Filima Patrick

FILIMA PATRICK

Research Software Engineer & Technical Product Lead

© 2026 Filima Patrick

Experience & Technical Product Leadership

Research Software Engineer & Technical Product Lead • Neuroinformatics • Digital Health

I build scientific software products that help researchers work more efficiently. Across neuroinformatics, AI, and digital health, I lead product discovery, define technical strategy, and collaborate with engineering teams to deliver scalable platforms. While I continue to contribute as a hands-on software engineer, my primary focus is translating complex scientific workflows into products that create measurable impact for researchers and healthcare organizations.

How I Work
Discover

Understand researcher workflows through interviews, observation, and collaboration with scientific teams.

Prioritize

Translate scientific requirements into product roadmaps that balance user value, engineering effort, and infrastructure constraints.

Deliver

Partner with engineers while contributing hands-on code to ship scalable research software and digital health platforms.

Brainlife.io — University of Texas at Austin

Research Software Engineer & Technical Product Lead

Remote2025 – Present
The Mission
At Brainlife.io, I work at the intersection of research software engineering and technical product leadership, building tools that improve how neuroscientists process, monitor, and manage large-scale neuroimaging workflows. My role extends beyond software development. I work closely with neuroscientists, infrastructure engineers, and scientific stakeholders to understand challenges within computational neuroscience workflows, translate those needs into product requirements, and lead the design and implementation of solutions that improve researcher productivity and platform reliability.
Stakeholders & Teams Partnered With
NeuroscientistsResearch Software EngineersCloud Infrastructure EngineersPlatform Maintainers
Technology Stack
Frontend
ReactNext.jsReact Native
Backend
Node.jsPythonREST APIsDocker
Infrastructure
AWSELK Stack
Scientific
NeuroinformaticsMRIScientific Computing
Flagship Product

Brainlife Mobile

Real-time Mobile Observability for Distributed Neuroimaging Pipelines

Problem & Mission Context

Researchers often run neuroimaging pipelines that execute for hours—or even days—across distributed cloud infrastructure. Despite this, there was no convenient way to monitor ongoing analyses away from a desktop environment. I identified this gap through researcher workflows and proposed Brainlife Mobile, a companion application designed to provide real-time visibility into computational pipelines.

Product Leadership & Decisions
  • Chose a mobile-first monitoring experience after observing researchers frequently leaving long-running jobs unattended outside the lab.
  • Decided to prioritize notification reliability and instant pipeline alert delivery over feature breadth for the initial release.
  • Worked directly with neuroscientists to translate day-to-day workflow pain points into product requirements prioritizing remote status tracking over desktop-only views.
Technical Implementation & Execution
  • Led technical implementation using React Native and Brainlife REST APIs.
  • Built real-time status tracking and push notification services for pipeline completions, bottlenecks, and execution failures.
  • Developed mobile diagnostic views to inspect failed job stack traces and execution logs away from desktop environments.
Scale & Measurable Impact
Enabled 24/7 remote visibility into multi-day neuroimaging pipeline executions across distributed HPC/cloud clusters
Reduced unmonitored job failures and delayed pipeline intervention times for active research teams
Increased researcher mobility and flexibility across high-performance compute environments
Flagship Product

Brainlife Error Monitoring Dashboard

Centralized Observability & Failure Diagnostics

Problem & Mission Context

Large neuroimaging workflows generate thousands of jobs across distributed infrastructure. Diagnosing failures required researchers to manually inspect logs across multiple systems, making debugging slow and inefficient. I led the design and delivery of a centralized observability dashboard that transformed how execution failures are monitored across Brainlife.

Product Leadership & Decisions
  • Prioritized workflow visibility and rapid failure diagnosis before predictive analytics because immediate error inspection was the highest pain point for researchers.
  • Conducted workflow analysis with research teams to identify friction points in diagnosing pipeline failures across distributed systems.
  • Defined dashboard specifications and UX layout for error classification and job status reporting.
Technical Implementation & Execution
  • Collaborated with infrastructure engineers to deliver a centralized observability dashboard, building the React/Next.js frontend experience and integrating with backend APIs powered by the ELK stack.
  • Integrated backend log parsing and failure classification services into an intuitive monitoring interface that simplified diagnosis.
  • Built interactive dashboards using React, Next.js, and Node.js for browsing execution history, inspecting logs, and tracking pipeline health.
Scale & Measurable Impact
Dashboard monitoring thousands of distributed neuroimaging jobs across cloud computing clusters
Reduced debugging time by 70%
Reduced issue triage and manual log investigation by 90%
Increased researcher productivity and reduced wasted cloud computing resources

