Lab Elf - schedule optimizer app for busy, stressed PhD students in the lab

I am new to the world of coding. I come from a science background, with years of long, grueling, sometimes overwhelming series of experiments in the lab. I love science, I love the lab, and I love everything about experiment planning and execution - but sometimes, especially as a student, the delicate dance of scheduling everything perfectly throughout the week to maximize output was just plain too much.

I am an organized person overall, and for me it was still a challenge; for friends of mine that were less neurotic about lists and schedules, planning a max output experiment week while juggling TA responsibilities, literature search and review, writing, and meetings, led to way more stress than is healthy. There's a reason why PhD students are stereotyped as overwhelmed, chronically stressed, very-low-ranking-on-the-mental-health-scale individuals.

As I was getting into building stuff and getting excited about app possibilities, it occurred to me that this scheduling thing is a pain point I experienced for years as a researcher, and I know I'm not the only one. So I brought up the idea to acquaintances and friends in the academic world, who know the challenges of planning a lab week as well as I do. Overall most people loved the concept. There were some who were better at organizing, and felt that it would be unnecessary. But in general people who experienced the research lab ecosystem have been very positive about the idea of a scheduler app.

So I'm doing it - I'm building this app to help PhD students optimize their time, streamline their experimental workflow, and prioritize mental health.

Introducing - Lab Elf.

Lab Elf is a weekly experiment planner for wet lab researchers. You describe your experiments for the week (by text, voice (think flow of consciousness type input), photo, or link), and it builds an optimized schedule that intelligently interleaves wait times. So instead of sitting idle during a centrifuge spin, you're already running something else. Or planning the next experiment setup. Or making buffers. Or analyzing results. It handles multi-day protocols that span weekends, respects biological constraints (e.g. cells need TLC every 2 days or else they die), and learns your lab's specific workflows and "rules" over time through a simple chat interface. Short gaps between tasks will be filled with suggestions for intentional breaks for mental health and wellness - take a walk in the sunshine without your phone, have coffee with a colleague, stretch and take 10 deep breaths, or call your mom (ok I guess it depends who your mom is, but in theory could be classified as a wellness booster).

The app has a Hebrew/English toggle (I'm in Israel), an onboarding flow that adapts to your scientific discipline, a timer for active wait steps (also helps technically in the lab), print/email/share for your schedule, and reads your department's shared equipment signup Google sheets so it knows not to book you on the confocal microscope when someone else has it.

Next on my build agenda: Google OAuth to sync your calendar (with a review step so irrelevant stuff like "give the dog flea meds" don't block your schedule) and write your equipment bookings back into the department sheet automatically.

I'm super excited about this, it's the first time I'm building something that I have experienced so closely from the inside out, and I hope it will be something PhD or other research students can use. Stay tuned for updates,