In her master’s thesis, which has received two awards, the biotechnologist Laura Helleckes shows the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for a more efficient development of bioprocesses. The researcher developed her fascination for microbial processes at school, which prompted her to study biotechnology at RWTH Aachen University. Important milestones in her career were a semester abroad in Helsinki and her final thesis at Forschungszentrum Jülich. There, as a member of the Microbial Bioprocess Lab, she is continuing this research in her doctoral studies with a focus on laboratory automation and process modeling.

In a bioprocess, microorganisms or their components are used to produce chemical or biological products. Helleckes wants to understand these processes in detail. For the researcher, the solution is digitalization. “AI and especially the sub-area of machine learning will be a key for biotechnology,” she says. Laboratory robots supply so much data that manual evaluation becomes impossible. With the help of AI, this data can now be used in the course of a bioprocess and not just after it has been completed. Helleckes employs her models to analyze this data and then uses this knowledge to create optimized bioprocesses.