Alex Gmerek is currently a MASc. student at Carleton University and a researcher for the CEnter for SElf Replication (CESER). His research focus is on the development of new and useful scientific instruments and their use techniques. He has developed contact based, and stand-off Raman spectrometers for solid body identification, and a tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (TDLAS) for gas identification, and is currently working on combining a Raman spectrometer with a confocal microscope for in field use. The last instrument will be used for solid body identification capable of micro-surface image acquisition. His work is important as self-replicating machines need to be able to identify and confirm the components they use for production.