Science Hub Challenges: September 2025
- Post by: Science Hub Team
- September 29, 2025
Bringing Together Future Scientists from the Universities of Venice, Edinburgh and Leeds
Introduction
The Science Hub Challenges are an innovative initiative by the European Space Agency (ESA), dedicated to graduate students passionate about Earth sciences, and are organised twice a year.
The second edition of 2025 took place from 8-11 September and was organized in collaboration with the University of Venice and the SENSE (Satellite Data in Environmental Science) Centre for Doctoral Training.
The week in brief: 8-11 September 2025
Hosted at ESA’s ESRIN facility – the agency’s central hub for Earth Observation – the Earth System Science Hub Challenges foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange among master and doctoral students. Each edition brings together expert talks from ESA EO scientists and mission managers, hands-on research on practical projects with ESA data, and immersive sessions. Students gain exposure to ESA’s latest research directions and technological advancements – including novel science missions, EO applications and computational platforms for Earth Observation.
Throughout the week, PhD students from Universities of Venice (IT), Edinburgh (UK) and Leeds (UK) attended a rich programme that mixed scientific research with expert lectures from ESA scientists, networking and cultural exchange. Additionally, they visited the Φ-Lab and learned about the disruptive innovation activities in AI4EO, and enjoyed the visit to ESRIN’s immersive space – Φ-Experience – where they could learn and interact with EO data in an alternative way.
The Scientific Challenges
As in the previous edition, the students addressed diverse scientific challenges ranging from “aerosols and clouds classification and interactions from EarthCARE data” to “Clustering Ocean Water Types using spectral EO data” or “Monitoring surface properties of snow, glaciers and sea ice”. To prepare their solutions, ESA provided them with access to two computational platforms: the DeepESDL (Earth System Data Lab) – sponsored by ESA’s EarthCODE initiative through the Network of Resources, and the EarthCARE MAAP.
Both platforms offer convenient access to ESA and other environmental and earth data close to the computing resources, and an integrated development environment. This allowed the five teams of students to complete the scientific challenges within the short time available and present their results during their last day of visit.
Throughout the week, technical support was provided by Brockmann Consult’s Tejas Morbagal Harish and Clara Backens, ESA’s Saskia Brose and Serco’s Joseph Melizza. Scientific support was ensured by Julia Peters from University of Leipzig who introduced the concepts of datacubes and how to apply AI methods on earth system data cubes.
From Workshop to Publication: Next Steps
The journey doesn’t end with the workshop’s conclusion. In the coming weeks, students will refine their analyses and transform their work into engaging, interactive stories to be published on the ESA-NASA-JAXA Earth Observation Dashboard. This opportunity enables participants to share their discoveries with the global scientific community – amplifying the impact of their research and showcasing the outcomes of international collaboration.
2026 Call for Participation
Building on the momentum of the 2025 workshop, ESA invites new applicants to join the upcoming Science Hub Challenges. The call for participation is open until 24 October 2025. This is the perfect chance for students and faculties interested in advancing their expertise in Earth Observation to become part of a vibrant, growing network of scientific innovators.
Relevant Links and Resources
- Science Hub: sciencehub.esa.int
- EarthCODE https://earthcode.esa.int
- Network of Resources https://nor-discover.org
- EO Dashboard: eodashboard.org
- DeepESDL Platform: deepesdl.readthedocs.io
- EarthCARE MAAP Platform: https://portal.maap.eo.esa.int/earthcare/
- Φ-Lab: philab.esa.int