ResearchMatch Platform

A web application designed to bridge the gap between scientific researchers and content creators, making research and research funding more accessible to the general public.

https://kyaneos.github.io/researchmatch/

🌟 Project Context

This project was developed during the ACM Collective Intelligence 2025 hackathon by:

The Challenge

During our hackathon sprint, we tackled the critical question: "How do we make research and research funding more palatable to the general public?"

Our Solution

We created a platform that facilitates meaningful connections between researchers and content creators, enabling:

Researchers to find skilled communicators to help translate their work for broader audiences
Content creators to discover cutting-edge research for their content
Enhanced public understanding of scientific research and its impact
Better visibility for research funding opportunities

🌐 Live Demo

🎯 Try it now! Both versions are deployed and ready to explore:

🎪 Demo Version: View Live Demo - Ready to use with sample data
🚀 Alpha Version: View Live Alpha - Production-ready (needs backend database integration)

🏗️ Repository Structure

This repository contains two versions of the application:

📁 `creator-researcher-match-demo/`

The original hackathon demo version with:

Pre-populated demo data
JSON-based data storage
Full UI/UX showcase
Immediate functionality for demonstration purposes

📁 `creator-researcher-match-alpha/`

The production-ready alpha version featuring:

Database integration (Supabase)
Environment-based configuration
CRUD operations for all entities
Scalable architecture
No demo data (clean slate for real deployment)

🚀 Features

Core Functionality

Smart Matching Algorithm: Intelligent pairing based on research interests, expertise, and collaboration preferences
Advanced Search & Filtering: Find researchers or creators by field, topic, institution, or collaboration style
User Profiles: Comprehensive profiles for both researchers and content creators
Research Group Discovery: Explore academic research groups and labs
Communication Tools: Built-in messaging and conversation starter features
Analytics Dashboard: Track connections and collaboration metrics

Technical Features

Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop and mobile devices
Real-time Search: Instant results with advanced filtering
Caching System: Efficient data management with local caching
Database Integration: Scalable backend with Supabase
Modern Tech Stack: Built with Svelte, Vite, and TailwindCSS

🛠️ Technology Stack

Frontend: Svelte 5, Vite 7
Styling: TailwindCSS 4
Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL)
Authentication: Supabase Auth
Deployment: Static hosting compatible (Vercel, Netlify, etc.)

📦 Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
npm or yarn
Supabase account (for alpha version)

Demo Version Setup

Clone the repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd CI\ 2025/creator-researcher-match-demo

Install dependencies
```
npm install
```
Run the development server
```
npm run dev
```
Open your browser Navigate to http://localhost:5173

Alpha Version Setup

Navigate to alpha version

cd CI\ 2025/creator-researcher-match-alpha

Install dependencies
```
npm install
```

Set up environment variables

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and add your Supabase credentials:

VITE_SUPABASE_URL=your-supabase-project-url
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your-supabase-anon-key

Set up the database
- Create a new Supabase project
- Run the SQL commands from database-setup.sql in your Supabase SQL editor
- This will create the necessary tables and security policies
Run the development server
```
npm run dev
```
Access the application Navigate to http://localhost:5173

🗄️ Database Schema (Alpha Version)

Tables

`creators`

id (UUID, Primary Key)
name (Text, Required)
specialization (Text)
platforms (JSONB Array)
audience_size (Text)
bio (Text)
topics (JSONB Array)
collaboration_notes (Text)
created_at, updated_at (Timestamps)

`researchers`

id (UUID, Primary Key)
name (Text, Required)
institution (Text)
field (Text)
expertise (Text)
bio (Text)
topics (JSONB Array)
availability (Text)
publications (Integer)
h_index (Integer)
recent_work (Text)
collaboration_notes (Text)
created_at, updated_at (Timestamps)

`research_groups`

id (UUID, Primary Key)
university (Text, Required)
university_location (Text)
department (Text, Required)
lab (Text, Required)
lab_head (Text)
lab_focus (Text)
members (JSONB Array)
created_at, updated_at (Timestamps)

🔧 Development

Build for Production

npm run build

Preview Production Build

npm run preview

Project Structure

src/
├── lib/                    # Svelte components
│   ├── Analytics.svelte    # Analytics dashboard
│   ├── Discover.svelte     # User discovery page
│   ├── Home.svelte         # Homepage
│   ├── Messages.svelte     # Messaging interface
│   ├── Nav.svelte          # Navigation component
│   ├── Profile.svelte      # User profiles
│   ├── UnifiedSearch.svelte # Search functionality
│   ├── UserCard.svelte     # User display cards
│   ├── database.js         # Database service (alpha)
│   ├── dataService.js      # Data fetching logic
│   ├── dataStore.js        # Global state management
│   ├── matchingService.js  # Matching algorithms
│   └── ...
├── App.svelte             # Main application component
├── main.js               # Application entry point
└── app.css              # Global styles

🚀 Deployment

This repository is configured for automatic deployment to GitHub Pages!

Quick Deploy Steps:

Push to GitHub: git push origin main
Enable GitHub Pages: Go to Settings → Pages → Set source to "GitHub Actions"
Access your apps:
- Demo: https://your-username.github.io/your-repo-name/demo/
- Alpha: https://your-username.github.io/your-repo-name/alpha/

For Alpha Version Database:

Add these secrets in GitHub Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions:

VITE_SUPABASE_URL
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY

📖 Full Deployment Guide

🤝 Contributing

This project was created during a hackathon and represents a proof of concept. We welcome contributions to improve and expand the platform:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

📈 Future Roadmap

User authentication and authorization
Real-time messaging system
Advanced matching algorithms with ML
LLM rephrasing tool if academic jargon is unapproachable for content creators
Integration with academic databases (ORCID, Google Scholar)
Mobile application
Collaboration project tracking
Analytics and reporting dashboard
API for third-party integrations

🎯 Impact Goals

Our platform aims to:

Increase public engagement with scientific research
Improve science communication through creator-researcher partnerships
Enhance research visibility and funding opportunities
Bridge the gap between academic and public spheres
Foster innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

ACM Collective Intelligence 2025 for hosting the hackathon
All researchers and content creators who inspired this solution
The open-source community for the amazing tools and libraries
Our hackathon teammates for their collaborative spirit

📧 Contact

For questions, suggestions, or collaboration opportunities, please reach out to the team members or create an issue in this repository.

Making research accessible, one connection at a time. 🔬✨

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
creator-researcher-match-alpha		creator-researcher-match-alpha
creator-researcher-match-demo		creator-researcher-match-demo
.gitignore		.gitignore
DEPLOYMENT.md		DEPLOYMENT.md
README.md		README.md
package-lock.json		package-lock.json

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