When: Monday,Oct 19, 2026, 11:00 AM - 12:00PM
Where: QNC 1501
Self-Driving Labs for Advanced Materials
Abstract :
The discovery and development of advanced materials are often limited by the vast experimental space spanning material composition, synthesis, formulation, processing, and performance. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation are creating new opportunities to accelerate materials research and uncover complex relationships that are difficult to explore through conventional experimentation.
Self-driving laboratories integrate automated experimentation, machine learning, and closed-loop optimization to accelerate materials and formulation discovery. Drawing on examples from nanomaterials and complex multicomponent systems, this seminar will highlight how these platforms can navigate large formulation spaces, optimize processing conditions, and uncover relationships between composition, processing, structure, and performance.
Opportunities and challenges in extending autonomous experimentation toward increasingly complex materials and formulations will also be discussed.
Biography
Professor Frank Gu is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, Director of the Institute for Water Innovation, and a researcher at the Acceleration Consortium. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, he worked at the University of Waterloo (2008-2018), and he was also a member of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN).
His research focuses on nanotechnology, advanced materials, drug delivery, and complex formulations. More recently, his work has expanded into AI-driven self-driving laboratories, integrating robotics, automation, and machine learning to accelerate materials and formulation discovery. His research bridges fundamental materials science and practical applications through interdisciplinary collaborations with academia and industry.