
Ismail Karchi
Verified Expert in Engineering
Data Scientist and Developer
Casablanca, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco
Toptal member since July 13, 2022
Ismail is a data scientist with over a decade of experience working on high-value projects in the eCommerce, contact center, agriculture, petroleum, and transportation sectors. He specializes in descriptive and prescriptive data-oriented solutions, from design to implementation. Besides his extensive work experience, Ismail has also published a book on machine learning and statistical analysis applications in the oil storage process.
Portfolio
Experience
- Product Discovery - 12 years
- REST APIs - 12 years
- Technical Leadership - 11 years
- Leadership - 11 years
- Data Science - 10 years
- Architecture - 10 years
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) - 8 years
- AI Architecture - 7 years
Preferred Environment
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, Proof of Concept (POC), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Ontologies, AI Agents, n8n, Multi-agent Systems, AI Architecture, RAG Architecture, RAG Systems, RAG Pipelines
The most amazing...
...solution I've developed is a shipping engine with a conversion rate optimizer for Jumia, which impacted 6.8 million customers in 2020.
Work Experience
Data and AI Expert
Self-employed
- Published a book specialized in optimizing the oil storage process using statistical analysis (ISBN 978-3-8417-9268-6).
- Developed a profiling and marketing recommendation engine for the Moroccan railway company.
- Built an automatic bidding system for hotels on the Trivago metasearch for an online travel agency. The system is data-driven based on hotel segmentation and doubled the ROAS on 80% of the 5,489 hotels listed on the metasearch.
AI/ML Developer
Codehost, Inc.
- Developed the AI agent on GCP and deployed it. Solution consisted of a well-prompted agentic AI workflow, RAG, and web search.
- Tracked performance on GCP, cost usage, and user inscriptions.
- Oversaw the launch process and bugs from end users.
AI Chatbot Developer
Proximo, Inc
- Developed and deployed a Python‑based career‑discernment AI chatbot prototype on Google Cloud Platform in 10 days, leveraging OpenAI’s GPT‑4 API to deliver guidance on 80+ career scenarios and achieving a 98% user satisfaction score in pilot testing.
- Architected a GCP‑native back end with Firestore for persistent conversational context, enabling seamless cross‑device session continuity and reducing abandonment rates by 70%.
- Integrated multimodal communication using OpenAI Whisper for speech‑to‑text and text‑to‑speech APIs, achieving 95% transcription accuracy and sub‑300 ms response latency—driving a 4.8/5 average user satisfaction rating.
AI Architect
Freelance Clients
- Integrated the Benchy LLM benchmarking solution into our cloud AI infrastructure, evaluating over 300 prompt‑model combinations across five core use cases—improving model selection accuracy by 25% and reducing prompt‑tuning time by 40%.
- Developed and deployed an AI agent for Neo4j that automated the creation and maintenance of knowledge‑graph ontologies for lover 150,000 entities, cutting manual curation effort by 80% and boosting data consistency by 30%.
- Implemented a retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) pipeline using Pinecone and Neo4j, achieving sub‑second query latency with 92% contextual relevance—reducing end‑user lookup time by 60%.
AI Developer
Vessel Property Management LLC
- Engineered a cloud‑native AI agent on GCP with OpenAI GPT‑4 indexing over 250,000 real estate records and integrating CRM/ERP systems—delivering sub‑second answers to 120+ operational queries, cutting data retrieval time by 80% and achieving 92% accuracy.
- Built Firestore‑backed memory, enabling the AI agent to retain context, suggest actions, and execute CRM/ERP tasks—cutting redundant queries by 85%, automating 50+ workflows monthly, and raising user satisfaction to 95%.
- Integrated AI agent with Google Drive, Buildum, Slack, and internal databases to automate data extraction, updates, and reporting—eliminating 70% of manual lookups, saving 120+ employee hours monthly, and accelerating decisions by 60%.
AI Infrastructure Engineer
WhyHow.AI
- Developed a RAG chatbot for financial-legal queries on enterprise documents using Neo4j, Pinecone, and OpenAI LLMs via LangChain and Chainlit. Used Python, Jupyter notebooks, and AWS to deliver a highly effective solution that impressed the client.
- Developed several RAG-based chatbots across diverse industries, leveraging advanced ontologies, graph databases, and vector stores. Handled a variety of data sources like PDFs, websites, and text. Delivered effective solutions that impressed clients.
- Contributed to a platform, supported deterministic chunk access and multi-graph management, and proposed innovative approaches combining knowledge graphs and vector databases for better data retrieval and AI accuracy.
Data Scientist | Machine Learning Expert
DM Technologies GmbH
- Developed a predictive model to forecast when a customer would buy next (cadence-based).
- Built a churn model to detect when a customer would churn.
- Developed a cross-selling algorithm to serve cross-seeling items for clients.
Artificial Intelligence GPT/LLM Developer
Syntrillo, Inc
- Developed a sophisticated chatbot tailored for post-stroke survivors, enhancing user engagement and overall user experience beyond the scope of general-purpose ChatGPT models.
