Dhiraj Patra

AI/ML Agents & LLM Architect  ·  GenAI & Agentic AI Expert  ·  Cloud-Native Architect (GCP · AWS · Azure)  ·  MCP Server Builder  ·  Data Scientist & Mentor
🤖 Agentic AI 🧠 LLM Fine-tuning 📦 RAG & Graph KB 🔌 MCP Server GenAI Solutions GCP AWS Azure EDGE AI IoT Data Science 28+ Years

Technology leader and hands-on architect with 28+ years of engineering experience, specialising in AI/ML Agents, Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI, and Cloud-Native Architecture. Currently architecting next-generation Agentic AI and GenAI solutions on Azure for enterprise-grade risk analytics at BNY Mellon (via EY). Patented inventor in EDGE AI for renewable energy and smart city solutions.

I architect end-to-end intelligent systems — from LLM fine-tuning and MCP server development to multi-agent RAG pipelines, Graph knowledge bases, and local copilot deployments with Ollama. My cloud expertise spans GCP, AWS, and Azure, with a focus on scalable, secure, production-grade AI infrastructure. Driven by discipline honed through NCC / Indian Army training, I thrive in high-stakes environments where ambition meets execution.

AI / ML Agents & LLM
  • Fine-tuning & customising LLMs: OpenAI, Gemini, LLaMA, Phi, Gemma, Anthropic Claude, Cohere, Mistral, TogetherAI
  • Agentic AI design: multi-agent orchestration, tool-use, ReAct, plan-and-execute patterns
  • MCP (Model Context Protocol) server development for tool-enabled AI agents
  • RAG pipelines with vector databases (FAISS, Pinecone, Chroma) and Graph knowledge bases
  • Local copilot & on-premise LLM deployment with Ollama and small language models
  • Conversational AI bots, voice agents, and NLP-powered automation
Cloud & Architecture
  • Cloud-native & microservices architecture on GCP, AWS, and Azure
  • Serverless, containerised (Docker/Kubernetes), and event-driven systems
  • EDGE AI and IoT architecture: MQTT, AMQP, CoAP, Zigbee protocols
  • Scalable SaaS platform design — from zero to production
  • CI/CD, OTA updates, and MLOps pipelines
Data Science & Analytics
  • ML model development: scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras
  • Advanced data analysis: Python, R, pandas, NumPy, PySpark, Jupyter
  • Data visualisation: Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, Power BI
  • SQL mastery & data pipelines (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLAlchemy)
  • Quantitative & financial analytics (WorldQuant MSc in Financial Engineering)
Backend & APIs
  • Python: FastAPI, Flask, Django, Celery, paho-mqtt
  • GraphQL, REST APIs, SQLAlchemy, psycopg
  • Medical imaging AI: CNN, Keras, CT / MRI / X-ray analysis
  • Computer Vision, OpenCV, image processing pipelines

Experience

Senior Engineering Lead / Senior Project Manager

EY (Ernst & Young) — Client: BNY Mellon, Enterprise Risk Tech

Embedded as Senior Engineering Lead within BNY Mellon's Enterprise Risk Technology division, tackling the critical need for next-generation real-time risk analytics and backtesting at scale.

  • Architecting and implementing cutting-edge Agentic AI and GenAI solutions on Azure — multi-agent orchestration, LLM integration, and automated reasoning pipelines.
  • Leading a high-performing cross-functional team, delivering pioneering real-time enterprise risk analytics and investment solutions that redefine industry standards.
  • Enforcing BNY Mellon's strict quality, security, and performance standards across all AI deliverables.
  • Mentoring engineers to translate advanced AI/ML concepts into production-grade, impactful applications.
June 2024 – Present

Career Break — AI/ML Research & Innovation

Professional Development

Pursued hands-on research into emerging AI technologies and deepened expertise in Agentic AI, MCP servers, LLM fine-tuning, and RAG-based architectures. Stayed current with the rapidly evolving GenAI landscape (LLaMA, Gemma, Mistral, Anthropic Claude, Ollama). Prepared for the IIT-G Advanced Certification in Applied Data Science, Machine Learning & Edge AI.

