7x
Throughput scale-up
Scaled from 700 to 5,000 samples per month between 2018 and 2026, absorbing three complete workflow redesigns without loss of accreditation.
Laboratory Operations & Automation/ Since 2018
BenjaminRamsdale
Ten years scaling high-throughput clinical genomics: the systems, not just the science.
~5,000 samples / monthISO 15189:2022100+ countries
Drag to rotate01 / The question
A clinical genomics lab lives or dies on one question.
Can you scale volume without letting quality slip?
Every automated workflow, every SOP and every KPI dashboard here exists to answer it. This is a service reporting to IVF clinics on every continent, where a wrong report isn't an abstract error.
02 / What changed
~80%
Hands-on time cut
Partnered with external specialists to validate and deploy a Hamilton STAR automated amplification workflow, cutting operator time per run by roughly 80%.
~1/yr
Corrected reports
Held corrected reports to approximately one per year across a service delivering to IVF clinics in over 100 countries, on every continent.
50%
Manual effort halved
Designed an automated tracking and notification workflow for 40-50 monthly report amendment requests, removing double entry.
~10
SOPs authored
Authored roughly ten SOPs and led bi-annual document review under ISO 15189:2022, cascading training across a 15-person technical team.
03 / What I run
Operations & Process Improvement
KPI design and reporting to senior management, throughput and capacity planning, turnaround-time reduction, root-cause analysis, and workflow automation with VBA and Power Automate.
Automation & Instrumentation
Hamilton STAR, SPT Labtech Mosquito & Dragonfly, Illumina NovaSeq 6000, NextSeq 550 and MiSeq. Installation, verification, validation, and vendor/field engineer coordination.
Quality & Compliance
ISO 15189:2022 and ISO 17025:2005, QMS document control, SOP authorship and bi-annual review, non-conformance management, and audit readiness.
Laboratory & Technical
End-to-end NGS: sample accessioning, DNA extraction, whole-genome amplification, library preparation and enrichment, sequencing, and PGT-A/SR/M clinical reporting.
04 / The route here
- 2014 - 2018
BSc (Hons) Human Biology
Sheffield Hallam University
Four-year course including an industrial placement year. Modules spanned molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, cellular biology, bioanalytical methods, biology of disease and human nutrition.
- Sep 2016 - Sep 2017
Food Microbiology Technician
ALS Life Sciences
Industrial placement operating and managing the media line for food and drink samples from clients including Tesco and M&S, working to ISO 17025:2005 under high sample volume and strict time constraints. Trained new staff on line procedure; the site achieved UKAS accreditation, Tesco Green and M&S Gold.
- Jul 2018 - 2020
Laboratory Scientist
CooperGenomics
End-to-end NGS workflow across manual, SPT Labtech, and early Hamilton STAR platforms: accessioning, whole-genome amplification and library preparation.
- 2020 - Jul 2022
Senior Scientist
CooperGenomics
Clinical reporting and technical lead through the lab's transition to fully automated NGS, as monthly volume grew from ~700 to ~2,000 samples. Independently reviewed and approved complex PGT-A/SR reports.
- Jul 2022 - Present
Laboratory Supervisor
CooperGenomics
Operational lead for a 15-person, ISO 15189:2022-accredited lab processing ~5,000 samples/month for IVF clinics in over 100 countries. Owns KPI reporting, automation strategy, and accreditation.
Recognition
CooperCompanies Innovator
Awarded “Faces of Innovation” for excellence in workflow automation and the development of traceable process improvements.
Company All-Star Award
Genomics UK laboratory team, for exceeding expectations in processing.
05 / Get in touch
Currently running operations for a 15-person accredited lab. Looking for a role where operational scale, quality and turnaround all have to hold at once, and where the output still matters to the people receiving it.
Benjamin RamsdaleIslington, London