[:en]From April 24 to 28, 2025, QSUN member Abbas (Omid) Hassasfar participated in the NYU Abu Dhabi International Hackathon for Quantum Computing, an internationally renowned event that brings together students, researchers, and industry experts from around the globe to develop quantum computing solutions for social good and in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This marked Omid’s second involvement in the NYUAD Hackathon in the United Arab Emirates. In 2023, he participated as a student/mentor, and in 2025, he returned as a mentor. He with Dr. Amaria Javed from NYU Abu Dhabi Quantum group, led Team 1 – قوى / Qua, a multidisciplinary group with diverse backgrounds that developed a project titled Quantum-optimized job scheduling for sustainable university data centers. The project explored quantum algorithms to improve energy efficiency in academic data centers — a solution aligned with SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Their full project is available on GitHub, and the presentation is available here.
In addition to mentoring, Omid engaged with industry leaders through a series of keynote talks and workshops hosted by experts from Google, Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, and Infleqtion. These sessions provided valuable insights into the current and future landscape of quantum technologies and their impact on real-world challenges.
A key academic highlight of the visit was Omid’s meeting with researchers at the Center for Quantum and Topological Systems (CQTS) at NYUAD. He held productive discussions with postdoctoral fellows and met with Prof. Hisham Sati, the center’s Director and Principal Investigator. Their conversations focused on potential collaborative opportunities between CQTS and the Quantum Research Group at Stellenbosch University, laying the groundwork for future research partnerships.
As the head of QSouthAfrica, Omid also took the opportunity to reconnect with members of the broader quantum community, including several representatives from QWorld and its affiliated QCousins in person. Notably, he met with Pawel Gora, Chair of QWorld, to discuss prospects for regional collaboration under the banner of Q Africa. These conversations opened meaningful pathways for expanding quantum education and research initiatives across the African continent and strengthening ties within the global QWorld ecosystem.
Beyond academic activities, participants also took time to experience the cultural beauty of the UAE, including a group excursion to the desert — a moment of relaxation and community amidst the intense innovation and ideation of the Hackathon.
Although Team قوى did not place among the top winners, the experience was a clear success in terms of mentorship, research networking, and academic exchange. Events such as the NYUAD Hackathon highlight the growing global role of quantum technologies in shaping sustainable futures and underscore the importance of building international collaborations within the quantum community.
QSUN congratulates Abbas (Omid) Hassasfar on his continued efforts to represent the Stellenbosch Quantum Research community on the global stage and looks forward to the outcomes of the new collaborations initiated through this event.
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1 comment
Great work