Platform Migration & Research Infrastructure

Strategic Cloud Transition from Osiri Infrastructure to AWS

Leadership & Implementation
  • Partnered with cloud infrastructure engineers and platform maintainers to support Brainlife's transition from legacy Osiri infrastructure to AWS.
  • Balanced researcher usability with infrastructure scalability when translating pipeline requirements into technical specifications.
  • Developed custom internal research software utilities and streamlined developer and researcher onboarding processes.
Scale & Results
  • Accelerated cloud migration timeline while maintaining continuous uptime for active research teams
  • Enhanced system reliability and scalability for high-throughput scientific computing
African Brain Data Network (ABDN)

Neuroinformatics Lead & Technical Product Lead

Remote2023 – Present
The Mission
The African Brain Data Network builds research infrastructure, training programs, and digital platforms that strengthen neuroscience across Africa. My work combines product management, software engineering, and scientific leadership to create digital platforms used by researchers, educators, and neuroscience organizations across the continent. I work directly with researchers, teaching assistants, clinicians, and scientific leaders to identify workflow challenges and transform those insights into scalable digital products.
Stakeholders & Teams Partnered With
ResearchersEducatorsCliniciansTeaching AssistantsRegional Scientific Leaders
Technology Stack
Frontend
Next.jsReact
Backend
PythonPostgreSQLFirebase
Scientific
FAIR DataMRINeuroinformaticsScientific Computing
Flagship Product

Fellowship Evaluation Platform

Pan-African Applicant Assessment & Review Digitization

Problem & Mission Context

Managing fellowship applications across dozens of African countries involved manual review processes that became increasingly difficult to scale. I initiated and led the development of a comprehensive evaluation platform that digitized candidate assessment workflows.

Product Leadership & Decisions
  • Prioritized evaluation efficiency and standardized candidate review workflows after identifying manual spreadsheet review as the primary scaling bottleneck.
  • Conducted stakeholder interviews with teaching teams and review committees to map candidate assessment workflows.
  • Defined product vision and roadmap, balancing scoring standardization with reviewer flexibility.
Technical Implementation & Execution
  • Architected and built full-stack candidate evaluation platform using Next.js and Firebase.
  • Engineered multi-stage candidate scoring workflows, reviewer assignment tools, and secure applicant data management.
  • Built administrative dashboards for real-time tracking of review progress across regional evaluation teams.
Scale & Measurable Impact
Supported digital assessment of 1,000+ applicants across approximately 50 African countries
Improved evaluation efficiency by 70% and standardized review processes for teaching teams
Eliminated manual spreadsheet tracking for multi-stage academic program admissions
Flagship Product

FAIR Research Platform

Open Data & FAIR Neuroscience Community Infrastructure

Problem & Mission Context

I led redevelopment of the organization's digital infrastructure around FAIR data principles, creating a modern platform for African neuroscience communities.

Product Leadership & Decisions
  • Prioritized open-access dataset discovery and community collaboration features based on regional researcher surveys.
  • Defined product strategy and information architecture to make scientific resources and educational materials findable and accessible.
  • Collaborated with scientific leadership to align platform features with international FAIR data standards.
Technical Implementation & Execution
  • Developed Next.js web application with Firebase backend services for research resource sharing, educational content, and community hubs.
  • Built administrative content management workflows and metadata tagging schemas adhering to FAIR data standards.
Scale & Measurable Impact
Increased platform engagement by 65% across African neuroscience institutions
Improved researcher accessibility and expanded adoption of FAIR neuroscience data practices

Fellowship Delivery & Scientific Capacity Building

Pan-African Scientific Training & Open Science Advocacy

Leadership & Implementation
  • Coordinated with teaching assistants and scientific leaders to design and deliver hands-on neuroscience training programs across Africa.
  • Taught reproducible neuroimaging workflows, Docker containerization, and Python scientific computing pipelines.
  • Mentored 200+ researchers across 15+ African countries in research software engineering, version control, and FAIR data practices.
Scale & Results
  • Mentored 200+ researchers across 15+ African countries
  • Increased adoption of reproducible neuroimaging workflows and open-science practices
African NeuroData Research Lab

Technical Product Lead

Remote2025 – Present
The Mission
I lead product strategy and technical delivery for a pan-African neuroscience collaboration platform designed to improve scientific communication, resource sharing, and FAIR research practices. Working closely with researchers and organizational leadership, I transformed fragmented collaboration workflows into a unified digital platform.
Stakeholders & Teams Partnered With
Lab DirectorsNeuroscience ResearchersInstitutional PartnersScientific Leadership
Technology Stack
Frontend
Next.jsReact
Backend
FirebasePython
Domain
FAIR DataNeuroinformatics

Pan-African Neuroscience Collaboration Platform

Unified Digital Infrastructure for Dataset Sharing & Scientific Networking

Leadership & Implementation
  • Decided to focus the initial platform release on resource discovery and dataset sharing to quickly address scientific communication fragmentation across institutions.
  • Conducted user interviews with researchers across institutions to define product vision and roadmap.
  • Architected and built full-stack Next.js collaboration portal with FAIR-compliant data cataloging.
Scale & Results
  • Unified fragmented collaboration workflows into a single digital platform
  • Facilitated cross-institutional dataset sharing and scientific communication
  • Promoted FAIR research data standards across pan-African neuroscience labs
Egyptian Neuroscience Network

