Science Impact Challenge
Your Passion. Your Skills. Our Ocean. Make a Real Impact.
Passionate about ocean conservation?
Have advanced skills in data science, data engineering or computer science?
Ready to apply your data skills directly to urgent marine science challenges?
Interested in all-expenses-paid trips to the US East Coast for our Challenge events? (See details below)
Eager to test your solution in real-world ocean conditions aboard the OceanXplorer, as a member of the winning team?
Ready to transform ocean research?
Prepare to make a difference: The Science Impact Challenge is open to passionate university students, emerging professionals, and data practitioners of all levels. We're seeking the brightest minds to accelerate ocean discovery and protection by developing innovative data and AI capabilities. Your work will contribute to pioneering new ways to understand and protect our oceans.
Why Join the Challenge?
Build critical skills and create a standout portfolio project that showcases your impact.
Connect with fellow innovators and gain direct insights from OceanX experts.
Contribute to groundbreaking R&D with tangible, real-world ocean impact.
Pitch your innovative ideas directly to OceanX leadership, leading marine science, and AI experts.
The winning team will board the OceanXplorer to experience a real mission and test their solution at sea!
The Details
From October 2025 through March 2026, participants will work remotely in teams (2-3 people) to develop cutting-edge data solutions and prototypes that address critical marine science challenges. Your solutions could range from enhancing geospatial understanding and visualizing complex data to streamlining analysis for ocean mapping.
You'll work with real-world, multimodal data collected in the field, including:
High-resolution mapping data (e.g., bathymetry, seafloor imagery)
eDNA samples (e.g., geographically correlated genetic information)
ROV and submersible footage (e.g., geo-referenced visual observations of marine life and habitats)
Environmental sensor data (e.g., nutrient measurements, temperature, salinity, depth)
Travel Support for Events: The Challenge includes one in-person event for shortlisted candidates and one for finalists on the US East Coast. OceanX will cover all domestic travel and trip-related expenses (including accommodation and meals) for invited teams to attend these events. International teams are welcome to apply; however, only domestic travel and trip-related expenses for Challenge events will be covered.
Become a part of the future of ocean discovery.
Project Ideas & Inspiration
As part of the challenge, teams will propose projects that advance ocean science and exploration. To spark your creativity, we've outlined a few key areas where your data and AI expertise can make a significant impact. You're welcome to use these as inspiration or propose entirely new ideas when you apply.
Challenge Area 1: Enhancing AI for Diverse Marine Ecosystems
The Problem: Our AI models are vital for analyzing underwater video and identifying vulnerable species like corals and sponges. However, models trained in one region often lose accuracy when applied to new, unfamiliar environments. This limits their effectiveness across the vast and varied ocean.
Your Goal: Explore and test cutting-edge AI methods (such as domain adaptation techniques like ADAPT, Optimal Transport, and Align and Distil) on OceanX datasets. Your work will aim to improve model performance and surpass current accuracy benchmarks, enabling our AI to adapt seamlessly to new ecosystems.
Challenge Area 2: Advancing Marine Life Detection in Video
The Problem: Current models used to scan underwater footage, like Meta’s Segment Anything Model (SAMv2), struggle with accurately identifying marine life. They often miss species with complex shapes (e.g., whip corals, eels) and generate false alarms, incorrectly labeling background objects. This reduces the efficiency and reliability of our visual data analysis.
Your Goal: Develop innovative models that significantly improve upon existing methods. Focus on enhancing the correct detection of marine life, particularly those with tricky shapes, and minimizing false alarms from background features. Your solution will refine how we identify and monitor ocean biodiversity.
Challenge Area 3: Accelerating Data Unification for OceanX Missions
The Problem: OceanX expeditions generate enormous, diverse datasets from a wide array of advanced sensors. Yet, the lack of standardized connections means researchers spend countless hours manually cleaning, reformatting, and merging data post-mission. This bottleneck slows down analysis, delays critical insights, and reduces overall research efficiency.
Your Goal: Design and implement tools and methods to efficiently unify OceanX mission data. By automating and streamlining this process, you will accelerate the journey from raw data collection to scientific discovery, allowing researchers to focus more on analysis and less on manual data preparation.