Michael Cook

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About

Michael Cook is a researcher at the forefront of open-source laboratory automation, with a focus on democratizing access to advanced experimental tools. His major contribution lies in expanding the capabilities of affordable, widely-used liquid handling robots, most notably through his work on the Opentrons OT-2 platform. Cook’s key research areas include the design and fabrication of low-cost, 3D-printed hardware for automating routine but critical lab tasks, bridging the gap between commercial-grade automation and budget-constrained research environments. His most cited work, "A 3D-Printed Plate Handler for Automated Handling of Well Plates on the Opentrons OT-2," addresses a fundamental bottleneck in automated workflows: the precise, unattended transfer of well plates. By developing an open-source, 3D-printed solution, Cook enables complex, multi-step biological and chemical assays that were previously impossible on this platform, significantly enhancing its utility for high-throughput screening and synthetic biology. This achievement not only showcases his technical ingenuity but also embodies a commitment to reproducible, accessible science. With a growing citation footprint, Cook is establishing himself as a key figure in the maker-movement within biology, empowering researchers worldwide to build sophisticated automation without prohibitive costs.