- Implemented an advanced AI model to substantially improve the chatbot's understanding of complex medical inquiries, leading to quicker and more accurate query resolution than conventional ChatGPT solutions.
- Collaborated closely with healthcare professionals to infuse expert knowledge into the chatbot, improving its credibility and making it a preferred tool for healthcare practitioners over standard ChatGPT.
Data Scientist
Jumia
- Developed a customer profiling system to be used by sales and operations teams. It impacted 6.8 million customers from seven segments in 2020 and enhanced the operation's delivery success rate from 54% to 76%.
- Designed, executed, and reported the A/B testing of the shipping fees over five geographies in Africa—Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and the Ivory Coast. The result-driven recommendations have been used to enhance the platform conversion rate.
- Built a shipping fees engine that sets the shipping fees dynamically and in a data-driven way to optimize target KPIs, including the net merchandise value, item sold, and operational gross margin.
Data Scientist
El Joumani Group
- Developed a model that predicts citrus quality during production time with over 87% accuracy.
- Created a model to predict oil prices and derivatives, enhancing the total cost of ownership by 4%.
- Transformed the abovementioned models into solutions, leading the process from ideation to delivery, then proposed and sold them.
Full-stack Developer
El Joumani Group
- Developed a transport management system specific to oil product transportation.
- Built and maintained different modules, such as billing and fixed asset management.
- Created an ERP, the Agricultural Management System, for farm management.
Experience
Web Service to Predict Real-time Calls
and the final model was developed using scikit-learn, NumPy, Pandas, and XGBoost. I leveraged my expertise in statistical modeling and data analysis to create a reliable and efficient solution that helped optimize call center operations. The solution resulted in a 17% increase in call center productivity and a 3% reduction in agent cost.
A/B Testing of the eCommerce Platform's Shipping Fees
• Designed and conducted successful A/B testing for shipping fees and developed and executed test plans using statistical analysis to measure the impact of different shipping fees on customer behavior (conversion rate, average order value).
• Collaborated closely with the product team to design and implement optimal shipping fee options. Utilized Excel and Python to analyze data and generate reports to identify key insights and trends. Presented findings and recommendations to the team and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as proficiency in A/B testing, statistical analysis, Excel, and Python. This project was conducted for a major eCommerce client.
The project resulted in defining the shipping fees strategy and an operational level matrix to take into account per region (Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ivory Coast), resulting in a 0.43% flat increase in the conversion rate and a 17% increase in the average order value (varies by region), resulting in the implementation of the optimal shipping fee structure and strategy.
Delivery Success Predictor
Customer Feedback Analytics
Optimizing Citrus Quality Control During Production with Advanced Predictive Modeling Techniques
Predictive Model for Oil Prices
Transport Management System
Agricultural Management System | An ERP Solution for Increased Productivity
Customer Segmentation
Marketplace Vendor Churn Predictor
I implemented data pre-processing techniques, feature engineering, and model selection to achieve an accuracy of 85%.
The solution was developed using Python 3 and Jupyter Notebook for the exploration, and the model deployed as automated scripts that push the data to MS SQL Server Database. The data is then consumed by the company's CRM software.
The solution contributed to reducing vendor churn by 12% within the first quarter of deployment.
Marketplace Vendor Segmentation
My expertise in Python 3, Numpy, Pandas, and K-means algorithms was instrumental in developing and implementing the segmentation model. Additionally, I utilized my knowledge of SQL to integrate the model with the company's database, enabling seamless use by the procurement team.
Dynamic Shipping Fees Engine Leveraging A/B Testing and Statistical Analysis
NLP-based Hotel Review Analysis and Custom Classification Model
I also created an interactive dashboard using Power BI to visualize review trends and identify areas for improvement. I then presented findings and recommendations to senior management, resulting in the implementation of targeted improvements to hotel amenities and services.
Skills utilized: Natural Language Processing, Python, NLTK, spaCy, scikit-learn, classification algorithms (Naive Bayes, SVM), and Power BI.
BTC Predictor
I conducted extensive research on historical Bitcoin prices and market trends to identify key indicators that affect the price of Bitcoin. I used this information to train the machine learning model, which was able to predict future prices with 73% accuracy. I contributed to the model's success by refining the feature selection process and optimizing the hyperparameters of the machine learning algorithms.
The BTC Predictor was created for a client in the finance industry who was looking for a reliable tool to help them make informed investment decisions in the cryptocurrency market. The model was able to provide valuable insights and helped the client achieve a significant increase in their return on investment.
Vehicle Image Classification
The model was deployed using TensorFlow serving.
Geolocation-based Hub Detection
I implemented the hub detection system to create more efficient routes with fewer stops, which resulted in a 25% increase in on-time deliveries and a 15% reduction in fuel costs. My contribution to the development of the algorithm played a pivotal role in achieving this feat. By accurately detecting and clustering frequent delivery locations, we were able to optimize routes and expedite deliveries.
Overall, the hub detection system greatly improved the transportation company's delivery operations. Our unique skill in developing algorithms that could accurately identify and cluster frequent delivery locations proved to be invaluable in achieving these results
Profiling and Marketing Recommendation Engine
I leveraged advanced machine learning algorithms and predictive analytics methodologies to analyze customer data and build unique customer profiles, enabling the railway company to tailor its marketing strategies to individual customers.
