Scott Hanton

South Lyon

Editorial Director at Lab Manager

Featured in: Favicon

labmanager.com Favicon

clinicallab.com Favicon

g2intelligence.com

Articles

Three Keys to Improve Resilience in the Lab

2 weeks ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

Resilience is an important trait for successful lab scientists. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “…the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences…” Lab work can be both difficult and challenging, but lab managers can help staff grow their resilience and ability to bounce back from adversity by building a supportive community in the lab.
Laser Safety in Labs: 7 Critical Tips to Follow

1 month ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

Lasers are powerful tools that are often used in labs requiring intense light sources to study or manipulate different kinds of materials. Due to the intensity of the light and the power of the laser beams, lasers present some significant hazards to lab staff. Especially for non-visible lasers, these risks can be unseen and not effectively addressed. Laser safety is defined by ANSI Z136.1, a widely recognized industry safety standard.
AI in the Lab: Faster, Smarter Drug Discovery

1 month ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

The complexity of science that modern labs are tasked to investigate is constantly increasing. To more effectively explore that complexity, labs benefit from implementing AI technology to speed up decision-making, improve workflows, and spot subtle trends in data. However, many labs are unsure of how to approach AI applications. For a broader perspective on the impacts of AI technology on labs, we spoke with Christian Olsen, associate vice president, industry principal, biologics at Dotmatics.
Top Ways to Improve Lab Resource Management

1 month ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

Managing lab operations requires constant decision-making, often across competing priorities. With broad responsibilities and their teams depending on their direction, lab managers can quickly face decision fatigue. However, by evaluating each category of lab resources more strategically, managers can streamline their choices and improve outcomes—freeing up time and mental bandwidth for higher-impact leadership decisions.
Service Contracts and Smart Budgeting for Lab Managers

1 month ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

Creating, managing, and getting approval for the lab’s budget is one of the most important and difficult responsibilities for a lab manager. An important part of the budgeting process is taking proper care of the equipment, instruments, and tools in the lab. Repair and maintenance are often one of the top five costs for labs. For most labs there isn’t enough budget to cover all the complex equipment with service contracts.
Marketlab Develops Innovative Products to Solve Important Issues with Lab Tasks

1 month ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

Modern lab work encompasses a huge number of different tasks, activities, and procedures. Every one of those actions requires different equipment and tools to properly complete. Many laboratorians become quite adept at creating their own modifications of standard lab equipment to get the job done easier, better, and faster. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a vendor that focused on delivering high-quality tools and equipment to serve those myriad needs?
Lab Monitoring Data Enables Lab Optimization and Reduced Costs

2 months ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

Modern lab monitoring systems have a significant impact on how labs operate by providing real-time data that can improve safety, compliance, and efficiency. Combining a wide variety of sensor data with powerful AI/ML-driven software applications and dashboards provides lab managers with incredible insight into the operation and utilization of equipment and instruments.
The Power of Positive Lab Culture in Science

2 months ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

A positive work environment provides the foundation for a lab to excel. It is where people feel safe to be themselves and share their ideas. Leadership is open enough to ask for help, the team is aligned with the lab’s purpose, individuals prioritize high-quality connections, and authenticity fosters honesty. Labs with a positive culture enable staff to grow, learn, and develop without worrying about gossip, politics, and backstabbing.
Three Keys to Improve Your Coaching

2 months ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

An important soft skill for lab managers to develop is to be a better coach for their staff. Coaching is about sharing tips, advice, and encouragement to help staff grow and develop. It is a collaborative process focused on skill growth and empowerment. It is often more about how to approach different situations and problems and less about solving a specific challenge in the lab.
Three Keys to Get Better Information

2 months ago | labmanager.com | Scott Hanton

Despite their experience and expertise, lab managers can’t see everything that’s happening in the lab. They rely on others to share their observations and report events from the lab and feedback from key stakeholders. In his book, The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle presents the importance of emotional safety in building a successful team or organization. One aspect of emotional safety that he emphasizes is to embrace the messenger.