Autonomous Robotic Intelligent SystemsSahil Sandeep Salekar
Tell us about your journey towards doing a Masters. What did you study at undergraduate level and where?
Before joining the University of Strathclyde, I completed my undergraduate degree in Mechatronics Engineering at NMIMS University in India. During my bachelor's, I developed a strong interest in automation and robotics through various hands-on projects and extracurricular activities. I interned with companies working in industrial automation, where I gained early exposure to PLCs, HMIs, and robotics systems.
What made you first apply for the Masters?
I applied to Strathclyde primarily because of its global reputation in engineering and the impressive research facilities available in the EEE department. The Sensor Enabled Automation & Robotics Control Hub (SEARCH) with its diverse range of industrial robots and focus on collaborative industry projects was particularly appealing to me. I wanted to be part of a programme that bridges the gap between academia and real-world applications, and Strathclyde’s MSc in Autonomous Robotic Intelligent Systems seemed like the perfect fit.
How have you enjoyed the course so far?
My experience at Strathclyde was transformative, both academically and personally. The coursework was rigorous yet engaging, and the teaching staff were incredibly supportive. I enjoyed participating in group projects where I got to collaborate with students from diverse backgrounds. The career fairs and workshops helped me prepare for future roles and opened my eyes to opportunities across industries.
Additionally, the campus environment and vibrant student community made my time in Glasgow memorable.
What technical expertise & skills have you developed as part of the course?
The course provided me with a strong foundation in robotics, machine learning, computer vision, and control systems. I gained hands-on experience with industrial and mobile robots, learning how to implement vision-based navigation, sensor integration, and real-time decision-making systems.
I significantly improved my programming skills in Python and LabVIEW, and worked extensively with microcontrollers and various sensors for automation and robotic control tasks.
Tell us about your project. Who was it with & what did you work on?
For my final dissertation, I worked with the CMAC (Centre for Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation) pharmaceutical research centre at the University of Strathclyde. I was part of the Crystallisation Screening Data Factory (CSDF) project, which focuses on automating high-throughput crystallisation experiments for pharmaceutical development.
The goal of my project was to develop a fully autonomous robotic system to handle vial transfers across multiple instruments within the CSDF setup. I designed a Python-based task manager to queue and assign tasks to a collaborative robot, enabling it to intelligently interact with instruments like the Crystalline using gRPC APIs. The system could automatically detect free reactors, start crystallisation experiments, monitor their status, and unload completed vials — all with minimal human intervention.
This project brought together my skills in robotics, automation, software integration, and real-time system coordination, and gave me valuable exposure to how robotic systems can be deployed in pharmaceutical research environments to accelerate discovery and reduce manual workload.
What are you planning to do after you graduate? What are your ambitions for the future?
After graduating, I plan to continue working in the pharmaceutical automation sector. My goal is to contribute to the development of smart, autonomous systems that can streamline drug development and manufacturing processes. I want to combine my industrial automation background with my expertise in robotics and intelligent systems to help pharma companies reduce manual errors, improve throughput, and accelerate research timelines. In the long term, I aspire to lead projects that integrate robotics, AI, and IoT to build the next generation of intelligent pharmaceutical labs.