About

I'm Doug Skinner, Director of AI Solution Strategy in the AI Enablement division at Parexel, a global clinical research organization.

My work sits where AI capability meets operational reality. I help shape which problems AI should solve, how solutions are designed and governed, and how teams adopt them in ways that last.

How I got here

I came to strategy by way of engineering. Before my current role, I was Associate Director of Software & Infrastructure Engineering in Parexel AI Labs. There I supported several teams building applications that combined traditional CRUD software with applied AI to make Parexel an easier place to work. Those teams covered the full stack: cloud infrastructure, frontend and backend development, and data integrations. Before that, I was an Engineering Manager and, earlier, a Senior Backend Engineer in the same organization.

Before joining Parexel, I spent several years at CommerceHub. I started as an engineer and later became a Lead Software Engineer supporting two teams of six engineers, one owning SSO infrastructure and the other owning new signups.

Along the way I've swung between engineer and manager more than once. That pendulum taught me what it takes to ship software and what it takes to help the people who ship it. Both lessons shape how I think about AI. A strategy is only as good as a team's ability to build it, run it, and get people to use it.

Career at a glance

• Director, AI Solution Strategy, AI Enablement · Parexel
• Associate Director, Software & Infrastructure Engineering, AI Labs · Parexel
• Engineering Manager, AI Labs · Parexel
• Senior Backend Engineer, AI Labs · Parexel
• Lead Software Engineer · CommerceHub
• Software Engineer I/II · CommerceHub

What I write about

• AI strategy: choosing the right problems, and knowing which ones to leave alone
• Building AI products: what changes, and what doesn't, when software gets a model inside it
• Engineering leadership: leading technical teams, and the engineer/manager pendulum
• Adoption & change: why the hardest part of AI is rarely the model
• Responsible AI: governance, validation, and trust in regulated settings
• The future of clinical development: how AI is reshaping the way therapies reach patients

Speaking

I speak at industry events about turning AI pilots into durable capability in clinical research. Most recently, I joined a Spotlight Session panel at CNS Summit 2026 in Boston on what AI-native clinical trials will look like. See all talks.

Get in touch

I'm always glad to compare notes with people working on similar problems. The best way to reach me is on LinkedIn.