exhibitor events and other activities are to be listed in the event scheduler as the program is finalized.
SOCIETY FOR LABORATORY AUTOMATION & SCREENING 2027 ANNUAL - San Diego Convention Center ↗ · SLAS2027 Schedule at a Glance | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗ · Event Scheduler ↗
Paid registration; rates depend on category and date
Registration is required, and rates are subject to change. The published full-conference grid lists member/nonmember rates in four periods—member-only discount on or before Nov. 2, 2026; early-bird through Dec. 7; advance Dec. 8, 2026–Jan. 28, 2027; and onsite beginning Jan. 29. In that order, industry rates are $1,055/$1,455, $1,155/$1,455, $1,355/$1,655 and $1,555/$1,855. Academic/government rates are $945/$1,345, $1,045/$1,345, $1,145/$1,445 and $1,245/$1,545. Student rates are $135/$175 in the first three periods and $155/$205 onsite.
The same grid lists exhibition-only rates of $385/$455, $425/$455, $465/$495 and $525/$555 across those periods. One-day full-conference registration is $835 for members and $935 for nonmembers in every period. Rates are listed as valid until 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern on the stated dates. If a membership expires Dec. 31, 2026, SLAS says it must be renewed to use member discounts.
Online registration is the only advance registration method; a credit card is required and is the only accepted payment method. Student registrations require a valid, current student ID and are not confirmed until SLAS receives it. Currently unemployed individuals may request a waiver, subject to qualification and approval; the organizer says review and a registration code take 7–10 business days. A waiver covers conference registration only, not short courses or add-ons.
Getting to the San Diego Convention Center
Transit and downtown
The destination is the San Diego Convention Center, 111 W Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. The venue says two MTS Trolley stops are in front of the building. Santa Fe Depot is a one-mile walk or a trolley ride away; the depot serves Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and NCTD’s COASTER. Ferry service to and from Coronado departs from just off the center’s back steps.
Downtown is described by the venue as walkable, with the Gaslamp Quarter next to the convention center. Map links can calculate directions from your own starting point.
SOCIETY FOR LABORATORY AUTOMATION & SCREENING 2027 ANNUAL - San Diego Convention Center ↗ · Getting Here & Around - San Diego Convention Center ↗
Airport, rideshare and parking
San Diego International Airport is about three miles away. The convention center estimates 10–15 minutes by car or shuttle; SLAS lists approximately 15 minutes. Airport rideshare pickup is in the transportation plaza. When leaving the convention center, Guest Services or Security can flag a taxi.
The underground garage entrance is on Harbor Drive between First and Fifth avenues. It has 1,950 spaces; SLAS lists rates of approximately $30–$50, payment due on entry and no in-and-out privileges. No overnight or RV parking is permitted. The garage has 31 ADA-compliant spaces with elevator access.
Getting Here & Around - San Diego Convention Center ↗ · Hotel and Travel | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗
Access
The venue lists automatic entrance doors, elevators, ramps, braille signage, accessible drinking fountains and restrooms, an inclusive restroom and accessible parking. Assistive-listening headsets are available by advance request; wheelchair lifts for stages are available, with advance requests preferred for prescheduled setups. Contact the event organizer about additional assistance. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not available for rent at the center.
Before you make a plan
Can I register for the exhibition without full-conference access?
Yes. SLAS lists exhibition-only registration, with rates that vary by category and purchase date. Its registration materials do not confirm that exhibition-only registration includes the Monday Night Party.
Registration | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗ · Monday Night Floating Party ↗
Are short courses included in the conference fee?
No. Short courses are separately priced. The Sunday Thrive in Science forum is also a paid add-on.
Registration | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗ · SLAS2027 | Short Course Program ↗
Can I attend online?
There is no live-streaming registration option. SLAS expects selected content to be recorded and made available on SLAS APPLIED after the event.
Event Scheduler ↗ · Registration | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition ↗
What does a course participant need to bring?
Bring a computer for courses marked “Laptop Required.” SLAS does not provide computers or printed course materials; registered participants receive PDF materials.
Where do attendees pick up their badges?
Badge pickup is in Sails Pavilion at the convention center. Each attendee must collect their own badge and show photo ID.
Location & Google Maps
San Diego Convention Center
111 W Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.