This disclosure is a system for heating a sample, e.g. a biological material, in a vessel. The system can include a heating device configured to transmit energy to the vessel and a base moveably coupled to the heating device. The system can also include a processor configured to receive an input associated with a target temperature, and transmit a signal to controllably move the heating device relative to the base for a time period, wherein the time period is determined based on the target temperature and content volume.