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The final event of the Analytics for Society Award, held on 12 March 2025, brought together academics, entrepreneurs, students, and industry experts to encourage the use of analytics, optimisation, and visualisation tools to address societal challenges. The focus was specifically on addressing one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and actively involving students worldwide in turning these goals into actionable, analytics-driven solutions for real-world impact.
Launched in 2022, this year marked the third edition of the competition, which also marked the first collaboration with UCL for the initiative. Hosted at Imperial College Business School, this year’s event was organised by students from both Imperial and UCL: Laotan Faji, Emily Peters, Elena Lickel, Margaux Drochon, Dilani Antonvijayakumar, and Jacques Lin. The event was supported by the Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation (GCII), which played a key role in advancing the spirit of inclusivity and innovation at the heart of the competition. Additionally, the event received support from the Department of Analytics, Marketing & Operations, UCL School of Management, and was also sponsored by the Institute of Analytics and INFORMS for the first time.
At the application stage, teams were tasked with submitting a five-minute video and a brief summary document demonstrating how data visualisation tools or advanced analytical techniques can be used to:
- Examine challenges or opportunities related to one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
- Address these issues or showcase the impact of these opportunities using data analytics, and
- Effectively communicate the findings to a broader audience in an engaging and creative way.
After a review and voting process, a final shortlist of teams was invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of research and industry experts at the awards event, with the winning team(s) receiving a share of the cash prize pool.
The event also featured three inspiring keynote speakers:
- Aura Popa, Senior Director of Analytics & AI at Gartner and Chartered Statistician at the Royal Statistical Society shared her expertise in AI, data-driven strategy, and the evolving role of analytics in business intelligence.
- Laura Gilbert CBE, Head of AI for Government at the Ellison Institute and the Tony Blair Institute, gave a compelling talk on AI for social impact, innovation, and how data is changing decision-making processes.
- Karl Simons OBE, Executive Director at Fyld and advisor to the British Cabinet Office, shared insights from his career spanning military service, global infrastructure, and AI-driven technology, focusing on the role of AI and analytics in improving workplace efficiency and safety.
The event concluded with the announcement of the winners:
- The top prize was awarded to Alia Friedman for ‘Presenting Student Dropout,’ which uses analytics to identify students at risk of dropping out of higher education globally and provides targeted interventions to help them succeed.
- Second place went to Jinwei Shi, Matthew Lee, Yidan Xu, and Saffan Firdaus for ‘RES,’ a groundbreaking pollen sensing technology designed to predict and prevent allergy reactions using hyperlocal pollen data.
- Third place was claimed by Oktaviani Saputri, Rania Azzahra, and Hanin Fairuz Salsabila for ‘MaternEASE,’ a smart wearable ring that tracks maternal health data and detects early pregnancy risks, even when in-person check-ups are missed.
"I was uplifted by the quality of the solutions presented to some of our deepest challenges, and the innovative spirit displayed by my fellow students is a testament to our potential to reshape our future. Equally inspiring was the collaboration between industry and public sector leaders and institutions; Imperial and UCL, two powerhouses that have chosen to work together for the greater good, along with the IOA and INFORMS finding common ground, demonstrated that when we join forces, we can achieve extraordinary outcomes. I look forward to watching some of these budding enterprises grow into full-scale operations, delivering meaningful impact where it is needed most." – Laotan Faji, President – Analytics for Society Award Committee
Congratulations to all the winners! We are excited to see how your ideas will evolve.
The evening ended with a celebration and networking session. We are also thrilled to announce that the next edition of the Analytics for Society Award will take place in 2026, and the recruitment process for the new team will begin soon. Please keep an eye on the website and social media channels for updates.
“The Analytics for Society Awards framework empowers students worldwide to translate analytics into real-world solutions, generating societal impact and economic value. Each year, our student-led committees bring fresh ideas, supported by a strong Analytics for Society Awards alumni network, academic mentoring, and industry collaboration - making analytics both actionable and inspiring in creating solutions for a better world.” – Dr Esma Koca, Faculty Member - Analytics and Operations Department, Co-founder – Analytics for Society Award, Researcher - CHEPI and Associate – GCII
These awards highlight how an extracurricular event, supported by a structured framework, can enhance the traditional curriculum and ensure smooth transitions between committees, while allowing each cohort to bring a fresh perspective to the event. This year’s collaboration with UCL has set a new standard for inter-university cooperation, with the Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation continuing to be a driving force in promoting inclusive approaches to innovation and data solutions.
“We are proud of initiatives like the Analytics for Society Award, which provide valuable opportunities for students from Imperial, UCL, and other universities to collaborate and engage in interdisciplinary projects that support Imperial's Science for Humanity strategy. The future requires extensive collaboration, convergence, and contributions from multiple stakeholders to achieve our goal of becoming a force for a better world.” - Professor Sankalp Chaturvedi, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Co-Director – Gandhi Centre for Inclusion Innovation
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals for their invaluable contributions to the success of our event:
Firstly, we thank the esteemed Imperial faculty members: Dr Esma Koca, Prof Wolfram Wiesemann (AMO), and Prof Sankalp Chaturvedi (Co-Director, GCII), whose support and expertise were instrumental throughout the event. A special thanks goes to the Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation, whose involvement provided not only invaluable expertise but also a commitment to making innovation accessible and impactful on a global scale. Our sincere appreciation also goes to our UCL partners, including Associate Prof David Alderton, Prof Davide Ravasi (Director, UCL School of Management), and Prof Nina Seppala, for their dedication and involvement.
We are deeply grateful to our distinguished panel of judges: Dr Jonas Lieber, Faisal Galaria, Iulia Ungureanu, Prof Nina Seppala, and John Spindler - for their time, expertise, and thoughtful contributions to the event. Finally, we wish to express our special thanks to our keynote speakers: Dr Laura Gilbert CBE, Karl Simons OBE, and Aura Popa, for their insightful presentations and for inspiring us all with their knowledge and experiences.
We appreciate each one of you for making this event memorable and successful. Thank you!
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