Francis studied cognitive science and AI throughout his academic career, completing his doctoral work in computational modelling of cortical processing. With software and data engineering experience in academia and the industry, he supported the Ontario Brain Institute’s effort to launch their Brain-CODE neuroscience research data platform in 2013. Francis has co-founded startups and continues to engage and support early-stage companies and research labs in their efforts to have a real-world impact. He’s led data science initiatives in the clinical research setting including neuroscience, cardiovascular, and chronic pain. Today, Francis heads the newly formed Centre for Analytics at the Ontario Brain Institute to help advance skills, technologies, and translation of neuroanalytics into care. Over the past decade, he’s engaged and published with collaborators on numerous projects aimed at facilitating the sharing and integration of health data via the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), the International Rare Disease Research Consortium, the INCF, and the Research Data Alliance.