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Ruslan Forostianov

Verified Expert in Engineering

Full-stack Developer

Utrecht, Netherlands

Toptal member since January 21, 2022

Expertise

SQL Java JavaScript Spring MySQL Database RDBMS Hibernate PostgreSQL Spring Boot Git Python React.js Node.js

Bio

Ruslan is a problem-solver first and a software engineer second, with over 15 years of designing and delivering open-source platforms for biotech and cancer research. He contributed major features to cBioPortal and Open Targets, shaping tools used by researchers worldwide. Pragmatic and people-oriented, he excels at translating complex scientific needs into elegant, high-impact engineering solutions while guiding teams toward meaningful outcomes.

Portfolio

SE4BIO

Java, Python, JavaScript

Forostianov IT Consultancy

Data Science, Java, Scala, JavaScript, Clojure, Machine Learning, React...

Unizone

React, Material UI, Java, Design, MVP Design, Business Analysis...

Experience

Databases - 15 years
JavaScript - 15 years
Data Science - 10 years
Scala - 9 years
Business Analysis - 4 years
React - 4 years
Clojure - 1 year
Design Thinking - 1 year

Preferred Environment

Java, Python, JavaScript

The most amazing...

...achievement was introducing RFC-backed improvements to cBioPortal, including incremental import and dynamic virtual studies adopted across research groups.

Work Experience

Software Engineer

2024 - PRESENT

SE4BIO

Delivered core enhancements to cBioPortal, including incremental data import and dynamic virtual studies, enabling multi-cohort analysis used by dozens of research teams across major cancer centers.
Led RFCs, architecture decisions, and cross-team collaboration to standardize data integration workflows, reducing onboarding time for new studies from weeks to days.
Contributed production-grade features to high-impact open-source projects such as cBioPortal and Open Targets, improving data accessibility for thousands of researchers worldwide.

Technologies: Java, Python, JavaScript

Software Engineer | Owner

2010 - 2024

Forostianov IT Consultancy

Analyzed business requirements and designed and implemented three minimum viable products.
Advised and helped improve existing software in the life science and education domains.
Developed and gave multiple courses about programming languages, security, and data science.

Technologies: Data Science, Java, Scala, JavaScript, Clojure, Machine Learning, React, Databases, Python, Design Thinking, Business Analysis, Design, Node.js, Firebase, User Experience (UX), Linux, ECMAScript (ES6), Unit Testing, Python 3, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Spring Boot, Kubernetes, RDBMS, Relational Databases, Apache Lucene, Git, Hibernate, Keycloak

Tech Co-Founder

2020 - 2021

Unizone

Worked on a product-market fit in close cooperation with two other co-founders.
Interviewed dozens of potential customers and partners.
Led the development of an MVP for a mobile web app. Performed the CI/CD deployment to quickly implement our customer development findings.

Technologies: React, Material UI, Java, Design, MVP Design, Business Analysis, Design Thinking, User Experience (UX), Linux, ECMAScript (ES6), Unit Testing, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Spring Boot, Databases, RDBMS, Relational Databases, Git, Hibernate

Lead Software Engineer

2013 - 2021

The Hyve

Contributed as a tech software engineer to an early-stage startup that became a profitable company.
Analyzed and implemented business requirements in three open-source software platforms related to healthcare and bioinformatics.
Mentored a team of 15 software engineers via one-to-one meetings, book clubs, and hackathons.

Technologies: JavaScript, Java, Scala, Python, React, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, Pandas, Spark, Business Analysis, Design, TypeScript, Linux, Unit Testing, Python 3, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Spring Boot, Databases, RDBMS, Relational Databases, Git, Hibernate, Keycloak

Senior Software Engineer

2007 - 2010

SPD Group

Developed components of the PitchBook platform, including the analytics, ETL, newsletters, and admin section.
Handled the back-end and front-end development of an eCommerce platform.
Proposed and implemented regular knowledge-sharing sessions, creating a tradition within the team.

Technologies: JavaScript, Java, Spring, HTML, CSS, SQL, Linux, Unit Testing, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Databases, RDBMS, Relational Databases, Apache Lucene, Hibernate

Experience

PitchBook

PitchBook is a SaaS platform that delivers data, research, and technology covering private capital markets, including venture capital, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions transactions. Within the PitchBook platform, users can access a variety of analysis tools to run targeted searches, research emerging technologies, build financial models, create data visualisations, and make custom benchmarks and comparisons.

TranSMART

https://i2b2transmart.org/

TranSMART is an open-source data warehouse designed to store large amounts of clinical data from clinical trials and basic research. It enables to interrogate these two sources of data together for translational research.

cBioPortal

https://www.cbioportal.org/

The cBioPortal for cancer genomics provides visualization, analysis, and download of large-scale cancer genomics data sets. The cBioPortal for cancer genomics was initially developed at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The public cBioPortal site is hosted by the Center for Molecular Oncology at MSK.

Open Targets

https://www.opentargets.org/

Open Targets helps improve the way targets are selected for drug discovery.
Open Targets is an innovative, large-scale, multi-year, public-private partnership that uses human genetics and genomics data for systematic drug target identification and prioritization.

Education

2006 - 2007

Master's Degree in Computer Science

Cherkasy State Technological University - Cherkasy, Ukraine

Certifications

MARCH 2015 - PRESENT

The Data Scientist's Toolbox

Johns Hopkins University, via Coursera

NOVEMBER 2012 - PRESENT

Functional Programming Principles in Scala

EPFL, via Coursera

APRIL 2012 - PRESENT

Machine Learning

Coursera

Skills

Libraries/APIs

React, Node.js, Pandas, Apache Lucene, MobX

Tools

Git, Keycloak

Languages

Java, JavaScript, SQL, Groovy, Python, Python 3, HTML, CSS, GraphQL, TypeScript, ECMAScript (ES6), R, Scala, Clojure

Frameworks

Spring, Spring Boot, Hibernate, Grails, Spark, Material UI

Paradigms

Unit Testing, Design Thinking

Storage

PostgreSQL, MySQL, Databases, RDBMS, Relational Databases, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), ClickHouse, Elasticsearch

Platforms

Unix, Docker, Linux, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Firebase, Kubernetes

Other

Software Engineering, Design, Statistics, Data Science, Machine Learning, Business Analysis, MVP Design, User Experience (UX)

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