Speaking and teaching

Since 2010 I have taught more than 150 sessions to over 5,000 people, at every company I have worked for and at more than 25 colleges. I teach what I practice: writing software that lasts, measuring delivery honestly, and using AI responsibly in regulated engineering.

150+

talks, workshops and training sessions since 2010

At IBM, Exeter, Amazon and Philips, and at more than 25 colleges.

5,000+

people in those sessions

Counting only sessions with a recorded headcount; most internal sessions record feedback responses only.

Across my career

2007 to 2013
IBM
12
sessions
A national conference paper, an IBM technical webinar, Hackday briefings, and my first college seminars.
2013 to 2015
Exeter
20
sessions
Design patterns training for engineers at work, and 15 seminars and workshops at colleges.
2016 to 2018
Amazon
10
sessions
Scrum and product ownership workshops rated up to 4.6 out of 5, alongside talks for students.
2018 to 2021
Philips India
52
sessions
Clean code, unit testing and duplication workshops, seven bar-raiser training cohorts, and a 500-person conference panel.
2021 to now
Philips North America
65
sessions
GitHub and Copilot courses, the 2025 Philips University program with 492 learners, and 27 AI sessions in 2026.

Teaching AI now

1,000+

engineers, managers and analysts in AI sessions in 2026

From January to September 2026: 12 Philips University courses, 13 sessions requested by teams across the company, and 2 at Innovation Impact Week.

8.7 / 10

average participant rating

Across 22 scored sessions in 2026.

training sessions in the 2025 Philips University skill-building program I led

492 learners, 8.9 out of 10 average rating. I taught 23 of them myself.

“These sessions are attended by 100-150 analysts across various organizations, and Datta's sessions have been the top recommended material this year.”

Business Intelligence Lead, North America AnalyticsPhilips, 2026

Topics

AI in regulated engineering: Using AI for requirements, traceability and testing under IEC 62304, with people making the final call.
Engineering flow: DORA metrics and continuous value delivery as a management tool, not a scoreboard.
Craftsmanship and quality: Quality gates at the developer desk, technical debt you can see, and design that lasts.
Careers and learning: Interviewing, handling uncertainty, and building a learning habit. Mostly for students.

Selected talks

2026

IEC 62304: why it matters to you, and how AI can help you stay compliantCourse, Philips University. Recurring, rated up to 9.1 out of 10.
Prompt and context engineering, parts 1 to 3Series, North America analytics community, Philips. 82 to 101 analysts per part, part 3 rated 10 out of 10.
AI-augmented software engineering: testing, tech debt, prompt and contextSeries, Philips image-guided therapy engineering

2025

Hands-on GenAI for software teams, three days in personWorkshop, Philips engineering site, Plymouth, Minnesota. Self-rated confidence rose from 4.5 to 7.6 out of 10.
Unlocking the future with AITechnical session, Philips innovation engineering community. Rated 9.2 out of 10.
Coding with GitHub Copilot, and leading continuous value deliveryCourses, Philips University, recurring courses

2024

SOLID principles seriesTalk series, Philips software community. One talk rated 8.6 out of 10 across 37 responses.

2023

Back to basics: design, code, test and review patternsHands-on workshop, Philips Innovation Campus, Bengaluru. About 50 engineers, in the room and online.

2021

Less work, more value: why everyone's shifting leftDemo, The Developers Conference, Brazil (virtual). International developer conference.
Observability for customer delightWorkshop, Philips global software excellence conference

2020

Bar-raiser training for interviewersTraining, Philips India. Seven cohorts, 2020 to 2021.
How to deal with uncertaintySeminar, Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumakuru

2019

Developers are asked for more, more, more. How much is enough?Panel, Philips developer conference, Bengaluru. About 500 attendees.
Clean code, clean testTwo-day workshop, Philips India software teams

2018

SOLID principles of programmingSeminar, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru

2017

Scrum workshopWorkshop, Amazon engineering, India. Top presenter score, 4.6 out of 5.

2016

Lessons from 50 failed interviewsSeminar, BMS Institute of Technology, Bengaluru

2014

Design patterns: an introduction, and advanced patternsTraining, Exeter engineering training program

2013

Behind the scenes of social networksSeminar, BMS Institute of Technology, Bengaluru. About 300 students.

2011

IDEs: your next programming platformWebinar, IBM Technical Experts Council
Evolution of design patternsSeminar, New Horizon College of Engineering, Bengaluru

2010

Visual project dependency managementPaper presentation, National conference on computing, communication and technology

Organizing an event?

Write to dsvellal@gmail.com with the audience, format and date. A short bio and headshot are available on request.