John McLaughlin
JM

John McLaughlin

john.mclaughlin113@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/johnmclaughlin11

Building at the intersection of lab automation, chemical engineering, and AI.

Student.  Engineer.  Athlete.

TL;DR

Currently I am...
an undergraduate researcher at the NSF iBioFoundry under Dr. Huimin Zhao, developing Python orchestration tools and agentic AI systems for lab automation across a 15+ instrument workcell, finishing my B.S. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at UIUC (graduating May 16, 2026), and serving as Director of Operations for UIUC ACHA Division I Ice Hockey.

Not so currently, I am...
a former Pharmaceutical Engineering intern at Revolution Medicines supporting drug product manufacturing, and a former Validation Engineer at Kymanox qualifying novel robotic systems under GMP/FDA guidelines.

Important Documents

I'm passionate about building systems that make science faster and more reliable. My work sits at the intersection of chemical engineering, software automation, and AI. I believe the next generation of laboratories will be driven by intelligent, autonomous workflows.

I bring the same intensity I have on the ice to everything I do: operating under pressure, executing as part of a team, and constantly improving. I'm driven by hard problems, good teammates, and the belief that showing up fully in academics, in research, and in athletics is its own reward.

Engineering & Automation

Python orchestration, lab automation systems, pharmaceutical manufacturing, GMP process engineering, and workcell integration.

Athletics

I play ACHA Division I ice hockey at UIUC and serve as Director of Operations, coordinating game day, fan engagement, alumni initiatives, and team partnerships.

In my free time

Building tools at the intersection of AI and science, tinkering with robotics, and finding any excuse to compete.

Work Experience

NSF iBioFoundry
Aug 2025 – Present

NSF iBioFoundry, Dr. Huimin Zhao Lab

Undergraduate Researcher, Lab Automation & Controls

Champaign, Illinois

Troubleshoot cross-layer equipment failures spanning electromechanical and software interfaces, including method logic, labware configuration, and scheduling dependencies. Develop Python orchestration and control logic for executable workflows with parameter validation and runtime error handling. Own end-to-end workcell development on the Tecan Fluent platform. Designed an agentic AI protocol compiler that converts plain-English experiment descriptions into multi-step, machine-readable workflows.

Python FluentControl Lab Automation Agentic AI Tecan Fluent Workcell Integration
Revolution Medicines
May 2025 – Aug 2025

Revolution Medicines

Pharmaceutical Engineer, Drug Product

Redwood City, California

Built an Excel-based inventory forecasting and control dashboard supporting a $3.3M excipient procurement decision by visualizing on-hand inventory, campaign demand, and material order timing. Developed control charts and process performance summaries for 13+ tablet manufacturing campaigns across two strengths. Standardized documentation templates and reporting across DOE, clinical, and PAR deliverables.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Process Engineering GMP Documentation Control Charts Tech Transfer
Kymanox
May 2024 – Aug 2024

Kymanox

Validation Engineer

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Co-developed qualification protocols for a novel cleaning validation robot, contributing to User Requirement Specifications, hands-on test execution, and GMP/FDA-aligned documentation. Executed 20+ qualification protocols for automated and temperature-controlled systems. Performed root cause analysis on failure modes during iterative usability testing of an automated swabbing device.

GMP/FDA Qualification Protocols Root Cause Analysis Robotic Validation URS
Kymanox
May 2022 – Aug 2023

Kymanox

Operations Data Engineer

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Led a CEO-sponsored initiative to categorize 2,000+ technical deliverables, enabling standardized pricing, scoping, and capability communication across the firm. Built Smartsheet and Excel tools to track workload and surface resource risks across 50+ active projects, improving execution visibility for technical leadership.

Data Engineering Smartsheet Operations Analytics Excel

Education

University of Illinois
3.92 GPA

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering

Expected May 2026  ·  Champaign, Illinois

Research Focus

Lab automation, agentic AI systems, and Python-driven workflow orchestration in the NSF iBioFoundry.

Leadership

Director of Operations, UIUC ACHA Division I Ice Hockey, managing game day, alumni, and digital operations for a competitive D1 program.

Began coursework at Ohio University (Aug 2021 – May 2024) before transferring to UIUC.

Projects

Building tools at the intersection of AI, automation, and science.

Agentic Protocol Compiler

Active

NSF iBioFoundry, Dr. Huimin Zhao Lab

An agentic AI system that converts plain-English experiment descriptions into multi-step, machine-readable workflows with supporting Python execution code for automated equipment coordination. Enables researchers to describe experimental intent in natural language and receive deployment-ready automation scripts for a 15+ instrument workcell.

Python Agentic AI LLM Lab Automation FluentControl

Robot Arm Project

Coming Soon

Spring 2026

A new robotics project currently in development. More details coming soon.

Robotics Python

Technical Skills

Automation & Controls

Proficient
FluentControl Workcell Integration Liquid Handling Multi-instrument Coordination Robotic Validation Equipment Qualification Tecan Fluent

Programming & Modeling

Proficient
Python MATLAB Git KNIME CHEMCAD

AI & Agentic Systems

Developing
Agentic Workflow Design LLM Protocol Compilation ML Feedback Loops Claude API Cursor

Data & Documentation

Proficient
Excel Smartsheet GMP Documentation Control Charts Data Dashboards Pass-down Communications