Harrison Edwards

Toronto Public Health, University of Toronto

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About

Harrison Edwards is pioneering the convergence of robotics and microfluidics, forging a path toward fully automated, high-throughput biological and chemical laboratories. His landmark paper, "When robotics met fluidics" (2019, 39 citations), identified a critical bottleneck: while fluidic technologies have become exceptionally fast and precise, the human operator now limits further gains. Edwards compellingly argued that replacing manual handling with robotic counterparts is essential to unlock the next generation of discovery in fields like gene editing and synthetic biology. Building on this vision, his work on "Autonomous object harvesting using synchronized optoelectronic microrobots" (2021, 5 citations) introduces a revolutionary micromanipulation platform. By harnessing light-induced dielectrophoresis, Edwards and his team have created synchronized, optically-driven microrobots capable of precisely exerting forces on microscopic targets. This technology enables the autonomous sorting and harvesting of individual cells or particles with unprecedented control, directly translating his earlier conceptual framework into a tangible, powerful tool. Edwards’s research is laying the foundational hardware and software for the automated laboratories of the future, promising to dramatically accelerate research in biology, chemistry, and materials science.