December 2023 – May 2024

Staff Software Architect

FTC Solar

Drove the company's AI-first transformation for solar plant operations and smart city infrastructure.

  • Developed a patented AI/ML application for EDGE AI IoT targeting solar plant optimisation, renewable energy, and smart city solutions.
  • Defined requirements and designed the system architecture for the company's flagship product, Voyager, including OTA update infrastructure.
  • Established the foundational AI, ML, EDGE IoT, Drone, and Cloud architectural patterns used across the organisation.
September 2021 – November 2023

Technical Architect

Accion Labs

Delivered two concurrent high-impact AI and cloud projects:

  • Arlo AI Smart Camera (AWS): Architected a serverless AWS solution to optimise video streaming from AI smart cameras to the cloud, addressing scalability and cost-efficiency at scale.
  • Medical Imaging AI SaaS: Designed and developed a microservices-based SaaS platform for medical image analysis using CNN and Keras to detect early signs of disease in CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays.
August 2020 – July 2021

Technical Architect

Impelsys — Client: Wolters Kluwer

Architected and led migration of Wolters Kluwer's legacy client-server Learning Management System (LMS) to a modern microservices-based cloud-native platform on AWS. Started with a 2-person team; the project's success drove team growth to 30+ engineers, demonstrating the effectiveness and scalability of the new architecture.

May 2018 – February 2020

Technical Architect

Mobilution — Client: American Red Cross

Developed a cloud-based e-commerce application for American Red Cross using Python, Machine Learning (NumPy, pandas, OpenCV), and a serverless microservices architecture.

September 2017 – April 2018

Technical Architect

Self Employed

Delivered cloud-based e-commerce and ERP products for multiple clients using Python microservices stack and serverless AWS architectures, end-to-end from design to deployment.

November 2016 – August 2017

Technical Architect

Rappier

Built cloud-based mobile backend services from scratch for this startup. Led hands-on Python development of core services and mentored the engineering team. Delivered Closrr — a sophisticated platform with campaigns and advertising modules — which continues to grow.

February 2015 – November 2016

Technical Leader

MCS Solutions (Belgium / India)

Resolved critical challenges in a real estate & facility management company's IoT-based smart application by developing a microservices architecture on AWS. Provided onsite mentorship in Belgium and led offshore delivery from India, demonstrating strong international technical leadership.

December 2013 – January 2015

Technical Leader

SagarSoft India Ltd

Led an Open Source PHP team across multiple concurrent projects. Developed a medical analytical dashboard processing large-scale datasets, and created and executed development plans adapting to evolving requirements.

February 2011 – January 2013

Chief Architect & Founder

ICTSTUDIO / Sarvottom (Ireland & India)

Founded a web development consulting company (Sarvottom) in partnership with ictstudio and localworldz (Ireland/France). Led onsite teams in Ireland and offshore teams in India, delivering complex Python and PHP web 2.0 portals using GMap, ERP, Drupal, Magento, and Zend frameworks.

December 2008 – June 2010

Project Manager & Engineer

Mass Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd. — Client: Carambolakidz, Ireland

Led onsite (Ireland) and offshore (India) teams to deliver complex PHP/MySQL applications for a child-lunch e-commerce startup. Recognised as best employee; received exceptional client commendation. Later earned an "Extraordinary Achievement" award from Carambolakidz.

January 2007 – December 2008

Earlier Career (1997 – 2006)

PHP Programmer · University Project Guide & Faculty · Freelance Software Engineer

Began career as a freelance software developer (1997–2002) building financial and accounting software for local businesses using Clipper, COBOL, FoxPro, and dBase3+. Subsequently worked as a project guide and faculty member at Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University and Pixel Institute, mentoring engineering students through real-life SDLC projects. Later worked as a PHP programmer at Great Media Technologies, delivering a debt consolidation product during the 2008 market crash.

