Abhishek Sharma

Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow

Preprints and Submitted

  1. Jirasek, M.; Sharma, A.; Wong, M.; Munro, J.; Cronin, L. Quantifying the Emergence of Selection Prior to Biological Evolution arXiv 2025. PAPER

  2. Rutter L. A.; Sharma, A. ; Seet, I.; Obeh Alobo, D.; Goto, A.; Cronin, L. Exploring molecular assembly as a biosignature using mass spectrometry and machine learning arXiv 2025. PAPER

  3. Guillen Soler, M.; Rauschen, R.; Laws, K.; Sharma, A.; Grocholski; N.; McNulty, M.; Cronin, L. ElectroChemputer with Integrated Monitoring for Programmable Electrochemistry. ChemRxiv 2025. PAPER

  4. Cronin, L.; Pagel, S.; Sharma, A. Chemputer and Chemputation – A Universal Chemical Compound Synthesis Machine arXiv 2025. PAPER

  5. Patarroyo, K.; Sharma, A.; Seet I.; Packmore I.; Walker S.; Cronin L. Quantifying the Complexity of Materials with Assembly Theory arXiv 2025. (shared first author) PAPER

  6. Maeke, T.; McCaskill, J.; Funke, D.; Mayr, P.; Sharma, A.; Tangen, U.; Oehm, J. Autonomous Programmable Microscopic Electronic Lablets Optimized with Digital Control. arXiv 2024. PAPER

  7. Kahana, A.; MacLeod, A.; Mehr, H.; Sharma A. ; Carrick E.; Jirasek, M.; Walker, S.; Cronin, L. Constructing the Molecular Tree of Life using Assembly Theory and Mass Spectrometry. arXiv 2024. PAPER

  8. Pagel, S.; Sharma, A.; Cronin, L.; Mapping Evolution of Molecules Across Biochemistry with Assembly Theory. arXiv 2024. PAPER

  9. Lee, E C ; Salley, D.; Sharma, A.; Croninm, L.; AI-Driven Robotic Crystal Explorer for Rapid Polymorph Identification. arXiv 2024. PAPER

Publications

1. Physics of Matter and Life

  1. Jirasek, M.; Sharma, A.; Bame, J. R.; Mehr, S. H. M.; Bell, N.; Marshall, S. M.; Mathis, C.; MacLeod, A.; Cooper, G. J. T.; Swart, M.; Mollfulleda, R.; Cronin, L. Investigating and Quantifying Molecular Complexity Using Assembly Theory and Spectroscopy. ACS Cent. Sci. 2024, 10 (5), 1054–1064. (shared first author) PAPER

  2. Asche, S.; Pow, R. W.; Mehr, H. M.; Cooper, G. J. T.; Sharma, A.; Cronin, L. Evidence of Selection in Mineral Mediated Polymerization Reactions Executed in a Robotic Chemputer System. ChemSystemsChem 2024, 6 (3), e202400006. PAPER

  3. Sharma, A.; Czégel, D.; Lachmann, M.; Kempes, C. P.; Walker, S. I.; Cronin, L. Assembly Theory Explains and Quantifies Selection and Evolution. Nature 2023, 622 (7982), 321–328. PAPER

  4. Kahana, A.; Jirasek, M.; Asche, S.; Sharma, A.; Marshall, S.; Cronin, L. Identifying Molecular Selection Using Assembly Theory and Closed-Loop Experiments. In The 2023 Conference on Artificial Life; MIT Press, 2023. CONF PAPER

  5. Patarroyo, K. Y.; Sharma, A.; Walker, S.; Cronin, L. AssemblyCA: A Benchmark of Open-Endedness for Discrete Cellular Automata. In Second Agent Learning in Open-Endedness Workshop 2023. CONF PAPER

2. Uncoventional Computation

  1. Parrilla-Gutierrez, J. M.; Sharma, A.; Tsuda, S.; Cronin, L. Programming Weakly Connected Chemical Oscillators to Simulate Logic Gates and Cellular Automata; In The 2024 Conference on Artificial Life 2024; p 119. CONF PAPER

  2. Sharma, A.; Ng, M. T.-K.; Parrilla Gutierrez, J. M.; Jiang, Y.; Cronin, L. A Programmable Hybrid Digital Chemical Information Processor Based on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction. Nat Commun 2024, 15 (1), 1984. PAPER

  3. Krasecki, V. K.; Sharma, A.; Cavell, A. C.; Forman, C.; Guo, S. Y.; Jensen, E. T.; Smith, M. A.; Czerwinski, R.; Friederich, P.; Hickman, R. J.; Gianneschi, N.; Aspuru-Guzik, A.; Cronin, L.; Goldsmith, R. H. The Role of Experimental Noise in a Hybrid Classical-Molecular Computer to Solve Combinatorial Optimization Problems. ACS Cent. Sci. 2023, 9 (7), 1453–1465. PAPER

  4. Aspuru-Guzik, A.; Guo, S.Y.; Wu, T.C.C.; FRIEDERICH, P.T.; Goldsmith, R.H.; Cronin, L.; Sharma, A.; Cao, Y.; Gianneschi, N.C.; FORMAN, C.J.; University of Toronto, 2022. Molecular computing methods and systems for solving computational problems. U.S. Patent Application 17/772,169 PATENT

  5. Guo, S. Y.; Friederich, P.; Cao, Y.; Wu, T. C.; Forman, C. J.; Mendoza, D.; Degroote, M.; Cavell, A.; Krasecki, V.; Hickman, R. J.; Sharma, A.; Cronin, L.; Gianneschi, N.; Goldsmith, R. H.; Aspuru-Guzik, A. A Molecular Computing Approach to Solving Optimization Problems via Programmable Microdroplet Arrays. Matter 2021, 4 (4), 1107–1124. PAPER

