100 Strong: Voices from Albert Invent's Global Team

Name and Role: Sivatharsini, Senior Eng.
Location: Madurai, India
When did you join Albert? January 2017
What are a few fun facts about your city or country? There are lot, but for me, I love the festivals of Diwali and Pongal. But also – did you know that the game Snakes & Ladders originated in India?

As a Data Engineer at Albert, I focus on enabling reporting and data solutions for breakthrough projects, as well as automating key processes within data engineering. I began my journey as a full-stack developer supporting Molecule, a company developing innovative 3D printing materials, on a digital project that they were calling Albert.  After Henkel's acquisition of Molecule in 2019, I continued helping to develop Albert, introducing a new UI along with several improvements and features. In 2021, Albert spun out as its own company, and during this transition, we made a significant shift from a monolithic architecture to microservices, where I played a key role in ensuring a smooth migration process. Since 2023, I've been working as a Data Engineer, focusing on automation and driving breakthrough projects to streamline operations. Throughout my time here, I have collaborated on various data migration projects with colleagues from our US team, enhancing my professional development through global communication and exposure to new technologies. What excites me most about Albert's future is its potential to connect R&D labs across organizations, creating a unified and collaborative environment where everything is easily accessible and well-integrated, similar to Amazon's model. This transformation would revolutionize how labs operate and innovate, making research more efficient and connected globally.

Hindi Translation:
नामऔर भूमिका: सिवाथारसिनी, सीनियर इंजीनियर
स्थान:मदुरै, भारत
आपनेअल्बर्ट में कब जॉइन किया? जनवरी 2017

आपकेशहर या देश के बारे में कुछ मजेदार तथ्य क्या हैं?

बहुतसारे हैं, लेकिन मेरेलिए, मुझे दिवाली औरपोंगल के त्योहार बहुतपसंद हैं। और क्याआप जानते हैं कि सांप-सीढ़ी का खेल भारतमें उत्पन्न हुआ था?

अल्बर्टमें एक डेटा इंजीनियर के रूप में आपकी भूमिका क्या है?

अल्बर्टमें एक डेटा इंजीनियरके रूप में, मैंब्रेकथ्रू प्रोजेक्ट्स के लिए रिपोर्टिंगऔर डेटा सॉल्यूशन्स सक्षमकरने पर ध्यान केंद्रितकरती हूँ, साथ हीडेटा इंजीनियरिंग के प्रमुख प्रोसेसेसको ऑटोमेट करती हूँ।

मैंनेअपनी यात्रा एक फुल-स्टैकडेवलपर के रूप में Molecule में शुरू की, जो 3D प्रिंटिंग सामग्री विकसित करने वाली एककंपनी है। यहां मैंनेअल्बर्ट नामक आंतरिक सॉफ्टवेयरप्लेटफ़ॉर्म के लिए डेटाबेसऔर API डिज़ाइन करने पर कामकिया, जिसे हम अपने R&D प्रक्रियाओं को सपोर्ट करनेके लिए बना रहेथे। 2019 में Henkel द्वारा Molecule का अधिग्रहण करनेके बाद, मैंने अल्बर्टको और विकसित करनेमें मदद की, जिसमेंएक नया UI और कई सुधारव सुविधाएं शामिल थीं।

2021 में, अल्बर्ट एक स्वतंत्र कंपनीके रूप में उभरा, और इस परिवर्तन केदौरान, हमने एक महत्वपूर्णबदलाव करते हुए मोनोलिथिकआर्किटेक्चर से माइक्रोसर्विसेज मेंशिफ्ट किया। मैंने इस माइग्रेशन प्रक्रियाको सुचारू बनाने में प्रमुख भूमिकानिभाई।

2023 से, मैं एक डेटा इंजीनियरके रूप में ऑटोमेशनऔर ब्रेकथ्रू प्रोजेक्ट्स पर काम कररही हूँ, जो संचालनको सरल बनाने परकेंद्रित हैं।

इस दौरान, मैंने यूएस टीम केअपने सहयोगियों के साथ विभिन्नडेटा माइग्रेशन प्रोजेक्ट्स पर सहयोग किया, जिससे मुझे वैश्विक संचारऔर नई तकनीकों केसंपर्क के माध्यम सेअपने पेशेवर विकास को बढ़ाने कामौका मिला।

अल्बर्टके भविष्य के बारे में आपको सबसे ज्यादा क्या उत्साहित करता है?

