“The quality that we bring to a single product and the amount of features that we implement in each release is astronomical. It's not just little things that might help. They will help.” 

As an ambitious software developer, it can be difficult to find a role that provides the varied projects and technical challenges you’re looking for from Day One.

Software developer, Ryan Leonard explains how his role in the emerging field of digital pathology at Philips puts his programming and problem solving skills to very good use, helping progress cutting-edge technology that will change lives:

“I was studying Computer Science when I started my placement here doing various roles between software development and QA engineer. When I went back to university I developed a cancer cell counting algorithm as part of my final year thesis. The project involved research into the different methods of counting cells on slides to create a consistent, automated way for tissue marking.”

Ryan returned to Philips after completing his studies and his algorithm is now a permanent product feature by used by digital pathologists:

“We had the opportunity to go into hospital to see pathologists’ work life. It’s very stressful and you realise the impact that could be made with digitisation and the automation of the process.”

As well as being inspired by the combination of technology and innovation his role involves, Ryan also enjoys the team culture and its processes:

“We have a really dynamic team of talented people with a shared goal to use technology to make a difference. We've got a really good balance between experienced and graduate developers and everyone contributes to deliver value.

We follow the scrum methodology so we start each day with a scrum stand up where we pretty much describe what we did yesterday, what we're going to do today and if we've any impediments.

As scrum master, my job is to make sure that everyone can do theirs without distraction. I have meetings about the current sprint, meetings about the next sprint and it's just continually about improving our processes and making sure that we grow as a team and as individuals.”

And when asked why Ryan came to work in the healthcare industry, rather than in fintech like many of his computer science peers, his answer is clear:

“I’d rather save a million lives than make a million pounds.”