
SPEAKERS
(OUR SPEAKER LINEUP IS RAPIDLY EVOLVING)

Amrik Mahal, Ph.D.
Global Head of IT for Research
AstraZeneca
Talk Title
TBA

Nick Lynch, Ph.D.
Founder
Curlew Research
Talk Title
From Paperless to Augmented ELN: dealing with the data Tsunami and feeding the AI dragon with FAIR data

Thibault GEOUI, Ph.D.
Director
Zühlke Group
Talk Title
R&D Productivity Isn’t a Data Problem – It’s a Systems Problem

Sura Hadi
Head of Laboratory Automation & Industrial Robotics
E Tech Group
Talk Title
Why Smart Labs Fail - and How to Architect Ones That Don’t

Juan Dominguez, Ph.D.
Drug Discovery Expert
Topazium Artificial Intelligence
Talk Title
Democratizing Iterative Screening: ITERCeen™ — A Machine Learning Tool for Hit Prediction

Bob McDowall, Ph.D.
Principal
R D McDowall Ltd
Talk Title
TBA

Tamara Mckenna
Director
Clinysis
Talk Title
Empowering Scientific Discovery with AI, Data Analytics and Trust

PierLuigi Agazzi
Product Manager
Bluenext
Talk Title
TBD

David Harburger, Ph.D.
Shareholder
Greenburg Traurig
Talk Title
Building a Life Sciences IP Strategy in the World of Generative AI

Andreas Steinbacher, Ph.D.
Senior Digital Director
Novo Nordisk
Talk Title
TBA

Yael Goldfeld Tsalenchuck
Professor
Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio
Talk Title
Passion Driven Innovation: Translating Novel Ideas into Therapeutics
SPONSORS
(OUR SPONSOR LINEUP IS ALSO RAPIDLY EVOLVING)
PREMIUM
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GOLD


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SILVER

BRONZE


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TRACK THEMES

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In Silico-First Science (AI/ML)
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Scientific Informatics & Scientific Data Management
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Creating Smart or Smarter Labs
Join us MARCH 17-19, 2026, for a transformative Paperless Lab Academy® (PLA) conference in Barcelona, Spain, held in collaboration with 20/15 Visioneers. The event will focus on education and learning the skills necessary to achieve next-generation transformation in your labs and enhancing your personal skill set.
HANDS-ON LABS

Advance your skill set!
Attend an Interactive, Hands-On Lab at Paperless Lab Academy® EUROPE 2026.
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Building skills will help you thrive through change. And, as we’ve all witnessed, technology changes from business process management to AI and LLM are coming at us fast and furious. That’s why 20/15 Visioneers has put together four hands-on, interactive labs at The Paperless Lab Academy® Europe, March 17-19, 2026.
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Seats are limited to 20 registrants/workshop Act now!
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Choose from the following topics:​
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1. Prompt Engineering for Scientists led by Raminderpal Singh, Ph.D.
March 17th, 10am-12pm
Scientists regularly use tools like ChatGPT in work and home. But how do you power-house their use without any software skills? It’s called Prompt Engineering and it’s an art to get right. In this Lab, you'll design the key parameters for a clinical 1 trial for an aging compound! We’ll set you up with best-practice methods, so you won’t be lost. But you will be challenged to build effective prompts. Everything you learn will be reusable back in your workplace (and at home.) ​
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2. Vibe Coding 101 for Scientists led by Raminderpal Singh, Ph.D.
March 17th, 3-5pm
This hands-on workshop is designed for scientists and researchers with little to no coding experience who want to quickly build practical data science applications. The session introduces an intuitive, accessible approach to coding that helps participants translate scientific questions into functional tools, explore core data handling and analysis concepts, and gain confidence using modern technologies to prototype and iterate. By the end of the workshop, attendees will understand how coding can support everyday scientific workflows and leave with the foundation needed to continue building and experimenting independently.​​​​​​
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3. Practical Computerized System Validation for Quality Control led by Bob McDowall
March 17th, 12-2pm
Computerised system validation (CSV) should deliver real business value to regulated laboratories, not function as a paper-generation exercise. This session explores a streamlined, risk-based approach to CSV, starting with eliminating paper and manual data entry in favor of compliant electronic workflows. Attendees will learn why a one-size-fits-all validation strategy is ineffective and how to tailor validation effort through a flexible validation plan, including when a simple system can be validated using a single document. The workshop will also cover writing clear, testable user and system requirements with traceable numbering, leveraging supplier development and testing activities to reduce in-house effort, defining realistic testing scopes and limitations, executing effective tests with appropriate evidence, and completing the validation summary report with confidence.
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4. SaaS: Handling the Validation Treadmill led by Bob McDowall
March 17th, 3-5pm​
Traditional computer system validation (CSV) in the pharmaceutical industry has long relied on a “don’t touch it once it’s validated” mindset. However, the rise of Software as a Service (SaaS) has challenged this approach. While SaaS offers flexibility, lower infrastructure costs, and operational pricing models, it also introduces frequent software updates, often every three to four months, placing laboratories on a continuous validation treadmill.
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This practical workshop explores how to manage SaaS updates while maintaining a validated state. Attendees will learn how to assess release notes, evaluate the impact of changes, determine whether updates or new functionality can be deferred, and apply effective change control and regression testing strategies. The session provides actionable guidance for releasing updated systems into operational use without sacrificing compliance.
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WHERE:
HOTEL
QGAT Restaurant EVENTS & HOTEL
Avenida de la Via Augusta, 51, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia, ES, 08174
Info and Reservations:
Phone Number +34 935 44 19 22
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Conference participants will benefit from special rates by using the link below.
You can also contact the hotel directly and book your room indicating your presence at #PLA2026EUROPE
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WHEN:
MARCH 17-19, 2026​
DISCOUNT:
Discounted hotel booking link here
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If the link does not work for you, please call the QGAT Restaurant Events & Hotel (+34 935 44 19 22) and let them know you are booking for the conference. ​​​
Talk Title
Turning Complex Data into Trusted Insights with Data products and LLMs
Talk Title
Automating Lab Processes and Workflows with AWS Agentic AI
Abstract
TBD
SPEAKERS FROM PLA® USA 2025