अल्बर्टके भविष्य में मुझे इसकीक्षमता सबसे अधिक उत्साहितकरती है, जो विभिन्नसंगठनों के R&D लैब्स को जोड़ने केलिए एक एकीकृत औरसहयोगी वातावरण तैयार कर सकता है।यह सब कुछ आसानीसे सुलभ और अच्छीतरह से इंटीग्रेटेड बनाएगा, ठीक उसी तरह जैसे Amazon का मॉडल। यह परिवर्तन लैब्सके संचालन और नवाचार केतरीके को क्रांतिकारी बनादेगा, जिससे शोध अधिक प्रभावीऔर वैश्विक स्तर पर जुड़ाहुआ हो सकेगा।

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Name and Role: Sebastian Bernasek, Senior ML Engineer
Location: Incline Village, Nevada, USA
When did you join Albert? November 2023
What are a few fun facts about your city or country? Incline Village is near Lake Tahoe, but we're actually farther west than Los Angeles. Tahoe itself is the third oldest lake in the world, and its 37 trillion gallon volume could cover the entire area of California in 14 inches (36 cm) of water.

As a ML Engineer, I lead the development of the machine learning and optimization engine that powers Breakthrough, our AI platform for helping chemists and formulators design new products. My journey started in chemical engineering, but I’ve been developing software for data-driven R&D throughout the past decade. Whether the application was scaling up biofuel tech, automating a robotic wet lab, demystifying genetic control of fruit fly eye development, or developing sustainable materials and consumer products, there was always a central theme – leveraging data, math, and software to drive experimental design. My work at Albert unifies everything I’ve come to love about R&D – from trying to disentangle a complex web of perplexing experimental results, to the thrill of experimental breakthroughs, to crafting a toolbox and a compelling story that empowers others to do the same.  I also think it’s very cool how effectively we collaborate despite our being geographically scattered around the world. Breakthrough is the product of close daily collaboration between ML engineers and designers in the US, software engineers in India, and data scientists in Europe, and yet we work together just as efficiently as we would with another team just down the road – but with the superpower that we can hotfix bugs in the middle of the night without anyone losing any sleep. Having such a diverse team also yields a wealth of perspectives and experiences to draw from, ensuring that we never run out of exciting ideas for all the amazing new things we can do with all the data Albert helps its customers collect, and that keeps me motivated to keep building out our capabilities every day.

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Name and Role: Patthira Miyama, Solution Engineer
Location: Japan
When did you join Albert? July 2024
What are a few fun facts about your city or country? Alongside our major tech companies and cutting-edge robotics, many businesses still utilize fax machines and personal seals for documents and transactions. This unique blend of tradition and innovation makes Japan's approach to technology truly remarkable!

As a Solution Engineer, I work with clients to understand their needs and provide tailored solutions. My role involves grasping customer challenges and demonstrating how our data-driven platform can enhance R&D and drive innovation. My journey to Albert Invent began with a passion for chemistry, working three years as a chemist in latex and one year in catalyst development. I then spent four years as an Application Specialist in scientific equipment and heavy machinery industries. I collaborated with our Solution Engineer team in the US to prepare data for platform demos, integrating our solutions with a client's existing data. This experience enhanced my knowledge and fostered teamwork through our diverse perspectives. Working at a global company has greatly influenced my professional development by promoting diversity, strengthening collaboration, and encouraging innovation. What excites me most about Albert’s future is our commitment to innovation. I believe we’re developing groundbreaking solutions that will significantly impact the global chemical industry, and I'm thrilled to be part of this journey! I'm also impressed by the hard work driving our rapid growth. In the three months since I joined, I’ve seen consistent improvements in our platform and new features that meet customer needs.

Japanese Translation
‍名前と役割： ソリューションエンジニア 、三山パッテイラ
所在地： 日本
アルバートに入社日：2024年7月
あなたが住んでいる都市や国で面白い事実はありますか？　ロボティクスなどの最先端技術を導入し始めている会社がある中で、伝統的な印鑑での書類のやり取りやＦＡＸを使用している会社があります。日本はこのような革新的な技術と伝統的な手法がユニークに混ざりあい、日本の技術へのアプローチをユニークなものにしています。

