#62 - Programming Biology: Why Lab Automation Needs a New Language

<p>Compilers for the wet lab. High-level languages for biology. A co-founder who started pipetting and ended up writing code that talks to robots. Alexandra Rolfness is building something this industry has never seen — and she&#39;s here to explain why lab automation needs a new language.</p><p>Alexandra Rolfness co-founded Tetsuwan Scientific straight out of Caltech, where she studied computer science after years in the wet lab — stem cell production, cancer biology, plant epigenetics. She&#39;s one of the few people in this industry who genuinely owns the full stack of biology and software, and she&#39;s using it to rewrite how scientists talk to machines.</p><p>In this episode:</p><p>→ Why automation breaks down in real labs</p><p>→ What it actually means to compile biology</p><p>→ Where LLMs fit in and where they fall short→ What autonomous labs actually mean vs the hype</p><p>→ What it&#39;s like being a young woman founder in lab automation🎙️ Guest: Alexandra Rolfness — Tetsuwan Scientific</p><p>👥 Hosts: Sura Hadi &amp; Mike Ouren</p><p>📁 Series: AI Thought Leaders</p><p>🔗 Follow Alex on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblVOQjRLcTVjQWUyeFZrY1FpeTVRemx4cGZWd3xBQ3Jtc0tsdmRROTdCc2hiWmdVenJLdHhjc2xxSVZCWFM0U0laZGRsSExPcFAwVmtEenFCVzRBRUloN0YyTVQ2RWlNR2FqNFI3RzdycENhVUk0cG9DRVA5OGE4WklaMTNidDZULTRtUkExT0FlX2x3cFQ3ZG0zdw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Farolfness&v=_vzbV0sU6b8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">  / arolfness  </a></p><p>🔗 Tetsuwan Scientific: tetsuwan.com</p><p>📩 helicalbrew@gmail.com</p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">00:00</a> Automation Isn’t a Hardware Problem (Cold Open)</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=27s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">00:27</a> Welcome &amp; Guest Intro — Alexandra Rolfnes, Tetsuwan Scientific</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=68s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">01:08</a> What People Underestimate About Young Technical Founders</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=181s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">03:01</a> Why Lab Automation Breaks in Real Labs</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=1136s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">18:56</a> Compiling Biology — A New Language for Automation</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=1961s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">32:41</a> From Wet Lab Scientist to Full-Stack Founder</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=2533s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">42:13</a> Autonomous Labs vs. Reality</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=3025s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">50:25</a> Pick of the Week — Claude Code, Visualization &amp; Retro Ray-Bans</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzbV0sU6b8&t=3239s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">53:59</a> Final Thoughts &amp; Where to Find Tetsuwan Scientific</p><p>👉 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfXIZEjEPi9sUPOtidc2COg" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">   / @helicalbrew  </a></p><p>🎧 Spotify, iTunes &amp; Amazon Podcasts</p><p>📩 helicalbrew@gmail.com</p><p>📍 @helicalbrew everywhere</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/helicalbrew" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#HelicalBrew</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/aithoughtleaders" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#AIThoughtLeaders</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/labautomation" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#LabAutomation</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/biotech" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#Biotech</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ai" target="_blank" rel=