Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Franck Felisaz is an instrumentation scientist and engineer whose work has fundamentally shaped the automation and high-throughput capabilities of structural biology research, particularly in macromolecular crystallography and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Based at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Felisaz has dedicated his career to developing the robotic systems and standardized hardware that allow researchers to collect structural data faster, more reliably, and at greater scale than ever before. His most influential contribution, the BioSAXS Sample Changer (2014, 208 citations), revolutionized solution scattering experiments by enabling automated, high-throughput operation for an increasingly diverse user community. Equally significant is his role in establishing the SPINE standard sample holder for cryocooled crystals (2006, 111 citations), a widely adopted benchmark that underpins robotic sample mounting worldwide. His exploration of UV laser-excited fluorescence for crystal visualization addressed a persistent bottleneck in automated structure determination pipelines, while his FlexED8 sample changer advanced compatibility across multiple holder formats. Felisaz's body of work exemplifies the critical but often underappreciated engineering layer of modern structural biology — the infrastructure that makes high-throughput science possible and accessible to researchers globally.