Devan Shell Ph.D.

Role: Laboratory Informatics Consultant

Team: Amigo Acids

In this month’s #TeamKC Spotlight, we showcase Devan Shell, Consultant on the Amigo Acids team at Karchem. Devan talks about his path from the wet lab to informatics, why he sees his role as the translator between science and technology, and how family keeps him grounded through it all.

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For Devan Shell, his passion has always lived right in the middle between the science happening at the bench and the technology that keeps it running. Before joining Karchem Consulting, Devan earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Catawba College, followed by a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a postdoctoral role at UNC Chapel Hill, where he focused on high-throughput assay development, drug discovery, and computational biophysics, with research internships in biomedical and chemical engineering along the way. Across those chapters, he led work on both the wet-lab and informatics fronts and came to realize his true passion was connecting the two.

"I wanted a career where I would be the translator between those two worlds, and that desire is exactly what brought me to KC," Devan said.

The fit was immediate. Having spent years in the lab himself, Devan knew firsthand how painful data management and data integrity can be for scientists, and he was drawn to a consultancy built entirely around solving those problems.

"It wasn't just a tech role. It was a place where my deep scientific background would help me better understand our clients' pain points and deliver tailored solutions," he said.

Today, as an Associate Consultant, Devan leads client initiatives from the initial discovery phase through implementation and long-term support, with a particular technical focus on integrating lab instruments into clients' Scientific Data Management Systems so their workflows and data stay connected. Beyond client work, he builds internal documentation and tools that help the whole KC team work more efficiently. He started in a support role, stepping in wherever he was needed while getting up to speed, and grew into leading projects thanks to a culture he describes as genuinely empowering.

"From day one, KC has actively supported my growth and made me feel like a major part of the team," Devan said. "Being surrounded by brilliant, collaborative colleagues who genuinely care about innovation makes each day exciting."

For Devan, the reward comes from solving problems the right way: building solutions that last rather than quick fixes that break down later. One project that stands out involved a full revamp of a client's data model that had been patched with temporary fixes over several years. Because the system was so interconnected across teams, Devan and the KC team stepped back to carefully scope the downstream impact before touching the design.

"The most rewarding part was witnessing the immediate impact of the final implementation. Seeing the administrative burden lifted off the stakeholders' shoulders made all of our meticulous planning completely worth it," he said.

That instinct to step back and see the whole picture is at the core of how Devan approaches any difficult project, whether the challenge is technical or a matter of client pushback.

"Adaptability is one of the most critical skills for our work at KC," he said. "We step into many different client environments, each with its own workflows, legacy systems, and team dynamics. Navigating that requires us to think on our feet and bring the exact blend of technical strategy and collaborative empathy the client needs."

When Devan isn't connecting science and technology for KC's clients, family comes first. Based in North Carolina, he spends his time outside of work outdoors and around good food, with hunting, fishing, and watching sports serving as his favorite ways to reconnect with the people who matter most.

"They've been right there cheering me on and supporting me in everything I do," Devan said.

From translating between the lab and the informatics that supports it to time spent outdoors with family and friends, Devan is driven by connection and by the lasting impact of a problem solved the right way.

Learn more about the Karchem Consulting team here.