Benchling System Architect

Department: Innovation, Technology and Sustainable Development 

Location: Renewable Chemicals Innovation Center - Lexington, MA 

Travel Involved: ~ 10% 

Job Type: On-Site 

Description: 

Braskem is a global leader in the production of bio-based materials with two renewable research and development facilities located in Campinas, SP, Brazil, and Lexington, MA, US. The two facilities bring together scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines to ideate and develop novel technologies for the production of bio-based chemicals and materials. 

Braskem is seeking an exceptional, highly motivated Benchling System Architect to join our cutting-edge cross-disciplinary team in the renewable chemicals space. We are looking for a Scientist/Engineer with extensive experience improving and managing Benchling, strong database management proficiency, and programming and web application development skills. Knowledge of bioinformatics is a plus.

The successful candidate will focus on implementing, improving, and managing Benchling, web application development, and database management. To enhance our research and development capabilities, the candidate will interact with cross-functional teams, including molecular biologists, biochemists, bioinformaticians, and IT specialists.

Additional Responsibilities and Activities Include: 

• Lead the implementation, configuration, and customization of Benchling to meet the specific needs of our research teams in US and Brazil.
• Manage Benchling project prioritization across different Braskem sites, including data migration and ongoing support. Consultation with groups across Braskem about their database and data analytics needs.
• Training and onboarding of new hires to Benchling, including ongoing development of training resources (documentation, workshops, video tutorials) and keeping users up to date regarding upgrades and new feature releases.
• Develop and maintain workflows, templates, dashboards, and protocols within Benchling to streamline laboratory operations.
• Provide technical support and troubleshooting for Benchling users.
• Ensure data integrity, security, and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Design, develop, and maintain web applications to support various research and operational needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and develop user-friendly applications.
• Integrate web applications with Benchling and other laboratory information management systems (LIMS).
• Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code using appropriate programming languages and frameworks.

Requirements and skills: 

• Demonstrated experience with database administration.
• Experience in implementing and managing Benchling in a research or industrial setting.
• Strong proficiency in database management (SQL) and database technologies (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB).
• Strong programming skills in Python (Flask, PyMYSQL, Pandas, Plotly), R, PHP, HTML, JavaScript
• Familiarity with APIs and experience in integrating software applications.
• Knowledge of cloud computing platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS) and DevOps practices.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to interact effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of bioinformatics is a plus.
• Knowledge or experience in molecular biology, strain engineering, or fermentation is a
• Bilingual is a plus (English/Portuguese)