Summary
Research Engineer at NYU Abu Dhabi with 10+ software development projects in The Gambia, Ghana, Rwanda, and the USA. Specialized in Applied Machine Learning, full-stack software development, and AI research. MasterCard Foundation Scholar.
Work Experience
Research Engineer
Jan 2025 – Present
New York University Abu Dhabi — Human-Data Interaction Lab
📍 Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Researching LLMs in religion; built FatwaCritic, an agentic critique tool for evaluating reasoning quality, methodological rigor, and citation integrity in AI-generated fatwas.
- Researching data-voids to understand overconfidence and misinformation risks in LLM reasoning.
- Implemented end-to-end research infrastructure for data collection, automated LLM querying, and data analysis.
- Collaborating with professors on papers for journal submission.
Software Engineer
Sep 2021 – Present
DEPT Agency
📍 Denver, Colorado, USA (Remote)
- Working with developers and designers to create software solutions for institutions and businesses.
- Conducting code reviews and testing; collaborated with stakeholders to deliver bug-free applications.
- Mentoring company interns to enhance their software development skills.
Co-founder & Tech Lead
Aug 2021 – Present
Smiling Coast Tourism
📍 The Gambia (Remote)
- Lead design and development of technology tools for hotels and tourism businesses in The Gambia.
- Built the Hotel Manager platform: an all-in-one hotel operations system replacing paper-based processes with digital workflows, providing management with operational visibility and improving both staff and guest experiences.
- Launched a booking platform for Gambia hotels and apartments (2023), enabling online reservations for Gambian properties; subsequently pivoted to the Hotel Manager to address deeper operational needs.
- Working across the full product lifecycle: requirements gathering, system architecture, frontend/backend development, and deployment.
Founder & Lead Developer
May 2025 – Present
Jamma Tech
📍 The Gambia
- Founded Jamma Tech, a custom software development company serving businesses and institutions across The Gambia.
- Developed the Joro App (Smart Payment Tracking App) — a React Native + Supabase application enabling schools, and SMEs to manage installment payments, and generate receipts.
- Leading all aspects of the business: client requirements, system architecture, development, deployment, and ongoing support.
Graduate Teaching Assistant — Data Structures & Algorithms
Jan 2021 – May 2021
Carnegie Mellon University Africa
📍 Kigali, Rwanda
- Organized labs to teach data structures and algorithms concepts.
- Provided efficient solutions and assisted students with assignment problems.
Graduate Teaching Assistant — First-Year Seminar
Sep 2020 – Dec 2020
Carnegie Mellon University Africa
📍 Kigali, Rwanda
- Graded student work and provided constructive feedback.
- Facilitated group discussions and presentations.
Web Developer
May 2020 – Aug 2020
Kigali Collaborative Research Centre (KCRC)
📍 Kigali, Rwanda
- Developed web application to visualize air quality data from low-cost sensors.
- Hosted on AWS and set up Cron jobs for periodic data updates.
Research Intern
May 2018 – Jul 2018
EdPlus at Arizona State University
📍 Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
- Collaborated to improve MasterCard Foundation Scholars' online platform.
- Conducted research interviews and data analysis; developed prototype for new functionality.
Education
Master's in Information Technology
Sep 2019 – May 2021
Carnegie Mellon University Africa
📍 Kigali, Rwanda
Specialization: Applied Machine Learning and Software Development. MasterCard Foundation Scholar — full scholarship for outstanding leadership.
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Sep 2015 – Jun 2019
Ashesi University
📍 Berekuso, Ghana
MasterCard Foundation Scholar. Co-founded GamFruits climate-smart community fruit farm.
Technical Skills
Languages
Python, Java, C/C++, PHP, JavaScript
Web & Frameworks
ReactJS, AlpineJS, NodeJS, Django, Ruby on Rails
Databases
MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
AI / ML
PyTorch/TF, Scikit-Learn, LLM APIs, Data Analysis
Mobile & Cloud
Kotlin (Android), AWS, Git/CI-CD, Digital Ocean, Expo, Vercel