Gaurang Belekar and Sara Taha, our two Sandbox AQ scholarship students from the MSc in Quantum Science and Technology took part in the 13th annual NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Hackathon for Social Good. This event brought together more than 200 students and 50 mentors from across the global to collaboratively explore how quantum computing can drive solutions for global challenges and accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Taking place during the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), the hackathon showcased an opportunity to highlight the transformative potential of quantum technology.
In the lead up to the hackathon, participants took part in a virtual training programme covering the fundamentals of quantum computing, delivered by experts from QWorld and NYUAD. Over three days, 17 teams of students worked together to develop ideas for how quantum computing could be harnessed to address real-world challenges–with ideas ranging from healthcare, climate action and sustainable energy.
We are delighted to announce that our student Gaurang Belekar and his team won second prize with their project called canQr. The aim of the project was to predict binding energy between chemotherapy drugs and biological targets using Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) algorithms on quantum devices to accurately compute binding energies. By systematically modifying molecular Hamiltonians and evaluating drug-target interactions, the platform seeks to optimize chemotherapy agents — enhancing their binding to cancer-specific DNA while minimizing interactions with healthy tissue markers. The ultimate goal is to design more selective and less toxic anticancer drugs.
We are very grateful to Sandbox AQ for their donation this year that has enabled our two scholarships for students from the Global South to join our course and supported their travel for this event. In their words “the hackathon was a truly valuable experience — not only was it fun, but there was also a great deal to learn, both from the keynote speakers and judges, as well as from fellow participants. It was inspiring to see the diversity of ideas and approaches throughout the event.”