Coming Back to Greenwich
My journey with Greenwich began when I completed my BSc in Business Information Systems with First Class Honours. After gaining valuable industry experience, I found myself increasingly drawn to the transformative potential of emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. Greenwich had given me such a strong foundation in bridging business and technology that when I decided to advance my academic career in technology, innovation, and AI, returning here for my MSc Business Analytics felt like the natural choice.
What has kept me here is the university’s commitment to practical, real-world application of research. Greenwich doesn’t just teach theory; it encourages students to solve actual problems. This became evident when I had the extraordinary opportunity to work directly with the university’s Head of Strategic Sustainability as my dissertation client, turning my research into a live collaboration that could genuinely impact our community. The guidance from my supervisor, Anna, and programme leader, Srinidhi, has been instrumental in enabling me to pursue ambitious projects. Their expertise, seen in their leadership roles organising major international conferences like IC-ETSI 2025, creates an environment where ambitious ideas can flourish and where students can become trusted partners with university leadership.
The Scholarship...
Receiving an Academic Scholarship for my MSc Business Analytics has been transformational in ways I could not have anticipated. Beyond the financial relief, it represents the university’s investment in my potential and has given me the confidence to pursue ambitious research projects. The scholarship allowed me to focus entirely on innovation rather than financial constraints, enabling me to take calculated risks like developing the WasteLess app to improve student waste disposal behaviour and proposing an integrated IoT, machine learning and gamification approach for my dissertation.
Most importantly, the scholarship positioned me as someone the university believes in. That recognition opened the door to working with Greenwich’s Head of Strategic Sustainability as my dissertation client. It created a positive cycle: excellence leading to opportunity, leading to greater excellence.
Winning the NUSC Summer School competition
The NUSC Summer School competition represented the perfect mix of my technical skills and my desire to contribute to academic community building. I developed a comprehensive website for the 2025 programme that became a central hub for participants, with interactive elements and user-friendly navigation that enhanced the overall summer school experience.
Winning validated that my technical abilities could create genuine value for education. It also earned me access to the five-day summer school, where I learned cutting-edge research methodologies, including Social Network Analysis, Generative AI for statistical analysis without coding, Python for research, programmatic thematic analysis and textual analysis with AI. These skills became invaluable for my dissertation, particularly in developing behavioural analysis for my gamification framework.
The recognition didn’t stop there. My research was later accepted for presentation at the IC-ETSI 2025 conference on the Sustainability & Circular Economy panel, where I presented as a published author. Sharing the stage with Greenwich’s Head of Strategic Sustainability, my dissertation client, showed that our collaborative research has real academic and industry relevance worldwide.
Research with real-world impact
My dissertation explores: How can IoT sensor data, machine learning algorithms, and gamification systems optimise electricity, water and waste consumption behaviours across the University of Greenwich campuses?
This research brings together everything I am passionate about: cutting-edge technology, environmental sustainability and practical problem-solving. What makes it especially meaningful is that I am not just conducting theoretical research; I am solving real challenges for my own university.
As an alumnus, I have seen first-hand the importance of resource optimisation and community engagement in sustainability initiatives. Combining this personal connection with my technical background from my First-Class Honours BSc and my current focus on business analytics made this project the perfect synthesis of my skills, values and academic interests.
Lessons about myself
I’ve discovered that I thrive at the intersection of multiple disciplines. My greatest contributions come not from excelling in one field, but from connecting business systems with environmental science, technical optimisation with human psychology, and academic research with practical implementation.
I am still working on how to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences. Whether it is explaining gamification psychology to sustainability experts, discussing IoT data analysis with marketing teams, or presenting research at international conferences, I have learned that technical brilliance means little if you cannot make it accessible. Greenwich has given me countless opportunities to practise this, but it remains an area where I know I will continue to grow.
Looking Forward
This journey, from my First-Class Honours BSc to presenting research on an international stage, has taught me that the most impactful work happens when you are willing to step outside your comfort zone and connect with people from very different backgrounds.
Greenwich has been the perfect environment for this kind of interdisciplinary growth, supported by exceptional mentorship from the Business School and the unwavering encouragement of my family. Having the opportunity to present my research at an international conference has shown me the true meaning of academic excellence and integrity.
Does Ebenezer’s story sound like you? Discover how our MSc Business Analytics and related programmes can help you combine innovation, technology and real-world impact.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that course timetables, the availability of modules and opportunities offered to, and services for, students can change over time - i.e. things may not be available from one year to the next - and that some things may also not be available to you if you are joining Greenwich as a direct entry student. In the case of modules, please always check the 'What will you study' section of the course webpage for the course and entry year you are interested in. You can find an index of all our subject areas, within which you will find the individual course pages, at: https://www.gre.ac.uk/subjects
