Well, it’s official – I’m going to start a new position at the R&D department of Nanotronics, a company that does automation and AI for manufacturing process control.

I’m going to be researching new applications for their core technology, a system that uses machine learning to tune parameters along a manufacturing pipeline – or to guide a human worker – to optimize output and quality. I’m really excited about the possibilities here. I’ve known some of the Nanotronics people for a long time, and feel lucky to be working with such brilliant and high-integrity folks.

The new job is in Brooklyn, so that’s where my family & I are going, at the end of the month. I’d love to catch up with New York friends (and make new ones) – outside, of course!

Does this mean Daphnia Labs is dead?

Unfortunately, yes.

To recap, I started a company about a year ago with the goal of building an automated platform for drug screening in invertebrates, with the goal of discovering new life-extending drugs.

I still think that research thesis should be done, but we weren’t able to make it work as a business. We may have been too early; a new model organism and a new technology platform and being in the relatively new and controversial field of longevity means we had some skepticism to overcome. Not to mention we were hit with a global pandemic before we could really get sales off the ground.

I’m disappointed that I couldn’t figure out a way to make Daphnia Labs work, but I’m moving on and excited for what lies ahead.