About

Hi! I'm Ozan (IPA: oʊzɒn), a backend-focused Software Engineer based in the Netherlands, building scalable systems and leading engineering initiatives in high-growth environments.

I have been working as a Software Engineer at Picnic Technologies since July 2025.

I am particularly interested in system design, scalability, and building reliable distributed systems. I enjoy working on complex backend problems and contributing to architectural decisions across teams.

I graduated from Middle East Technical University (METU) Department of Computer Engineering in 2021 with honours. I briefly pursued a Master’s degree at the same university before deciding to focus fully on my professional career.

Following my graduation, I worked at Bayzat as a Software Engineer for 4 years, focusing on backend development using Spring Boot and Kotlin. I was also briefly involved in frontend and mobile stacks. During the last 2 years of my tenure, I led a cross-functional, multinational team of 8 people focusing on the FinTech domain.

Previously I've had internships at METU Data Mining Research Group, OBSS Technology, and JotForm. During my undergraduate studies, I was a student assistant for CENG140 and CENG230 (C Programming) courses for a year.

I primarily work with Java, Kotlin, Python, and SQL. I also have experience with a range of other languages, although I don't use them actively anymore.

I am a proud Linux user, and I enjoy trying different distros from time to time. Git is my go-to version control tool, and I love using Docker. Nowadays, PostgreSQL is my favorite RDBMS, and I love the speed and ease of Redis. I have also started using MongoDB for several personal projects, and I'm appreciating it more day by day. While creating online services, I use Spring Boot for JVM languages, and I mostly use Flask for Python (I also used Django briefly).

I consider myself an avid learner, a passionate developer, and a very curious human being. I enjoy playing the guitar (since 2006), indoor cycling (spinning), and studying different languages and cultures. My mother tongue is Turkish, and I am fluent in English. I speak Spanish in a limited professional context, and I have a limited understanding of French. I studied Japanese 15 years ago, but I forgot most of it. I'm hoping to pick it up some day again. I have started learning Dutch around September 2025 too.

I enjoy traveling and exposing myself to different cultures and environments. I've visited 37 countries so far, and I'm hoping to visit more in the future.

You can contact me through Bluesky, LinkedIn or e-mail (m.ozan.alpay [at] gmail [dot] com).

Last updated on Apr 4, 2026.