October 1997 – March 2006

Education

WorldQuant University

MSc in Financial Engineering Pursuing
Artificial Intelligence · Risk Management · Mathematical Analysis · Business Analytics · Quantitative Finance · Statistical Data Analysis · Data Science · Quantitative Risk & Analytics
December 2024 – Present

Indian Institute of Technology – Guwahati (IIT-G)

Advanced Certification: Applied Data Science, Machine Learning & Edge AI
Data Science · Machine Learning · Edge AI · Deep Learning · Computer Vision · IoT

Grade: A

December 2022 – October 2023

Indian Institute of Technology – Roorkee (IIT-R)

Certification: Python for Machine Learning
NLP · Artificial Intelligence · TensorFlow · Large Language Models (LLM) · Machine Learning · IoT · Data Science · Software Architecture

Grade: A

2020

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

Master in Computer Application (MCA)
Computer Science & Information Technology

Grade: A

January 2000 – December 2002

Burdwan University

Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)
Commerce · Finance · Accountancy · Economics · Mathematics · Statistics
August 1992 – July 1995

Skills

AI / ML Agents & LLM
Agentic AI LLM Fine-tuning Prompt Engineering RAG Pipelines Graph Knowledge Base MCP Server Local Copilot (Ollama) Multi-Agent Orchestration OpenAI Anthropic Claude Gemini LLaMA / Phi / Gemma Mistral Cohere TogetherAI NLP Vector Databases Conversational AI
Cloud Architecture
GCP AWS Azure Serverless Microservices Kubernetes Docker SaaS Architecture CI/CD MLOps Cloud-Native
Data Science & Machine Learning
Python TensorFlow PyTorch scikit-learn Keras / CNN pandas / NumPy PySpark Jupyter R Power BI Plotly Seaborn Computer Vision (OpenCV) EDGE AI IoT
Backend & APIs
FastAPI Flask Django Celery GraphQL REST APIs SQLAlchemy PostgreSQL SQL Server paho-mqtt MQTT / AMQP / CoAP / Zigbee
Core Expertise
  • AI/ML Agents & LLM Architecture — end-to-end Agentic AI, multi-agent systems, MCP server development, RAG & Graph KB pipelines, LLM fine-tuning
  • GenAI Applications — conversational AI, local copilots with Ollama, intelligent automation bots, enterprise-grade GenAI solutions
  • Cloud-Native Architecture — scalable, secure, production infrastructure on GCP, AWS, Azure; microservices, serverless, and hybrid patterns
  • EDGE AI & IoT — patented EDGE AI for solar plants, smart cities, and industrial IoT deployments
  • Data Science & ML Engineering — model development, evaluation, MLOps, and quantitative/financial analytics
  • Technical Leadership & Mentoring — leading cross-functional teams, growing engineers, and translating AI research into business impact

Interests

Fascinated by the convergence of Agentic AI, Robotics, and IoT — I explore how autonomous agents can perceive, reason, and act in the physical world. My ongoing interest in LLM fine-tuning and MCP server architecture keeps me at the forefront of AI tooling ecosystems. I actively research multi-modal GenAI, EDGE inference, and on-device AI with small language models (SLMs).

Beyond technology, I follow developments in quantitative finance and financial engineering (currently pursuing MSc at WorldQuant University), and believe strongly in knowledge sharing — through mentoring, open-source contribution, and technical writing on my blog Think Different and Medium.

Awards & Certifications

Patent — EDGE AI for Renewable Energy & Smart Cities

Patented AI/ML application for EDGE AI IoT targeting solar plant optimisation, renewable energy management, and smart city solutions.

Extraordinary Achievement Award — Carambolakidz, Ireland

Recognised for exceptional performance and delivery beyond expectations by a leading Irish e-commerce organisation.

NCC 'A' Certificate — Indian Army

Earned through hands-on military camp training, building the discipline, leadership, and crisis-management skills that underpin high-pressure project execution.

Professional Certifications

Holder of multiple certifications across AI, ML, GenAI, LLM, Cyber Security, IoT, EDGE AI, Data Science, Cloud Architecture (GCP · AWS · Azure), and Project Management.
View all certifications on LinkedIn →

Recommendations

Colleagues and clients have consistently commended Dhiraj for his technical depth, leadership, and ability to deliver complex AI and cloud solutions under pressure.

Blog & Writing

I regularly write about AI/ML, Agentic AI, LLMs, cloud architecture, and technology trends.