We are EMBL: Shrayans Agrawal on network engineering and connectivity

Shrayans Agrawal joined EMBL-EBI as a Network Engineer in 2021. He led the network set-up for EMBL-EBI’s new Thornton Building. It was a team effort that saw 40 network switches installed in the building in record time – all at arm’s reach and invisible to the eye.

Tell me a little bit about your background. 

I started my career in IT in 2006, with a specific focus on networks. I’m originally from Rajasthan in India. I joined EMBL-EBI’s ITS Infrastructure team in August 2021, just as staff and students were returning to the office after working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What does your role entail?

When you think about networking and IT, the main thing is connectivity. My role is to make sure that the computers of everyone working at EMBL-EBI can talk to each other. It doesn’t matter what building colleagues are based in, or whether they’re working from home, or travelling, they should have access to EMBL-EBI IT resources securely. They also have to be able to connect with colleagues at other EMBL sites and external collaborators. 

My role also covers the interconnectivity between EMBL-EBI in Hinxton and our data centres, which are located off-site, and which are essential for storing the vast quantity of life science data that EMBL-EBI makes available to the world. 

Network security is another major part of my team’s portfolio, and increasingly important as cyberattacks become more common and sophisticated. 

What are some of the big projects you’ve worked on recently?

Preparing EMBL-EBI’s new Thornton Building for its first occupants was one of the team’s main projects in 2024. The central idea, which applies across all of EMBL-EBI’s buildings, is for technology to be seamlessly connected in a way that makes hybrid working easier, while also creating spaces for more human interactions.

To enable this, the IT vision was to leverage the best connection speeds on the best possible infrastructure. We also wanted the network to be consistent across all our buildings. This way, when colleagues have meetings in another building, the experience should be ‘plug and play’.

The resilience of our network was also crucial, so thinking about all the things that could happen, such as power outages, equipment failure etc. It was a team effort that saw 40 network switches installed in the Thornton Building in record time – all at arm’s reach and invisible to the eye! 

What do you enjoy most about working at EMBL-EBI?

EMBL-EBI is the most wonderful place I’ve worked at in terms of location. I’m not a fan of tall buildings so our sprawling campus and its natural beauty make me smile every day. Especially in spring, to look out the window and see rabbits run across a field is the most wonderful thing.  

At EMBL-EBI every day is a new day for learning. Working here gives you liberty to implement your thoughts and ideas, and to deliver the best you can, with the support of colleagues. It’s a place where you have the freedom to apply creative thinking in your job. 

Do you have any unusual hobbies or interests?

I’m really interested in the mechanics of cars and automobiles in general, whether they’re fuel-based or not. For me, the car is an embodiment of true human ingenuity, where you apply physics, engineering, mechanics, everything into one single thing that makes the world move. The fact that hundreds of parts are working together in unison to get you to places is just ‘wow’ for me!

I will say though, as much as I love cars, computers are still more fascinating!