Terry Lee

Hi, I'm Terry Lee

Data Strategist | Data Integration & Mobility Expert | Software Architect

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Designing semantic systems that make data truly portable. 30+ years turning complex problems into elegant solutions.

About Terry Lee

About Terry Lee

As a Data Strategist and Data Integration & Mobility Expert, Terry has spent over 30 years designing semantic systems that make data truly portable and empowering.

His journey began in an unlikely place for a data expert: research biology at NUS, where he developed high-performance bioinformatics software for drug discovery. It was there he first understood that data wasn’t just information - it was the key to unlocking solutions that could genuinely serve people.

Throughout his three-decade career, Terry has been the architect behind solutions across a range of industries, from financial trading platforms processing real-time Reuters feeds to enterprise healthcare systems managing millions of transactions. In each role, he honed his expertise in data strategies and software designs, learning to build systems that can connect disparate data sources meaningfully while remaining elegantly human for the end-user.

A hardcore polyglot engineer at heart, he channels his creativity into designing and prototyping scalable, end-to-end data systems.

This focus on data mobility and user empowerment is the cornerstone of his current work at Dataswyft, where he is building next-generation solutions that give individuals true custody of their digital assets, allowing their information to be shared between platforms without losing control or context.

When he’s not designing data-centric systems or mentoring engineering teams, he advises startups - especially social enterprises - on how to transform their visions into impactful realities.

Check out my latest work

I've worked on a variety of projects, from simple websites to complex web applications. Here are a few of my favorites.

CheckD Dataswyft Wallet

CheckD Dataswyft Wallet

A wallet empowering users to securely prove their identity, qualifications, and eligibility for services while maintaining full control over their data.

ElixirPhoenixAsh FrameworkSemantic Data
Demo
Noggin Platform

Noggin Platform

A technological platform specializing in the secured sharing and analysis of Personal Data to infer Personal Intent.

ScalaPlay FrameworkNodeJSRubyElixirPostgreSQLMongoDB
Dental Lab Management System

Dental Lab Management System

A comprehensive SaaS solution for managing the complex manufacturing processes of dental products across multiple labs and countries.

Ruby on RailsJavaActiveMQApache TomcatAdobe Flex
Financial Betting Platform

Financial Betting Platform

A high-frequency financial betting platform offering fixed-odds betting on Forex currency pairs.

JavaReal-time DataReuters Feed
Media Asset Management

Media Asset Management

Enterprise systems for Mediacorp, including Asset Management, Billing, and Access Control.

SAP IntegrationRFIDBarcodingWeb Development

Latest Blog Posts

Thoughts, insights, and tutorials on web development, design, and technology.

New Position: Technology Innovation Architect

New Position: Technology Innovation Architect

I'm thrilled to announce my new role at Dataswyft, focusing on the Data Economy 2.0.

View All Posts

Work Experience

  • Dataswyft

    Technology Innovation Architect

    Researching, designing and prototyping novel applications for the CheckD Dataswyft Wallet and the broader Dataswyft Platform, so as to unlock new value and capabilities within the ecosystem.

    Applying semantic data engineering solutions using modern data schemas and protocols to create data models rich in semantic meaning. This enables more intuitive and intelligent data interactions across the platform, creating a more interconnected and meaningful data ecosystem that opens new possibilities for data-driven applications and services.

    Defining the next generation of data protocols for the Dataswyft Wallet, developing robust, secure, and privacy-preserving standards for data exchange while ensuring seamless interoperability and data integrity, all while empowering users with true data sovereignty and custody.

    Participate in establishing the technical vision and high-level architecture for new and emerging services on the Dataswyft Platform, focusing on scalable, resilient, and secure systems that support the future growth and evolution of the Data Economy 2.0.

    View Company

  • Dataswyft

    Fractional Principal Engineer

    Leading the team in the architecture and development of the CheckD Dataswyft Wallet (https://checkd.io). The Dataswyft Wallet empowers users to securely prove their identity, qualifications, and eligibility for services while maintaining full control over the sharing of their verified data.

    Our technology stack is built on Elixir and the Phoenix framework, leveraging the Ash Framework for rapid, resource-driven development. The wallet is a key application built upon the Dataswyft Platform, which is designed to create a new, ethical Data Economy 2.0 by providing users with self-custodied self-sovereign data accounts.

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  • Dataswyft

    Technical Support Engineer

    Dataswyft is a technology business that enables everyone to benefit from the new Data Economy 2.0 by combining ethical, compliant, and privacy-preserving principles with technology infrastructure built to scale for the future through the use of Personal Data Accounts.

    View Company

  • WMG, University of Warwick

    Software Engineer

    Software Engineer role at WMG, University of Warwick.

  • HATLAB

    Project Engineer

    HATLAB is a consortium of HAT Universities managed by the HAT Community Foundation. It holds the license for the use of all HATDeX technology platform assets in collaboration with the Service Systems group at WMG, University of Warwick.

    HATLAB supports a community working on HAT-related projects, catalyzing collaborations with government, universities, industry, and startups. We bring together people interested in designing and creating various artifacts on the HAT platform, including apps, tools, plugins, legal frameworks, permissions systems, machine learning algorithms, and methodologies.