Technical Product Lead

Remote2026 – Present
The Mission
I lead development of the Egyptian Neuroscience Network collaboration platform supporting more than 2,100 researchers, clinicians, educators, and students across Egypt and the MENA region. Working alongside scientific leadership, I translated community needs into product strategy and coordinated implementation of a digital ecosystem supporting education, collaboration, and scientific networking.
Stakeholders & Teams Partnered With
ResearchersCliniciansEducatorsNeuroscience StudentsScientific Leadership
Technology Stack
Frontend
Next.jsReact
Backend
Node.jsPostgreSQL
Domain
Community PlatformScientific Networking

Egyptian Neuroscience Digital Ecosystem

Regional Collaboration & Educational Program Platform

Leadership & Implementation
  • Partnered with scientific leadership to translate regional community feedback into a structured product strategy for scientific networking and educational programs.
  • Defined product strategy and platform layout for scientific collaboration, educational programs, and event distribution.
  • Designed and built responsive web platform, researcher directory search, and event management portals.
Scale & Results
  • Collaboration platform serving more than 2,100 neuroscientists, clinicians, educators, and students across Egypt and MENA
  • Streamlined scientific networking and resource discovery across the region
  • Increased community engagement with educational programs and scientific events
Lighthouse Counselling Hub

Technical Product Lead (Digital Health)

Remote • Kenya2024 – 2025
The Mission
I led development of a digital mental healthcare platform designed to improve access to professional counselling services. Working with therapists and healthcare stakeholders, I defined the product vision, user journeys, and MVP roadmap before leading engineering delivery.
Stakeholders & Teams Partnered With
TherapistsPatientsClinic AdministratorsDigital Health Stakeholders
Technology Stack
Frontend
Next.jsReact
Backend
Node.jsAnalytics Integration
Domain
Digital HealthBooking SystemsSEO

Digital Mental Healthcare Platform

Therapist Discovery, Scheduling & Administrative Analytics

Leadership & Implementation
  • Intentionally limited the initial MVP to therapist discovery and appointment scheduling before expanding into patient engagement features.
  • Conducted user journey mapping with therapists and patients to define feature priorities.
  • Built full-stack Next.js web application with therapist search and discovery functionality and appointment scheduling features.
  • Developed administrative dashboards for monitoring booking activity, patient engagement, and platform analytics.
Scale & Results
  • Digitized therapy discovery and appointment booking workflows
  • Improved patient access to certified mental healthcare professionals
  • Provided real-time platform analytics and administrative operational insights
Lizard Global

Software Engineer

Remote • Netherlands & Malaysia2022 – 2024
The Mission
At Lizard Global, I developed commercial web and mobile applications for startups and enterprise clients across workforce management, collaboration, and digital products. Working in cross-functional product teams, I collaborated closely with product managers, UI/UX designers, QA engineers, and clients to translate business requirements into scalable software.
Stakeholders & Teams Partnered With
Product ManagersUI/UX DesignersQA EngineersEnterprise Clients
Technology Stack
Mobile
React NativeFirebase
Web
React.jsNext.jsAnt Design
CMS
Strapi

Aposto

Workforce Management & Event Operational Platform

Leadership & Implementation
  • Collaborated with product managers and client stakeholders to build real-time staff scheduling tools, event-day management dashboards, and knowledge transfer modules.
Scale & Results
  • Improved event-day operational communication efficiency by 40%
  • Built real-time staff scheduling and shift allocation workflows

Flexpackerz

Location-Based Mobile Platform for Co-working Spaces

Leadership & Implementation
  • Developed cross-platform mobile application using React Native and Firebase, integrating location services and map APIs for co-working space discovery, user authentication, and booking.
Scale & Results
  • Delivered intuitive location-based booking UX for remote workers on mobile

Award Platform & Corporate Website

Enterprise CMS & Digital Web Optimization

Leadership & Implementation
  • Built scalable awards management web application with dynamic category administration; optimized corporate website for performance, SEO indexation, and maintainability using Next.js.
Scale & Results
  • Enhanced website performance, accessibility scores, and client lead conversion

Technical & Product Expertise

Core competencies across product leadership, full-stack software development, and scientific computing

Product Leadership

Product StrategyProduct DiscoveryUser ResearchRoadmappingFeature PrioritizationStakeholder ManagementAgile DeliveryTechnical Leadership

Software Engineering

PythonReactReact NativeNext.jsNode.jsTypeScriptDockerFirebasePostgreSQLMongoDBREST APIsCloud Infrastructure

Scientific Computing

NeuroinformaticsMRIMedical ImagingScientific SoftwareFAIR DataResearch InfrastructureAI for HealthcareComputational Neuroscience