IBM Student Hackathon: Tackling food waste using AI solutions
When: Monday, February 23, 2026, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Where: The Octagon , Mile End
Speaker: John McNamara
Join IBM Master Inventor, John McNamara, to bring creativity and out-of-the box thinking together to tackle SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.
Looking specifically at food waste you’ll consider:
- Could AI help companies create ‘just enough’ products to fulfil demand with predictive analysis?
- Could AI help shoppers make sustainable choices when buying products?
- Could AI help shoppers be aware of their food’s carbon footprint?
To kick-off at 9am, you will be put into teams of 8 and work through all the steps to develop innovative solutions. You will explore how a ‘shopper’ may think and what’s working right now, before fleshing out your own ideas. At the end, you’ll create either a 5-minute video or presentation before presenting to our panel of judges!
This event is open to any student, undergraduate or postgraduate, currently enrolled at Queen Mary University London. Whilst having some understanding of AI or sustainability is beneficial, all knowledge levels and academic backgrounds are welcome.