Wolfgang Colsman
CEO
ZONTAL
Talk Title
Smarter Labs, Faster Science: Turning Scientific Data into Predictive Power

Joseph Dremock
Senior Director
AstraZeneca
Talk Title
AstraZeneca's Next Generation Scientific PMO: From Project Management to Project Leadership​

Patrick Pijanowski
Founder & Managing Director
Scientia Advisory Services
Talk Title
PANEL DISCUSSION

Andrew Doran
Head of Laboratory Robotic & Process Automation
20/15 Visioneers
Talk Title
Beyond the Bench​


Norman Azoulay
Vice President- Platforms & Data
Excelra


Holly Lynch
Consultant
Lynch Consulting
Talk Title
AI & Lab-in-the-Loop Strategies Redefining Partnerships with Next Gen CROs & TechBio
David Dalgarno
Former SVP, Digital & Data Science Technology​
Formerly Kojin TX
Talk Title
Making In-Silico First Discovery a Reality: Insights from Integrating Data, Computation, and Technology to Enable Science in Small Biotech​

Michael Bradfield
Senior Staff Engineer
Takeda
Talk Title
TBD

Patrick Courtney Ph.D.
Leader of Topic Group on Analytical Laboratory Robotics
SiLA
Talk Title
TBD
Director of Computational Chemistry
Rowan
Talk Title
Building ML-accelerated simulation tools for chemists
Jonathon Vandezande

Talk Title​
Attendees will hear about how current services and solutions leveraging AWS Agentic AI are already capable of automating common lab processes and workflows.​
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Patrick Combes
Senior Principal of Technology, AWS STT​
AWS

Kelcy Newell, Ph.D.
Robotics & Automation Development & Innovation
Astrazeneca
Talk Title
FAIR Data, FAIR Robots and the pursuit of the Orchestrated Lab​

Dr. Raminderpal Singh
Global Head of AI & GenAI Practice
20/15 Visioneers
Talk Title
PANEL DISCUSSION

William Warren
Co-Founder & Former VP, Head of Global Antigen Design
WKLW Consulting LLC, Sanofi
Talk Title
If your lab could talk back—what would it say about how you're using it?​

Fred Bost
Talk Title
Harnessing LabVoice AI to Streamline Lab Workflows
Co-Founder & CEO
LabVoice

Rohit Singh
Head Of Clinical Data Science Visioneering
20/15 Visioneers
Talk Title
From Beside to Approval: The Journey Of Clinical Data Science

Shrika Eddula
Co-Founder & Scholar
Pedal, MIT
Talk Title
TBD

Peter Smith
CEO
Semaphore Solutions
Talk Title
From BPMN to Knowledge Graph: Enabling FAIR Data and AI-Ready Audit Trails in Modern LIMS​​

John Conway
Founder & Chief Visioneer
20/15 Visioneers
Talk Title
TBD



James White
Collaborative Communications
CDD Labs
Talk Title
Biology as Chemistry: Chemically Aware Data Management for Interdisciplinary Collaboration
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Stefan Golas
Talk Title
Rewriting the Stack: Python for NGS Automation
Student & Intern
Duke University & Hamilton Company

Sam Mohler
Talk Title
We Are Our Few Discoveries
Founder
Lab Automators
Michael Swartz
Chief Strategy Officer
Dotmatics


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