Machine Learning for Microscopy Hackathon 2

December 16–18, 2025 · Hybrid (In-person + Virtual)

See the 2024 edition

What is the Hackathon?

The Machine Learning for Microscopy Hackathon is a hands-on event that brings together researchers, students, and professionals to solve real microscopy problems using AI and data-driven tools. Participants work in small interdisciplinary teams to explore imaging, spectroscopy, and automation challenges, learning from mentors and peers along the way.

Multi-Site Participation

Attend in person or join remotely — teams will collaborate across sites and time zones. Confirmed 2025 host sites include:

University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
North Carolina State University (NCSU)
Northwestern University (NWU)
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), Barcelona
University of Toronto
University of Wisconsin
University of Colorado Boulder
Colorado School of Mines
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD)
Thermo Fisher Scientific – Eindhoven
Online (Global)

Interested in hosting a site? Contact sergei2@utk.edu.

Why Participate?

Learn by doing
Work with real microscopy datasets and apply state-of-the-art AI methods.
Collaborate globally
Form teams with participants from around the world — fully remote participation supported.
Contribute to open science
Share code, data, and discoveries that extend beyond the event.
Grow your visibility
Showcase your work to researchers, labs, and industry partners.

Timeline

PhaseDateDescription
Registration & Team FormationNow – Dec 10Register, join Slack, and find collaborators.
Hackathon StartDec 16Opening session and challenge release.
Mentorship & CollaborationDec 16–17Hands-on work with mentors and cross-site support.
Final PresentationsDec 18Team presentations and judging.
Post-EventJan 2026Paper writing and open-source integration.

Logistics

The hackathon will take place in hybrid format using Zoom for talks and Slack + Miro for collaboration.

Sponsors & Partners

Supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Renaissance Philanthropy, Mat3ra – Materials R&D Cloud, and Hugging Face. Learn more about our partners on the About page.

Join us to connect AI and microscopy — through collaboration, creativity, and open science.