Academic Awards 2025 booklet

25 Diversity In Hackathons What if inclusion in tech wasn’t accidental, but something you could intentionally design? With women still dramatically underrepresented in tech, my Bachelor’s thesis as a BSc in Data Science (2021–2024) at the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) explores how data can be used to build environments where inclusion is measurable—and actionable. Under the supervision of Alexander Nolte and Alexander Serebrenik , I conducted a large-scale data-driven study on gender representation in hackathons—often-overlooked entry points into tech for early-career developers. Using a dataset of over 7,000 events and 56,000 participant profiles scraped from Devpost, I combined geolocation mapping, participation clustering, team formation analysis, NLP on event descriptions, gender inference via APIs, and statistical testing to quantify how diversity messaging impacts female participation. Hackathons with explicit gender inclusion statements saw 3× more female participants, especially when mentorship and learning were emphasized. These effects were strongest in online-first and North American events. In addition to its nomination for an Academic Award, the project has since been cited in a new collaborative research paper and submitted to the ESEM’25 conference for its contribution to inclusion-aware event architecture. Currently working as an AI-Automation Intern at Elegant Enterprise-Wide Solutions, Inc. , I see this work as a stepping stone toward ethical, data-informed design. I am very pleased to contribute to the important conversation of gender equity in tech and to apply my skills in real-world settings where responsible innovation can drive meaningful change. Figure 3: Variation in Female Participation in Hackathons with and without Learning Themes. Figure 2: Distribution of Female Participation Proportion in Hackathons with explicit gender diversity initiatives and those without.