Joshua Fernandes A solutions developer and creative programmer with strong front-end and back-end experience. Drupal contributor since 2015.
About Me
Hi, I'm Joshua Fernandes.
I'm a solutions developer, creative programmer, and PhD scholar based in Goa, India, with more than ten years spent building web platforms for universities, governments, enterprises, banks, and newsrooms. I've had an insatiable appetite for knowledge for as long as I can remember — I'm the kind of person who takes apart remote-controlled toys just to understand how they work.
Professionally, I live in the Drupal world. I've been contributing to the open-source community since 2015, and today I work with Axelerant and Salsa Digital on large-scale migrations, GovCMS, and Victoria's Single Digital Presence. I maintain more than sixteen Drupal projects, contribute core patches and security fixes, and speak and mentor at community events like DrupalCon and DrupalCamps.
That same curiosity pulled me into research. I'm currently pursuing a PhD at IIM Sambalpur, exploring where software engineering meets ethics — specifically how open-source AI models make empathetic decisions in high-stakes situations. My first paper on the topic was published in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research in 2025.
When I step away from the screen, you'll usually find me in the garden. Feel free to get in touch — I'm always happy to talk Drupal, government digital, or the responsible use of AI.
Publications & Research
Evaluating Empathetic Decision-Making in AI
A comparative study of open-source models in high-stakes scenarios, published in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), Volume 07, Issue 06, November–December 2025.
Research profiles
I'm a PhD scholar at IIM Sambalpur, working where software engineering meets ethics — specifically how open-source AI models make empathetic decisions when the stakes are high.
Speaking & Community
Speaking
DrupalCamp Atlanta 2021
DrupalCamp NYC 2021
Drupal GovCon 2021
Alumni tech-talk speaker at Aarush 2022 on I.T. industry technology trends.
Contributing
Drupal contributor since December 2015, maintaining more than sixteen projects — among them Media Vimeo Domain Privacy, the CivicTheme Design System and Contribute.
Core patches, security credits, documentation and Bug Smash.
Volunteering & mentoring
DrupalCon volunteer at Global 2020, Europe 2021 and GovCon 2021.
Discover Drupal mentor, and mentor for the DrupalCon Global 2020 scholarship programme.
The empathy assessment
Most tests ask how empathetic you think you are. This one gives you situations where being empathetic costs something, and looks at what you actually choose.
7 scenarios, about fifteen minutes, no account. You get three scores — whether you registered the people involved, whether you explained your reasoning, and whether you reached the right decision. Then you can see how the same scenarios were answered by the AI models everyone is now asking for advice.
Take the assessment Free. Your scores are yours to keep.
Certifications
Technical & security
Acquia Certified Site Builder, Drupal — 2017
Security Fundamentals Level 1, SafeStack — 2023
Secure Developer Level 1, SafeStack — 2023
Security Tester Level 1, SafeStack — 2023
Process & language
Six Sigma Yellow Belt, 6sigmastudy — 2020
Scrum Fundamentals Certified, SCRUMstudy — 2020
IELTS Academic, overall band 8.0 — 2014
Postgraduate Diploma in Business Analytics, BITS Pilani — 2023
Academic Engagement
Padre Conceção College of Engineering
I've served on the Department Advisory Board for the Department of Computer Engineering since August 2023, as the industry member helping monitor the quality of teaching, learning and evaluation.
I judged Odyssey 2026 at the college, and spoke at Aarush 2022, its International Industry–Institute Symposium.
Workshops
Resource person for Content Management System using Drupal at Sridora Caculo College of Commerce & Management Studies, Mapusa — 2016.
Resource person for Content Management System at Goa Multi-Faculty College, Dharbandora — 2018.
Your AI Governance Policy Is a PDF. Your Prompt Has Never Read It.
Every organization running AI now has a governance framework it must answer to — and almost none of them are machine-readable. I'm proposing a jurisdiction-selectable AI governance policy layer for Drupal, and I'd like the design torn apart before I write the code. Ask a Drupal team how their AI…
When AI Learns to Feel: A Weekend of Building ai_empathy
Sometimes progress doesn’t come from long roadmaps or perfectly planned sprints.
Sometimes… it comes from a quiet weekend.
This weekend, I found myself going deeper into something I’ve been thinking about for a while:
Can AI make decisions that feel… human?
Not just correct.
Not just efficient.
But empathetically right.
That thought turned into something tangible — a Drupal module I’ve been building:
ai_empathy
My Expertise
Ideas
I collaborate with clients and peers to nurture and transform ideas into well thought out design specs. After all, that's where the majority of amazing user experiences start.
UX/UI
I sketch and wireframe interfaces focusing on content structure, intuitive UI patterns and simple interactions. I'm a minimalist who truly believes that less is more.
Code
I design in the browser with HTML(5), CSS(3) and a touch of JavaScript. I love coding things using drupal, but I can work with other cms frameworks like wordpress too.
Have been working with
CMS: Drupal,Wordpress,Opencart.
Framework: Cakephp,Codeigniter.
Includes Payment Gateways {Paypal,Authorize.net,Payeezy,Stripe};
Module/PLugin Development;
Code Version Control SVN,GIT;
Soft - Skills
Team Building and Co-ordinate within team members;
Client Communication, Requirement Gathering,Project Analysis &
Estimations,Project Workflow, Holding Team meetings,Technical
Presentations/Workshops;
Languages
English
Hindi
Konkani
Join the Drupal Association
The Drupal Association unites a global open source community to build, promote, and secure Drupal.
The Association is a not-for-profit organization that relies on individuals and businesses to fund everything they do for Drupal — from Drupal.org to DrupalCon and community programs.
Connect with us and support our mission-driven work.
Support the Drupal Association
My Passion
TRAINING
Technical and non- technical training on digital web world. New software trends, Work management in the professional world.
WORK WITH INSTITUTES
Connect with educational institutes and help them make full use of technology.
HELPING HAND
If you need help or some one as a mentor, I am just an email away.