  6. Parrilla-Gutierrez, J. M.; Sharma, A.; Tsuda, S.; Cooper, G. J. T.; Aragon-Camarasa, G.; Donkers, K.; Cronin, L. A Programmable Chemical Computer with Memory and Pattern Recognition. Nat Commun 2020, 11 (1), 1442. PAPER

3. Materials Discovery using Self-driving Labs

  1. Laws, K.; Tze‐Kiat Ng, M.; Sharma, A.; Jiang, Y.; Hammer, A. J. S.; Cronin, L. An Autonomous Electrochemical Discovery Robot That Utilises Probabilistic Algorithms: Probing the Redox Behaviour of Inorganic Materials. ChemElectroChem 2024, 11 (1), e202300532. PAPER

  2. Jiang, Y.; Sharma, A.; Cronin, L. An Accelerated Method for Investigating Spectral Properties of Dynamically Evolving Nanostructures. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2023, 14 (16), 3929–3938. (shared first author) PAPER

  3. Jiang, Y.; Salley, D.; Sharma, A.; Keenan, G.; Mullin, M.; Cronin, L. An Artificial Intelligence Enabled Chemical Synthesis Robot for Exploration and Optimization of Nanomaterials. Sci. Adv. 2022, 8 (40), eabo2626. PAPER

  4. Cao, L.; Russo, D.; Felton, K.; Salley, D.; Sharma, A.; Keenan, G.; Mauer, W.; Gao, H.; Cronin, L.; Lapkin, A. A. Optimization of Formulations Using Robotic Experiments Driven by Machine Learning DoE. Cell Reports Physical Science 2021, 2 (1), 100295. PAPER

  5. Salley, D.; Keenan, G.; Grizou, J.; Sharma, A.; Martín, S.; Cronin, L. A Nanomaterials Discovery Robot for the Darwinian Evolution of Shape Programmable Gold Nanoparticles. Nat Commun 2020, 11 (1), 2771. PAPER

  6. Grizou, J.; Points, L. J.; Sharma, A.; Cronin, L. A Curious Formulation Robot Enables the Discovery of a Novel Protocell Behavior. Sci. Adv. 2020, 6 (5), eaay4237. PAPER

  7. Duros, V.; Grizou, J.; Sharma, A.; Mehr, S. H. M.; Bubliauskas, A.; Frei, P.; Miras, H. N.; Cronin, L. Intuition-Enabled Machine Learning Beats the Competition When Joint Human-Robot Teams Perform Inorganic Chemical Experiments. J. Chem. Inf. Model. 2019, 59 (6), 2664–2671. PAPER

4. Microsystems Chemistry and Microtechnology

  1. Cavell, A. C.; Krasecki, V. K.; Li, G.; Sharma, A.; Sun, H.; Thompson, M. P.; Forman, C. J.; Guo, S. Y.; Hickman, R. J.; Parrish, K. A.; Aspuru-Guzik, A.; Cronin, L.; Gianneschi, N. C.; Goldsmith, R. H. Optical Monitoring of Polymerizations in Droplets with High Temporal Dynamic Range. Chem. Sci. 2020, 11 (10), 2647–2656. PAPER

  2. Straczek, L.; Maeke, T.; Funke, D. A.; Sharma, A.; McCaskill, J. S.; Oehm, J. A CMOS 16k Microelectrode Array as Docking Platform for Autonomous Microsystems. In 2016 IEEE Nordic Circuits and Systems Conference (NORCAS); IEEE: Copenhagen, Denmark, 2016; pp 1–6. CONF PAPER

  3. Funke, D. A.; Mayr, P.; Maeke, T.; McCaskill, J. S.; Sharma, A.; Straczek, L.; Oehm, J. Ultra Low-Power, -Area and -Frequency CMOS Thyristor Based Oscillator for Autonomous Microsystems. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 2016, 89 (2), 347–356. PAPER

  4. McCaskill, J.; Maeke, T.; Straczek, L.; Oehm, J.; Mayr, P.; Sharma, A.; Mller, A.; Packard, N.; Rasmussen, S.; Tangen, U. Microarray of Programmable Electrochemically Active Elements. In Proceedings of the Artificial Life Conference 2016; MIT Press: Cancun, Mexico, 2016; pp 78–79. CONF PAPER

  5. Sharma, A.; McCaskill, J. S. Autonomous Lablet Locomotion and Active Docking by Sensomotory Electroosmotic Drive. Proceedings of the Artificial Life Conference In 07/20/2015-07/24/2015; The MIT Press, 2015; pp 456–462. CONF PAPER

  6. Tangen, U.; Minero, G. A. S.; Sharma, A.; Wagler, P. F.; Cohen, R.; Raz, O.; Marx, T.; Ben-Yehezkel, T.; McCaskill, J. S. DNA-Library Assembly Programmed by on-Demand Nano-Liter Droplets from a Custom Microfluidic Chip. Biomicrofluidics 2015, 9 (4), 044103. PAPER

  7. Tangen, U.; Sharma, A.; Wagler, P.; McCaskill, J. S. On Demand Nanoliter-Scale Microfluidic Droplet Generation, Injection, and Mixing Using a Passive Microfluidic Device. Biomicrofluidics 2015, 9 (1), 014119. PAPER

PhD Thesis

  1. Sharma, A. Microscale Transport of Informational Molecules in Smart Electronic Devices, 2018. THESIS