Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Andrew I. Cooper is a pioneering chemist whose work sits at the intersection of autonomous robotics, computational chemistry, and materials discovery. Best known for his groundbreaking 2020 paper "A mobile robotic chemist" — now cited over 1,400 times — Cooper has fundamentally reshaped how chemical discovery is conducted by demonstrating that mobile robots can independently navigate laboratories, execute experiments, and make data-driven decisions without human intervention. His research spans several interconnected domains: the design of organic cages and porous materials, crystal structure prediction, and the development of fully autonomous laboratory systems. Cooper's group has pioneered high-throughput computational screening fused with robotic synthesis to accelerate the discovery of complex supramolecular architectures, including multi-component organic cage pots assembled through social self-sorting — a feat achieved through a priori prediction before experimental realization. His work on porous liquids and robotic crystallisation has opened entirely new material classes to systematic exploration. Beyond individual discoveries, Cooper has architected modular, multi-robot laboratory platforms capable of performing solid-state chemistry workflows end-to-end, dramatically expanding automation beyond traditional liquid-handling systems. His cumulative body of work, amassing thousands of citations, marks him as a defining figure in the emerging era of self-driving laboratories.