Omar Siddique
Software Engineer, Full-Stack Developer & Machine Learning Researcher
About the Developer
Hi, I’m Omar Siddique, the developer and researcher behind AlumniKonneQt. I created this project as an independent academic capstone at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya.
AlumniKonneQt was inspired by the professional community of Kenya Airways alumni. Navigating career transitions, seeking senior mentorship, or sharing industry guidance often relies on disjointed channels or ad-hoc networking. I wanted to design an intelligent, purpose-built platform that bridges that gap by connecting mentees with mentors through semantic similarity, shared backgrounds, and genuine common ground.
As the sole engineer and researcher on this capstone, I oversaw the entire lifecycle: from empirical data collection and research methodologies to full-stack architecture, machine learning model fine-tuning, security audits, and responsive UI/UX implementation.
Semantic Matching & AI
Developed an automated semantic discovery pipeline utilizing fine-tuned MiniLM-L6-v2 sentence transformer embeddings paired with PostgreSQL pgvector cosine similarity indexing, allowing mentees to discover mentors based on underlying career aspirations and shared competencies rather than simple keyword matches.
Modern Full-Stack Stack
Engineered with Next.js (App Router, React 19, Server Actions), TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS v4. Backed by Supabase PostgreSQL with strict Row Level Security (RLS) policies, asynchronous webhook email notifications (Resend), and passwordless authentication.
Privacy & Security Engineering
Built with privacy-by-design principles: strict data-minimization on registration, granular member profile privacy controls, member safety blocking & reporting actions, and transparent cookie/storage preference controls.
Academic Rigor & Evaluation
Backed by comprehensive empirical evaluation: baseline heuristic comparisons, statistical ranking benchmarks, automated test suites with over 150 regression specifications, and strict compliance with academic research standards.
Want to connect or explore more work?
Visit my personal website to explore other engineering projects, research writings, and get in touch.