Neural Earth Fields — Benchmark & Hackathon

Neural Earth Fields brings together early-career researchers from geodesy, geography, geoinformation, Earth observation, machine learning, computer science, mathematics, physics, and related fields.

Application deadline: 16 October 2026. Selected participants will be notified by 30 October 2026.

During this 24-hour hackathon, interdisciplinary teams will develop compact neural models that represent diverse Earth data as continuous, queryable functions.

The event takes place from 7 to 8 December 2026 at the IMPULSE House, University of Bonn. Selected participants will be matched into complementary Geo + AI teams.

Note: Detailed participation, travel-support, and logistical information will be communicated to selected applicants.

1. Personal information

Full name

Email address

Current institution or affiliation

Current position or career stage

Master’s student

PhD researcher

Other — please specify

Primary discipline or research area

2. Expertise profile

Which expertise profile best describes you?

Geo expertise — geodesy, geography, geoinformation, Earth observation, environmental science, biodiversity, or a related geospatial field

AI expertise — machine learning, computer science, mathematics, physics, scientific computing, or a related computational field

A combination of Geo and AI expertise

This information will help us create interdisciplinary teams with complementary backgrounds. You do not need to be an expert in both areas.

Briefly describe your relevant Geo or AI experience and technical skills

Relevant link

3. Motivation

Why would you like to participate in the Neural Earth Fields Hackathon?

Tell us what interests you about the challenge, what you hope to learn, what you could contribute to your team, and why this opportunity is relevant to you at your current career stage. (Maximum 150–200 words)

4. CV

Upload your CV

Size limit: 10 MB

Please upload a short, current CV in PDF format. It will be used only to evaluate your application and assemble complementary teams.

5. Practical confirmation

Can you attend the complete event in Bonn from noon on 7 December until noon on 8 December 2026?

Yes

Where will you travel from?

Estimated round-trip travel costs to/from Bonn (€)

Please provide a rough estimate. Reasonable travel costs within Europe will be covered; train travel is preferred.

Event Commitment

I understand that this is an intensive 24-hour overnight hackathon, with basic sleeping arrangements available at the venue, and that I should expect limited sleep.

Public Profile

The following information can be publicly displayed on the event website if you are selected as a participant. Providing this is optional; you may leave these fields blank if you prefer, and it will not affect your application. All other information provided in this form is for internal use by the organizing team only.

Short bio (optional, ~50 words)

Profile Picture

Size limit: 10 MB

Website Display Consent

I consent to have my bio and profile picture displayed on the event website if I am selected as a participant.

6. Data-processing consent

I consent to the processing of the information provided in this form for the purpose of selecting participants, organizing the Neural Earth Fields Hackathon, and communicating with applicants.

I consent

Privacy Information:

The application process is managed by the organizing team at the University of Bonn. Application data will be accessed only by this team and used for selection purposes.

Unsuccessful applications will be retained for 3 months.

You may request correction or deletion of your data at any time. For questions regarding your data privacy, please contact: marc.russwurm@uni-bonn.de.