# Dhwani Desai > Software engineer at Barclays Location: London, England, United Kingdom Profile: https://flows.cv/dhwanidesai Welcome to my LinkedIn profile! I'm thrilled to connect with professionals from diverse backgrounds as I embark on an exciting career transition from psychology to the dynamic world of software engineering. My name is Ani, and I'm passionate about leveraging my strong analytical and problem-solving skills to create innovative solutions in the realm of technology. As a postgraduate in clinical psychology and a behaviour support therapist, I've had the privilege of working closely with individuals facing various challenges, fostering empathy, and developing an acute understanding of human behaviour. These invaluable insights have honed my ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with teams of diverse talents. I was fascinated by the intersection of technology and psychology when I was introduced to coding during my neuroscience coursework and my dissertation at UCL, realising the immense potential of software engineering in empowering individuals and transforming society. To facilitate this transition, I joined as an Aspiring Developer Analyst at Barclays. My previous career path has equipped me with invaluable skills that complement my journey into software engineering. I possess a keen eye for detail, a natural curiosity, and an unwavering dedication to continuous learning – qualities that enable me to swiftly adapt to new challenges and rapidly acquire technical knowledge. Lets connect! Whether you're into Software Engineering or Psychology, I'm open to engaging in stimulating conversations about both! Thank you for visiting my profile, and I look forward to connecting with you! Worth checking this out before messaging: https://nohello.net/en/ ## Work Experience ### Software Engineer @ Barclays Jan 2024 – Present | United Kingdom - Designed and developed a full-stack application, working on both front-end (React, JavaScript) and back-end (Java, Spring Boot). - Built and optimized CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and GitLab CI/CD, reducing deployment time and improving automation. - Implemented containerization with Docker to streamline application deployment and scalability. - Developed and integrated object storage solutions using Java, enabling efficient data storage and retrieval. - Worked on DevOps, Platform Engineering, and SRE initiatives, focusing on secrets management, CI/CD, observability, and infrastructure automation. - Worked with monitoring and logging tools like Grafana and ELK to enhance system visibility and reliability. - Created "How-To" documentation on key engineering topics, including secrets management, object storage, and adding integration tests to GitLab pipelines, improving onboarding and knowledge sharing within the team. - Collaborated with cross-functional teams to improve application performance, reliability, and security. ### Graduate Developer @ Barclays Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | United Kingdom Aspiring Developer is a one-year continuous learning journey of focused technology training that fosters experience of everything from software research, design and development, to testing, maintenance and analysis. ### Behaviour Support Therapist @ Private ABA services Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | London, England, United Kingdom Working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD and other complex behavioural needs. ABA therapy is used to bring about meaningful and purposeful change in behaviour, growing an individual’s independence and enhancing their experience of the world. The main duties include: • To assist in the implementation of person centred programmes utilising Applied Behaviour Analysis and Positive Behaviour Support best practice • To support service users by teaching functional skills, developing communication systems, enhancing social skills under a framework that provides choice and promotes empowerment. • To monitor and take accurate data daily as per service users' targets • To support individuals during times of crisis - e.g., challenging behaviour. • To promote safeguarding and wellbeing for service user to the highest standard • To implement restrictive techniques per service users positive handling plan as required ### Honorary Research Assistant- FINCH study @ UCL Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | London, England, United Kingdom This second project is under the UCL Division of Psychiatry focusing on the development, feasibility testing, and pilot trial of a crisis planning and monitoring intervention to reduce compulsory hospital readmissions (FINCH study-RCT). It is a university placement where I work one day every week. I have worked on the transcripts of the interviews and have anonymized numerous transcripts. I have actively taken part in the meetings with the co-production team where we discussed and brainstormed ideas on ways to improve the crisis plan and goal setting. We also developed various templates of crisis plans which can be used during the intervention. Moreover, I helped in gathering necessary data that would be beneficial to the psychologists, such as resources for participants who are at risk, during the intervention phase. Furthermore, I assisted my supervisor in compiling participant resources using the excel spreadsheet. ### Honorary Research Assistant- Wing's study @ UCL Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | London, England, United Kingdom I am working on 2 projects out of which one was recently completed. The first project was on a master's thesis which is in the process of being published; the study aims to investigate factors associated with a positive outcome in mental health RCTs, for