Building the Future of Lab Automation

For years, Keith Yu built a successful career in drug discovery: developing assays, conducting screenings and helping advance cancer research.

As a research scientist, Keith became known for his expertise in technical writing, instrument troubleshooting and training. One of his greatest strengths has always been finding ways to streamline workflows, save time and reduce user error.

Yet even as his scientific career progressed, Keith found himself increasingly drawn to a different challenge: automation.

That curiosity eventually led him to our software development certificate, where he gained the programming and technical skills needed to begin pivoting toward a future in automation engineering and high-throughput systems development.

The experience not only expanded his technical knowledge, but also helped Keith apply software concepts directly to his scientific work.

The UC Berkeley Extension certificate was more affordable and more flexible as someone working full time. The online go-at-your-own-pace classes were very important in making my decision.

Discovering a New Direction

Before starting our software development courses, Keith’s work placed him at the intersection of science, technology and data. Over time, he realized that software development was becoming increasingly important in scientific research, particularly as laboratories adopted more automation and data-driven processes.

“I believe an understanding of software development is important regardless of career path,” Keith adds. “In drug discovery, in particular, it is very useful for data analysis and high-throughput automation.”

As he evaluated his long-term career goals, Keith initially considered moving into bioinformatics. But another opportunity soon caught his attention.

“Throughout my career, I've always found myself drawn to automation and the streamlining of workflows,” Keith shares.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence and automation technologies helped solidify his decision.

“With the recent innovations in artificial intelligence, I decided that pivoting toward the field of automation development would be a more reliable path forward,” Keith explains. “Skills in software development are one part of that path.”

When searching for learning options, Keith explored coding boot camps and other programs. However, as a working professional, flexibility was essential.

“The UC Berkeley Extension certificate was more affordable and more flexible as someone working full time,” he offers. “The online go-at-your-own-pace classes were very important in making my decision.”

Our software development certificate offered exactly what he needed: practical programming skills, a respected Berkeley credential and the ability to learn while maintaining a demanding work schedule.

“I took every class online as I was also working full time for the majority of the certificate program,” he says. “I thought the courses were largely laid out quite well for online study.”

With the recent innovations in artificial intelligence, I decided that pivoting toward the field of automation development would be a more reliable path forward. Skills in software development are one part of that path.

Learning While Navigating Career Changes

One of the unique aspects of Keith’s educational journey was that it occurred alongside significant professional transitions.

When he began the certificate, Keith was working as an associate research scientist at Exelixis, focusing on assay development and screening in oncology research. While taking classes, Keith transitioned to a scientist II role at Guardant Health, doing troubleshooting and process improvement of the organization’s clinical cancer diagnostic products.

And then a lay-off happened. Rather than viewing that as a setback, Keith used it as an opportunity to continue moving toward his long-term goals.

Today, he works in two different roles that allow him to combine his scientific expertise with his growing interest in automation.

His primary role is as a production support engineer at LabCorp, where he performs troubleshooting and maintenance work. At the same time, he continues scientific research at Z Prime Therapeutics, a cancer drug development startup.

“There, I've already implemented some pieces of automation in the realms of both software and hardware,” Keith says. “With that role, I'm hoping to keep my scientist skills alive while also expanding into any areas where my specific skillset can be used.

“Using some concepts I learned in the certificate,” Keith adds, “I created a basic liquid handling protocol for an assay to rapidly scale a manual process by 10 to 15 times.”

The project perfectly reflected the intersection of software development and scientific research that had motivated Keith to pursue the certificate in the first place.

Rather than simply learning programming concepts in isolation, Keith was able to use those skills to improve laboratory efficiency, increase throughput and support scientific innovation.

Although Keith's career pivot is still underway, he already sees the certificate as an important step toward his long-term aspirations.

When asked what earning the certificate means to him professionally, his answer was straightforward.

“I'm hoping it will help to propel me into the automation space,” he future-casts.

That goal continues to guide his career decisions today. As automation becomes increasingly important across biotechnology, health care and scientific research, Keith sees opportunities to combine his laboratory expertise with software and engineering skills in ways that create meaningful impact.

His advice for students entering the certificate is equally practical.

“Take your time to crunch through all of that information and take your assignments seriously,” he advises. “Take good notes so you can look back at them years later and relearn whenever you need!”

Looking ahead, Keith has a clear vision for where he hopes his career will take him: “I'll be working as an automation engineer or high-throughput screening development scientist,” he says.

For professionals considering a similar transition, Keith’s story demonstrates that career pivots do not always mean leaving previous experience behind. Instead, the right education can help build upon existing expertise, opening doors to new opportunities while preserving the skills and passions that made a career successful in the first place.