ソリューション・エンジニアとして、お客様のニーズを理解し、オーダーメイドのソリューションを提供しています。私の役割は、お客様の課題を把握し、当社のデータドリブンなプラットフォームがどのように研究開発を効率化でき、イノベーションを促進できるかを示すことです。アルバート・インベントに入社するまでの道のりは、化学への情熱から始まり、ラテックスの化学者として3年間、触媒開発に1年間携わりました。その後、アプリケーション・スペシャリストとして4年間、科学機器および重機械業界で働きました。米国のソリューション・エンジニア・チームと協力して、クライアントの既存データをもとに、プラットフォームデモ用のデータを準備し、クライアントの既存材料と当社のソリューションで活用できることを証明しました。この経験は私の知識を高め、多様な視点を通してチームワークを育みました。グローバル企業で働くことは、多様性を促進し、コラボレーションを強化し、イノベーションを奨励することで、私のプロフェッショナルとしての成長に大きな影響を与えました。私がもっともアルバートについて感心しているのは、将来への継続的なイノベーションです。私たちアルバートは、世界の化学産業に大きな影響を与える画期的なソリューションを開発していると信じています！また、お客様のニーズによりそう姿勢が当社の急成長の原動力となっており、感銘を受けています。私が入社して3ヶ月の間に、私たちのプラットフォームが継続して改善され、顧客のニーズを満たす新機能が追加されているのを目の当たりにし、今後のアップデートにもワクワクしています！

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Name and Role: Matthias Hofmann, Associate Director, Delivery Operations
Location: Munich, Germany
When did you join Albert? July 2023
What are a few fun facts about your city or country? There are more than 3000 different types of bread and other baked goods in Germany, and Berlin has more bridges than Venice.

As an Associate Director in the Strategy and Delivery unit of Albert, I am working closely with customers to support their transition towards the end-to-end R&D processes facilitated by our platform. After finishing my Ph.D. in physical chemistry and close to 5 years at BASF as a lab leader in the construction chemical formulation space, I took the opportunity to follow my enthusiasm for scientific work and digital tools as part of an international team. Having the chance to connect with my colleagues all over the world on a daily basis for close to every customer project gives us a great pool of resources in terms of changing one's perspective or tactical approach towards a challenge. Looking to the future of the Albert team and product: It's already a one-of-a-kind tool, and the best is yet to come. Having seen all the progress over the last year, I am excited to see the real-world impact that we will have in the future on boosting scientists’ workflows like never before. 🚀

DE Translation
Name und Rolle: Matthias Hofmann, Associate Director, Delivery Operations
Standort: München, Germany
Wann hast Du dich Albert angeschlossen? Juli 2023
Was sind ein paar interessante Fakten über Deine Stadt oder Dein Land? In Deutschland gibt es mehr als 3000 verschiedene Brot- und Backwarensorten und Berlin hat mehr Brücken als Venedig.

Als Associate Director in der Strategy & Delivery-Einheit von Albert arbeite ich eng mit Kunden zusammen, um sie beim Übergang zum End-to-End-F&E-Prozessen, der durch unsere Plattform ermöglicht wird, zu unterstützen. Nach Abschluss meiner Promotion in physikalischer Chemie und fast fünf Jahren bei BASF als Laborleiter im Bereich bauchemischer Formulierungen nutzte ich die Gelegenheit, meiner Begeisterung für wissenschaftliches Arbeiten und digitale Werkzeuge als Teil eines internationalen Teams nachzugehen. Die Möglichkeit, täglich mit meinen Kollegen auf der ganzen Welt für nahezu jedes Kundenprojekt in engen Kontakt zu treten, verschafft uns einen großen Ressourcenpool, um die eigene Perspektive oder die taktische Herangehensweise an eine Herausforderung zu verändern. Mit Blick auf die Zukunft des Albert-Teams und des Produkts: Es ist bereits ein einzigartiges Werkzeug für Forscher und Entwickler in einer Vielzahl von Branchen, und Albert verbessert sich jeden Tag. Nachdem ich all die Weiterentwicklungen und Anpassungen seit dem Zeitpunkt meines Einstiegs bei Albert gesehen habe, bin ich gespannt und freue mich auf die positiven Auswirkungen, die wir in Zukunft auf die Verbesserung von täglichen Arbeitsabläufen für Wissenschaftlern erreichen werden.

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Conclusion

As we celebrate welcoming 100 employees to Albert, these stories illustrate the power of diverse perspectives and global collaboration. Each team member brings unique insights and experiences, contributing to Albert Invent's innovative spirit and success. As we continue to grow, we remain committed to fostering an inclusive, global company that pushes the boundaries of material science innovation.

Interested in joining our global team? Check out our Careers page to see current openings and learn more about life at Albert Invent.