Khadija Zakaria, a third-year student at the Systems and Biomedical Engineering Department, has marked an exciting international achievement as a member of the winning team at the CERN Quantum Materials Hackathon 2026, held at CERN IdeaSquare in Geneva, Switzerland. Her team secured 1st place for their innovative work at the intersection of quantum computing, machine learning, and materials science.

Organized by CERN, the Open Quantum Institute (OQI), Quantum4Purpose, and partners, the hackathon brought together 34 students representing more than 30 nationalities for an intensive 48 hours of innovation using quantum computing hardware and simulators to address real-world challenges in quantum materials.

The winning team tackled the challenge of predicting the critical temperature of superconducting materials using quantum machine learning. Combining quantum and classical approaches, the team developed a screening tool designed to help materials scientists identify promising superconducting candidates before experimental testing, connecting their work to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Systems and Biomedical Engineering Department proudly congratulates Khadija on this remarkable achievement and wishes continued success in her future scientific and technological endeavors.

Read the official CERN announcement:

Training the world’s future quantum experts