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Today was the launch event of the Ada Lovelace Academy, based in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE) at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½.

A hub for ESE’s computational MSc programmes, the Ada Lovelace Academy aims to attract more women and other underrepresented groups to engineering and technology, removing barriers and empowering exceptional individuals to tackle the challenges of the 21^st century with artificial intelligence (AI) and data science.

The Ada Lovelace Academy exists to ensure we are attracting and nurturing the brightest talent – regardless of gender – to lead the way in key areas such as digital sustainability, the climate transition and healthcare. Dr Rossella Arcucci Director of the Ada Lovelace Academy

The launch event invited external industry partners and internal guests, including Imperial senior leadership, to the university’s South Kensington campus for an inspiring evening of networking, learning and exploring, to celebrate the Academy’s achievements in its founding year.

It was an opportunity to hear from academic leaders, meet ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ at the Academy who presented their Independent Research Projects, and learn about the Academy’s ambitious mission to transform representation in the digital and computational space.

“The need for diverse perspectives in solving complex global problems has never been greater,” said , Director of the Ada Lovelace Academy, and Associate Professor in Data Science and Machine Learning in ESE.

“The Ada Lovelace Academy exists to ensure we are attracting and nurturing the brightest talent – regardless of gender – to lead the way in key areas such as digital sustainability, the climate transition and healthcare, and we are delighted to be able to showcase this at today’s official launch.”

Breaking barriers

Starting in October 2024, the Ada Lovelace Academy (named in honour of the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace) aims to build a more inclusive future for science and engineering. Its primary goal is to achieve gender equality across its MSc programmes by 2030.

Currently, the Academy comprises the following MScs within ESE:

• ACSE (Applied Computational Science and Engineering), launched in 2018
• EDSML (Environmental Data Science and Machine Learning), launched in 2021
• GEMS (Geo-Energy with Machine Learning and Data Science), launched in 2022
• READY (Renewable Energy with AI and Data Science: Geology and Geophysics), launching in 2025

Within the first cohort of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ at the Academy, 42% are women – more than double the national average for tech and engineering. This is a powerful start, but it is only the beginning.

Recognising that solving the planet’s most pressing challenges requires a multitude of perspectives, the Ada Lovelace Academy was born out of a need to bring more women and other gender minorities, who have historically been excluded from science and engineering, into the Earth Science and Engineering sphere.

Ultimately, the goal is to cultivate a diverse pipeline of exceptional talent – beyond all boundaries – to solve modern challenges and accelerate solutions by harnessing the potential of computation. This is a central facet to speeding up the transition to renewables, scaling sustainable development and safeguarding the collective future of the planet.

Multi-faceted strategy

The launch event showcased the success of this mission so far, starting with a special welcome from , Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience) at Imperial, and its incoming Provost and Deputy President, who gave an overview of the strategic direction of the university’s undergraduate and postgraduate educational activities, the value Imperial places in student experience and a world-class education, and how initiatives like the Ada Lovelace Academy fit into these values and uphold and enhance Imperial’s global reputation.

, incoming Director of Postgraduate Studies (Taught) in ESE, then shared the journey of the Ada Lovelace Academy. He highlighted ESE’s decade-long history in shaping computational science education, by shifting from traditional energy programmes towards those focused on tackling AI, big data and the energy transition through an applied, industry-aligned lens.

What makes the Academy unique is how it marries its goal of increasing representation with the nurturing of talent in the digital sustainability space. Professor Piggott explained how it has worked towards this mission through a multi-faceted approach that:

• Removes financial and admissions barriers through scholarships and inclusive recruitment;
• Ensures women are visibly represented through targeted messaging​ and role models in leadership​;
• Designs courses that are both cutting-edge and inclusive, incorporating collaborative learning​, flexible assessments and student support (such as PhD guidance and career training);
• Builds a supportive culture by championing an internal community and external outreach to support and inspire other women.

Showcasing talent

A highlight of the event was a poster showcase by ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ at the Academy, who presented a diverse and innovative range of Independent Research Projects to guests, ranging from applying AI and data science to improve mental health care for cancer patients, to predicting and reducing urban traffic congestion, to strengthening disaster detection.

Students worked with a range of partner organisations that included Deutsche Bank, the European Space Agency, Havard University and Microsoft, as well as Imperial’s Business School, Data Science Institute, Dyson School of Design Engineering and ESE.

These inspiring projects exemplify the Academy’s impact in empowering a new generation of scientists and engineers that are equipped with the necessary skills to make real-world impact for the good of the planet, aligning closely with Imperial’s ‘Science for Humanity’ strategy.

“Our future leaders need to reflect the society we live in,” said Dr Arcucci. “Ensuring everyone has equal opportunities to succeed and contributes to the solutions the world needs is the only way we can speed up discovery and move towards a safer and more sustainable future.”

Future ambitions

Dr Arcucci also outlined the Ada Lovelace Academy’s vision for the future. While its primary goal is to achieve gender balance, the Academy also plans to grow its student cohort and expand to include more computational courses at Imperial.

A major move will be a new dedicated home for the Academy within the upcoming academic building at Imperial’s White City Campus – a world-leading centre for innovation, designed to fuel discovery, collaboration and enterprise – working hand-in-hand with university departments and the new Schools of Convergence Science.

, Head of Department at ESE, said: “Placing the Ada Lovelace Academy at the heart of Imperial’s White City ecosystem will be transformative, in more ways than one.

“It will foster new and exciting collaborations across Imperial’s Faculties of Engineering, Natural Sciences, Medicine and the Business School to accelerate scientific entrepreneurship and data-driven innovation and discovery. It will also push the boundaries of Imperial’s world-class education to allow our diverse cohorts of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ to thrive and make their stamp on a more sustainable future, where nobody gets left behind.”

Supporting the next generation

Realising this vision requires support and collaboration. The Ada Lovelace Academy is building a coalition of partners who are aligned with its mission in order to amplify the Academy’s impact through scholarships, real-world development opportunities and by cultivating a generation of leaders that will accelerate global sustainability solutions.

Ada Lovelace imagined the future of computing long before the world was ready for it. Today, we honour her by preparing the next generation of innovators, ready not only to imagine the future, but to build it! Dr Rossella Arcucci Director of the Ada Lovelace Academy

“Ada Lovelace imagined the future of computing long before the world was ready for it. Today, we honour her by preparing the next generation of innovators, ready not only to imagine the future, but to build it!” said Dr Arcucci.

For more information on how to support the Ada Lovelace Academy and its commitment to diversity and innovation in the digital sustainability space, contact ada-lovelace-academy@imperial.ac.uk