instance, characteristics of study and intervention. The research supervisors provided the training on systematic reviews, critically evaluating research papers, and extracting necessary data. I read about 40 research papers in-depth, extracted and recorded the required information using UCL opinio survey, and made necessary modifications to the saved data using the excel datasheets. ### Community support facilitator @ Harrow Mencap Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | London, England, United Kingdom I work as part of a team assisting to facilitate effective support within the centre and associated activities provided to adults and CYP with neurodevelopmental and physical disabilities. I carry out practical and administrative tasks such as support planning and assessing risk management; providing care, empathy, and support to the clients; facilitating and developing one-on-one or group sessions to engage the clients in a variety of activities; mentoring and overseeing others regarding session planning and delivery; liaising with members and carers/families; and contributing to team meetings and review meetings. I work with clients who show behaviors that are challenging in nature, and work on understanding the triggers and soothing mechanisms. I work in teams to ensure clients' individual needs are met and they are given tailored personal care. At the end of the day, I sensitively inform the parents of CYP about the overall day of the client with details of any issues/problems faced. I also attend monthly training sessions that focus on communication with the clients and staff members, focusing on being more empathetic, kind, and caring. Monthly meetings are held in which the challenges/risks are discussed and ideas to manage them are brainstormed. Supervision, guidance, and motivation from senior staff members and managers help me to develop myself into a proficient employee and develop new skills. ### English Tutor @ Qin1 Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 I worked remotely as an English tutor in India where I taught children between the age of 4 to 17 years. I followed the course structure provided by the organization and modified it according to the student's personal needs whenever necessary. The students were from various parts of India with varying levels of English proficiency. The focus of the sessions was not purely on teaching English but also to improve their overall communication skills and confidence by motivating and encouraging them. I have had many shy students who were afraid of speaking and conversing in English, however, at the end of my tenure, I observed an affirmative change in their confidence. ### Psychology Intern (Neurodevelopmental Disorders) @ Shrimad Rajchandra viklang center Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Dharampur, Gujarat, India SRVC is an early intervention centre that offers holistic treatment and rehabilitation services for mentally and physically challenged individuals, with an aim to make the entire Valsad District disability-free. I observed children having neurodevelopmental, neurological disorders, and physical disabilities in a multi-disciplinary approach, such as psychology, physiotherapy (with a special focus on pediatric and cerebral palsy patients), occupational therapy, optometry, speech therapy, etc. I participated in IPDs, OPDs, and group sessions in each discipline which provided me with a holistic view of the disorders. I learned about various assessments and interventions used in India to assess neurodevelopmental disorders and developmental delay. Furthermore, I attended an insightful session provided to the staff members of the centre about the biological aspects of neurodevelopmental disorders (focus on ASD) and the proprioception and vestibular therapies. I was also provided with a project to find out the social, mental, and financial effects of ASD diagnosis on the parents. I carried out semi-structured interviews of about 5 to 8 parents/carers after conducting a thorough literature search and later presented the results to my supervisor after thematically analyzing the data. ### Psychology Intern (Psychosis spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder) @ Atmaviswas Vidyalaya Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Gujarat, India Atmaviswas Vidyalaya is instituted as a residential community for persons with schizophrenia and other psychological disorders. I observed individuals with psychosis spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder. I actively participated in group sessions, worked in a team to develop session plans/activities, and motivated the clients to participate in the same. I empathetically interacted with each client and tried to understand their problems and personal life/challenges. As some of the staff members were not psycho-educated, I taught them the basics of mental health that would be beneficial for them in dealing with the clients, topics including but not limited to the symptoms of psychosis, challenging behaviors, and understanding people with psychological problems. I also provided care and support to the clients with their basic daily needs. ### Student Representative @ RoundGlass Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra ## Education ### Master in Science - MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences UCL ### BSc in Clinical Psychology Amity University Mumbai ### Biology Physics Chemistry St. Joseph's E. T. High School ### icse Atul Vidyalaya ### Bootcamp in Software development Pluralsight ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dhwani-desai- --- Source: https://flows.cv/dhwanidesai JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/dhwanidesai/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05