    HATLAB serves as the research, knowledge and education hub of the HAT ecosystem, hosting educational events and executive programmes. New legal, economic and technological artifacts are developed within HATLAB before deployment.

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  • Noggin Singapore

    Principal Software Engineer

    Noggin Singapore is a technological platform specializing in the secured sharing and analysis of Personal Data.

    Personal Data consists of both digital footprints gleaned from online activity and offline habits inferred from daily routines. With this data, the Noggin platform infers Personal Intent and offers recommendations to users at the most appropriate time.

    As the primary architect of the Noggin Platform, I tied together the designs and data contracts between the back office, the intelligent intent engine and the frontend applications.

    Technologies:

    • Scala/Java + Play Framework
    • NodeJS/Javascript
    • Ruby + Hanami
    • Elixir + Phoenix
    • PostgreSQL + MongoDB

  • KOOPrime Pte Ltd

    CTO

    Applied Information Management and Technologies to support KOOPrime’s initiatives in Biotechnology, Health Care and BioInformatics.

  • Independent Freelancer

    Software Architect/Developer

    Built and designed a comprehensive software product in the biomedical industry from scratch to deployment as the sole developer.

    Dental Lab Process Management System

    Modern dentistry produces many end-products for dental health and aesthetics, from crowns to prosthetics to bridges. Each product has a complex manufacturing process behind it.

    The software tracks and manages the entire manufacturing process from ordering to delivery and billing.

    Functional Features:

    • Information sharing between labs
    • Inventory Management
    • Process Management
    • Pricing Control
    • Accounts and Dentist Information Management
    • Patient Information Management
    • Shipping and Delivery
    • Billing and Financial Reports
    • Barcoding and SMS integration

    Special Technical Features:

    • Custom Domain Management System allowing managers to control multiple unrelated labs by specifying domains. Based on the domain, the application determines which backend server to connect to - essential for labs in different countries operating as separate legal entities.
    • Message Bus (ActiveMQ) enabling real-time synchronization: changes made by one user are immediately visible to other users in the same domain, even across different countries.

    System Architecture (5 main components):

    • Domain Controller
    • Application Backend
    • Application Frontend
    • Message Bus
    • Barcode Generation Engine

    Technologies Used:

    • Rails 3.2 on Ruby 1.9
    • Apache ActiveMQ 5.8
    • Java and Apache Tomcat 7
    • Adobe Flex 3.5

  • Strategem Technologies Pte Ltd

    Java Developer

    Role responsibilities:

    • Production support
    • Architecture design
    • Software development and maintenance

    Financial Betting Platform

    Developed a Financial Betting platform - a form of gaming derived from Forex Trading using the same currency pairs (EURUSD, USDCHF, USDJPY, etc.).

    Unlike traditional Forex where profit is proportional to price differences, financial betting offers fixed odds on price movements within specified time periods (5 min, hourly, daily). Players bet on various outcomes: Over/Under specific price points, or whether prices will fall In/Out of specified ranges. The system offers probability-based payouts with all-or-nothing profit structures.

    System Components:

    • Data Engine (receives Reuters price feeds)
    • Client-end Java Betting Platform
    • Trader-end Market Makers Platform

  • BMT Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

    Lead Solution Engineer

    Role: Project Manager, Tech Lead Client: Mediacorp Technologies Pte Ltd Project Type: Web Integration to SAP; Media Asset Management System, Access Control System

    Three Primary Projects:

    a) Inter-Company Billing System Developed an Intranet application for the Mediacorp Group to track jobs performed between companies and generate invoices. The system handles multi-staged approvals, credit and debit notes, with full integration to the in-house SAP system for bidirectional data exchange.

    b) Media Asset Management System Built a system to track location and status of props and costumes, including public rental management. Initially implemented with barcoding, later upgraded to RFID technology.

    c) Access Control System Created a comprehensive staff management system controlling access to various IT applications. Features include:

    • Request/approval workflow for application access
    • e-Acknowledgment module for sensitive resources
    • Online Business Ethics and Conduct undertaking system for annual compliance

  • Early Career

    Various Roles

    Research Officer (BioInformatics Centre, NUS) & Research Biologist (Centre for Natural Product Research)

    • Focused on R&D in BioInformatics and Pharmaceutical Information Systems.
    • Worked on SQL-92 GUI Generation and XML Workflow.

    Senior Architect (Ensop Pte Ltd)

    • Worked on Information Systems and Energy Trading Systems Optimisation.

    E-Commerce/M-Commerce Consultant (Fuziq Pte Ltd)

    • Co-owned a patent for a dynamic pricing engine.

    Technical Consultant (Asia Pacific BioInformatics Network)

    • Contributed to projects on Java Workflow Systems, Linux Distribution, and BioInformatics Programs.

    Other Roles

    • Prototyping a Next-Generation Automated Self-Serviced POS System at Brightfire Engineering Systems Pte Ltd.
    • Developing High-Performance Financial Trading Systems at SES Systems Pte Ltd.

Education

  • National University of Singapore

    National University of Singapore

    Research Biology / BioInformatics

    Jan 1993 - Jan 1997

    Started in research biology, developing high-performance bioinformatics software for drug discovery. This foundational experience bridged the gap between biological sciences and computer engineering.

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