Dr. Bubacarr J.B. Touray, a Gambian-born PhD immunologist and former MRC scientist, has launched Seedmap, an innovative AI-powered academic counseling platform designed to help immigrant and first-generation students navigate education and career pathways with the personalized guidance he lacked growing up.
Dr. Touray, who arrived in the United States from a village in The Gambia as the first in his family to pursue higher education abroad, knows firsthand the challenges of charting an academic course without support. Through perseverance, he earned a PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences and Immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published peer-reviewed research in prestigious journals including Frontiers in Immunology and npj Vaccines, and advanced to leadership roles in scientific research. Now, he is channeling that experience into a mission to empower the next generation.
Seedmap combines human counseling with artificial intelligence to create comprehensive, evidence-based student profiles for grades 8–12. The process begins with a confidential intake session with parents or guardians, followed by multiple recorded counseling sessions, analysis of academic records, and AI-generated reports. These reports map each student’s strengths, values, learning style, and optimal career pathways drawn from a curated library of 59 accessible professions tailored for immigrant and first-generation families.
“I grew up in a village in The Gambia,” Dr. Touray said. “No one sat with me and said — here are your strengths, here is what the world needs, here is where those two things meet. I had to figure it out alone. It took longer than it should have. I built Seedmap so no student has to go through that.”
The platform is now accepting its founding cohort at an introductory rate of $800 for the full program — significantly lower than the cost of traditional private counseling services, which often range from $3,000 to $15,000. It serves students nationwide through in-person and virtual options.
Dr. Touray previously worked as a Scientific Officer at the MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, focusing on immunology and vaccinology. He currently serves as Molecular Laboratory Supervisor at Exact Sciences in Madison.
“The Gambian community in the United States and across the diaspora includes thousands of families who want the best for their children but do not always have access to the guidance that other families take for granted,” he added. “Seedmap is built for them.”
Families can enroll via seedmapcounseling.com or by contacting Dr. Touray at jbtouray1@gmail.com.
