A pragmatic Approach to Technology Selection for RSEs: Lessons from iDiabetes

Abstract

Digital technologies are rapidly reshaping clinical trials, enabling fully remote and data-intensive studies through web/mobile applications, wearable devices, and integrated health systems. As a result, clinical trial platforms have become complex software systems, placing Research Software Engineers (RSEs) at the centre of both development and critical decision-making around technology selection. In this talk, I share practical lessons from developing the iDiabetes platform at the University of Dundee, a digital clinical trial system for diabetes management. I explore how choosing a technology stack in this context goes beyond identifying the “best” tools and instead involves navigating real-world constraints such as existing team expertise, institutional practices, licensing models, cost, and strict healthcare regulations. Through this case study, I will highlight common challenges including integration of heterogeneous data sources, sustainability of research software, and the long-term consequences of early technical decisions without fully understanding the domain specific context of the project. I will also reflect on the evolving nature of research software as dynamic, exploratory, and tightly coupled to project lifecycles. The talk argues that effective technology selection in RSE is a process of informed compromise rather than optimisation. By sharing these experiences, I aim to provide RSEs with practical insights for making context-aware, sustainable technology choices in high-stakes research environments such as digital clinical trials.