Hiiro Moriyama: IPAC2026 Hackathon

DPhil student Hiiro Moriyama and team win first prize at IPAC2026 Hackathon

Hiiro Moriyama (a first-year DPhil student in the Processing of Advanced Materials group) and his team have taken home first place at a four-day hackathon during the 17th International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC2026) in Deauville, France.

As the world's premier annual gathering for the accelerator community, IPAC2026 unites global scientists, engineers and industry leaders.  This year's hackathon, organised by IUPAP WG-14 challenged more than 65 students to form multidisciplinary teams and leverage accelerator-based concepts to solve real-world societal issues.

Representing Oxford, Hiiro joined an international team of physics students, which included Maria Unal and Wiktoria Wiatrowska (SOLARIS), Weibo Hu (University of Science and Technology of China), and Laury Batista (Universite Paris-Saclay, CEA).

With coaching from Professors Sverker Werin and Francesca Curbis (MAX IV, Lund University), the team developed SimuLearn, an interactive platform designed to bring accelerator technology into classrooms.  By expanding on existing MAX IV simulation software, they integrated beam dynamics observables, a customisable ring builder, and a practical case study based on SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), located in Jordan.

Reflecting on the project, Maria Unal from SOLARIS said:

"Participating in the hackathon was a very rewarding experience because I could apply my skills to a project that will continue to be developed and used in the future.  It was especially satisfying to share knowledge and collaborate with people from diverse nationalities and physics backgrounds".

The jury awarded first place to the SimuLearn project based on merit and specific criteria, including innovate solutions, a clear proposal and presentation, and strong company engagement.

Hiiro emphasised the platform's broader mission:

"This project helps make accelerator physics more accessible for everyone, particularly for students in developing regions where access to major research facilities is limited".

The team plans to improve SimuLearn by incorporating the newly proposed African Light Source.