Applied AI/ML Engineer with 20+ years as a software engineer. The last 13 were spent architecting and building OppiaMobile, an open-source, offline-first learning platform I founded, deployed to 30,000+ health workers across Ethiopia, Liberia, India, and Nigeria, with teams in Ghana and Pakistan. That included delivering a health-worker training platform from scratch, solo, in under four months to meet a hard USAID launch deadline.

I've recently submitted my MSc dissertation in AI at the University of Leeds: a framework and dashboard, XAILens, for comparing how classical machine learning models and LLMs explain their predictions in healthcare settings, evaluated through task-based usability testing with real users.

I'm now building on that with an AI-powered simulated-patient tool for clinical training. It uses separate patient and examiner LLM roles, each independently configured: the patient generates the conversation, and the examiner grades the resulting transcript against a rubric.

I'm now looking for my next role in applied AI/ML engineering. The common thread through my career has been real-world systems that have to actually work for real users under real constraints, and I'm applying that same discipline to ML and LLM systems now.

Technical Python, PyTorch, Scikit-learn, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Explainable AI, SQL, Django, Agile Frameworks. Domain Healthcare Technology, Digital Health, Medical AI, Open Source Development. Soft Skills Cross-functional Collaboration, User-Centered Design, Technical Project Management, Spanish (Level B1).
2026
MSc Dissertation Project

A framework to generate, visualise, and compare explanations from classical machine-learning models and LLMs, applied to healthcare prediction.

2026

Data‑mining project analysing conversational patient-doctor text using interpretable ML and LLM‑based explanations for ICD‑10 classification.

2026

Designed and deployed a containerised machine‑learning xApp for real‑time network traffic classification, evaluated under load using Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Grafana.

2011-2025

Conceived, initiated, and led the development of an open‑source, offline‑first mobile learning platform for healthcare training, deployed at national scale in collaboration with Ministries of Health.

2017-2025
Technical Advisor / Consultant
University of Alcalá, Spain·Freelance
Location: Joensuu, Finland·Remote

Consultant to the University of Alcalá's international development programme, continuing OppiaMobile development that began at Digital Campus.

  • Owned architecture and backend development on the Django server throughout, while a growing part-time developer team took on Android work as the platform evolved.
  • Delivered technical development for mobile health deployments in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Nigeria, reaching over 30,000 health workers
  • Open-source platform adopted and deployed in Ghana and Pakistan with no involvement from the project team.
  • Ran requirements and delivery planning directly with NGO and Ministry of Health partners.
  • Maintained Django and Android test suites in GitHub Actions CI, reaching 80%+ server-side coverage.

2014-2019
Knowledge Management Advisor
mPowering Frontline Health Workers, USA·Freelance
Location: Spain/Finland/USA·Hybrid

Part-time/contract role, running alongside Co-founder & Developer at Digital Campus (2011–2018) and, from 2018, alongside Technical Advisor / Consultant at the University of Alcalá.

  • Engaged to manage partner content submissions for the ORB platform, an open repository of health-worker training resources.
  • When the externally contracted build fell behind schedule, proposed and personally built the platform solo in 3–4 months to meet a fixed May 2014 launch deadline, avoiding a re-procurement cycle.
  • Ran ongoing technical development and partner support.

2011-2016
Co-founder & Developer
Digital Campus·Contract
Location: UK/Ethiopia/Spain·Hybrid

  • Co-founded a non-profit applying technology to healthcare education and training, conceiving and initiating OppiaMobile as a solution to close gaps in mobile learning for health workers.
  • As the organisation's first developer, architected and built OppiaMobile v1 end-to-end (Django, MySQL, AWS, native Android app, Moodle plugin), later bringing on part-time developers from 2014 to scale delivery.
  • Built the Django-based analytics dashboard for supervisors and project managers to track health workers' progress through courses.
  • Secured UK Aid Direct (DFID) funding for a multi-year Ethiopia programme, accountable for technical delivery, reporting, and outcome evaluation. 
  • Managed organisational finances and operations as the only paid employee, coordinating with NGO partners to align technical delivery with operational constraints.

2010-2012
Developer
Universidad de Alcalá·Contract
Location: Spain·On-site

  • Prototyped early concepts for what became OppiaMobile and led to co-founding Digital Campus and securing DFID funding for its first full implementation. 
  • Sole developer of a rules-based antenatal care dashboard (built on ODK, with a custom PHP layer), piloted with health workers in Ethiopia as part of a PhD programme to test smartphone-based patient management, an approach still largely unproven at the time. Findings published in PLoS One (2013).

2008-2010
IT Advisor & Trainer
Mekelle University·Contract
Location: Ethiopia·On-site

  • Placement with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) implementing e-learning systems and building IT/training capacity.
  • Set up two computer labs using Sun Solaris thin-client architecture, for centralised management and lower maintenance overhead compared to a standard PC lab.
  • Delivered elearning training to 50 lecturers across Medical and Engineering faculties.

2006-2008
Lead Developer in Social Software
Location: UK·On-site

  • Developed social software tools, including instant messenger integrated into Moodle, for the OpenLearn platform.

2001-2006
Web Developer
Location: UK·On-site

  • Built the "Knowledge Network" educational technology research and resource-sharing platform
  • Built open-source ed-tech tools (a Learning Design player, JISC-funded projects) across ColdFusion, JSP/Servlets, and PHP.
  • Included 2 month placement at Macquarie University, Sydney.

2025 - 2026
University of Leeds, UK
  • Selected modules: Machine Learning, Deep Learning,  Data Mining & Text Analytics, Cloud Computing, Algorithms

  • Thesis project: A Proof‑of‑Concept Framework for Comparing Machine Learning and Large Language Models in Healthcare Using Explainable AI
1996 – 1997
Postgraduate Diploma - Software Development
Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
1991 – 1994
BSc Hons Degree - Mathematics
University of Leeds, UK
7-8 Feb 2026

Mentored student teams and supported 150+ participants during the University of Leeds Computing Society annual hackathon.

2023-2024
Volunteer Manager - Kollektiivi Co‑working Space

Managed day‑to‑day operations of a co‑working and studio space for a community of 15 artists and makers in Joensuu, Finland.

2017
Medhanyie AA, Spigt M, Yebyo H, Little A, Tadesse K, Dinant GJ, Blanco R

International Journal of Medical Informatics (Shannon, Ireland), 101, 9–14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28347452/ 

2015
mPowering Frontline Health Workers, sponsored by Qualcomm

This report shares an initial blueprint to create a scalable, locally sustainable, end-to-end content distribution process that uses mobile technology to provide frontline health workers access to relevant health content.