I implemented the engine using Python3, scikit-learn, Flask, and MySQL; Deployed with Docker and integrated it with the company's existing customer relationship management (CRM) system.
As a result of my contribution, the recommendation engine increased customer engagement by 35%, leading to a significant boost in revenue and customer satisfaction.
Dialect Conversion Tool
AI Agent for Knowledge‑graph Management
AI Career Coach App
https://myproximo.ai/AI Agent Acting as a Virtual Senior Operations Lead
https://www.vesselpm.com/Education
Master's Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science
Mohammadia School of Engineers - Rabat, Morocco
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Pandas, Scikit-learn, NumPy, XGBoost, Matplotlib, OpenAI API, API Development, Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), PyTorch, TensorFlow, REST APIs, LSTM, SpaCy, OpenCV
Tools
Claude, Algorithm Design, n8n, Slack, Microsoft Power BI, ChatGPT, Amazon SageMaker, AI Prompts, Dialogflow, Google Analytics, BigQuery, GitHub, C#.NET WinForms, You Only Look Once (YOLO), Claude Code, Zapier
Languages
Python 3, SQL, Python, JavaScript, C#, R, C#.NET
Frameworks
Streamlit, Flask, LangGraph, Spark, LlamaIndex, .NET, Django
Paradigms
Business Intelligence (BI), Building Information Modeling (BIM), Agile, ETL, Automation, Siamese Neural Networks, REST, Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Platforms
Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Jupyter Notebook, Replit, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Docker, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Vercel, Vertex AI, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AWS Lambda, Kubernetes, Amazon EC2
Storage
Database Architecture, Data Pipelines, MongoDB, JSON, PostgreSQL, Neo4j, Graph Databases, Amazon S3 (AWS S3)
Industry Expertise
Project Management, Marketing
Other
Regression, Clustering, Machine Learning, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Full-stack, Data Science, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Data Analytics, Data Mining, Data Reporting, Data Visualization, Business Analysis, Predictive Analytics, Predictive Modeling, Advisory, Data Analysis, OpenAI, Time Series Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Analytics, Deep Learning, Text Analytics, Proof of Concept (POC), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), AI Programming, APIs, Natural Language Understanding (NLU), Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Algorithms, Forecasting, Data Scientist, Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), Statistical Methods, Statistical Data Analysis, Mathematical Analysis, Language Models, Architecture, Classification, Text Classification, Data Modeling, Data Cleaning, Unstructured Data Analysis, Large Data Sets, Frameworks, Large Language Models (LLMs), Chatbot Conversation Design, Regression Modeling, Quantitative Analysis, LangChain, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), AI Design, Call Centers, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Prompt Engineering, Leadership, Technical Leadership, Data Structures, Ontologies, Data Collection, Modeling, Vectorization, Semantic Search, Product Discovery, Data Annotation, Causal Inference, Technical Consulting, Vector Databases, AI Consulting, Clustering Algorithms, K-means Clustering, Hierarchical Clustering, DBSCAN, Document Processing, AI Chatbots, Conversational AI, Back-end Development, Optimization Algorithms, Data Cleansing, Feature Engineering, Mathematical Modeling, Time Series, FastAPI, Pricing Models, Data, AI Agents, AI Modeling, Reinforcement Learning, Email, Data Aggregation, Time Series Forecasting, Hypothesis Testing, Agentic AI, Semantics, Vector Search, Multi-agent Systems, AI Architecture, AI Integration, RAG Architecture, AI Systems, Software Architecture, Agentic AI Systems, Statistical Modeling, Multivariate Statistical Modeling, AI Automation, Process Automation, AI Tools, RAG Systems, RAG Pipelines, AI Programming, Agentic AI Systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), eCommerce, Team Leadership, Text Mining, Web Scraping, Dashboards, Technology Consulting, Marketplaces, Information Extraction, Data Engineering, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4 (GPT-4), Chatbots, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Financial Modeling, Natural Language Queries, Computer Vision, Image Recognition, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recommendation Systems, Knowledge Graphs, Product Management, Data Science Product Manager, Startups, Big Data, Sentiment Analysis, Large Language Model Operations (LLMOps), Logistics, Path Optimization, Route Optimization, Financial Market Data, Real-time Data, Web Development, Pricing Strategy, Dynamic Pricing, Web Dashboards, Data Scraping, Finance, Trading, Trading Bots, Gemini API, Multimodal GenAI, PDF, API Integration, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Workflow Automation & System Integration, Deployment, AI Copilots, AI Agent Orchestration, Website Data Scraping, AI Design, Technical Product Management, Computer Science, Optimization, A/B Testing, Google BigQuery, Generative Pre-trained Transformer 2 (GPT-2), Data Extraction, Image Generation, Full-stack Development, DevExpress, CRM APIs, Simulations, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Pinecone, ChromaDB, Vector Stores, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Gemini, Financial Markets, Object Detection, Multimodal Models, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Middleware, ERP Systems
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