Jim Patrick, one of the original engineers pioneering the development of the multi-channel cochlear implant with Professor Graeme Clark, is recognised as a world authority on cochlear implants. He joined Prof Graeme Clark’s research team at Melbourne University in 1975. With training in physics and communications engineering, and an interest in how electrical stimulation might be used to help people hear, he led the successful development of "UMDOLEE", the ten channel cochlear implant developed by the Departments of Otolaryngology and Electrical Engineering.

When initial proof of concept generated Federal Government support for commercial development in 1981, Jim moved to Sydney as a member of the Cochlear "Tiger Team", established by Paul Trainor inside the Nucleus group to develop a ‘clinically applicable' cochlear implant. Jim was responsible for systems engineering, and the digital aspects of the implantable stimulator, playing the key leadership role in the development of the commercial medical implant.

Since 1981 he has been a member of Cochlear's senior management team, holding a number of technology management roles, including responsibility for R&D, Quality and Manufacturing. Currently, Jim is responsible for Cochlear's global research programme, exploring how novel forms of signal processing can improve the performance of the cochlear implant, and how advances in biology and electro-neural interfaces can be applied to future implant designs.  He has honorary appointments as Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne and Adjunct Professor, La Trobe University.