by Ina Reichel
“I very much appreciate that I’ve been recognized for my contributions to the ALS,” said Database Specialist Mel Sibony upon receiving the 2024 Renner Award. He credited his work environment for contributing to his achievements. “Though I am the only software and hardware support for the ALS database, I work closely with a great team in the User Office.” Together, they strive to improve the workflow for staff, users, and scientists.
In celebration of his work, the ALS Users’ Executive Committee presented Sibony with the 2024 Tim Renner User Services Award “for outstanding support of the ALS user community through the development and maintenance of the 4D software system and database and computer hardware at the ALS.”
Sibony’s work may not be visible to users at first glance, as he develops and maintains the ALS 4D Database for the User Office and has been at it for over 20 years. The database tracks all users, proposals, and publications for the ALS. But, that’s not all. It also houses a list of beamlines, institutions and their agreements, and all the proposal reviewers for the ALS. Finally, it’s the backend database for a lot of other applications, including the ALS Experiment Safety Assessment Form (ESAF) and Scheduler, the ALSHub portal, as well as applications supported by beamline staff that require user authentication. Sibony has done a lot of customization of the database and is always quick in responding to bug reports or requests for additional features.
Sibony was quick to acknowledge his team in the User Office and beyond, and his colleagues just as readily commended his work. Paris Gordon, an administrator in the User Services Group, explained the importance of the 4D database. “As a team, we depend on Mel to keep the system going to enable the processing of our ALS users in a timely manner.” They know that they can rely on the system for reports, automated emails, and notifications to the research community. “It’s essential for processing users for on-site work, remote visits, as well as gathering and maintaining important data,” said Gordon.
“Mel has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the ALS by providing outstanding support to our users,” added Angela Setiadi, an ALS administrator. She described how Sibony has directly advanced user support. “His proactive approach to troubleshooting and resolving issues has not only minimized processing times, but also fostered a collaborative and supportive environment within our community.”
A background in several industries prepared Sibony for the varied database functions he’s set up at the ALS. Before coming to the ALS, Sibony worked for a number of tech companies in Silicon Valley, and then some biotech companies in the East Bay working on databases and related products. When he came to Berkeley Lab, he first worked for the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP) and the Human Mammalian Epithelial Cell (HMEC) bank before joining the ALS full time.
When working with users who come to the ALS from all corners of the world, Sibony has the advantage of having had an international upbringing himself. He was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and grew up in Livorno, Italy, until he went to UC Santa Barbara for college. He is fluent in Italian and French, and also speaks Spanish and Hebrew. He enjoys traveling, so it is no surprise that he learned about receiving the Renner Award while checking his email on vacation to make sure there was no database emergency!