Theme: A Pledge of Joy

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Tehran Heart center
North Kargars St.
Tehran, Tehrān, 412356
Iran

Aghil Yousefi-Koma

Robotics Engineer

Aghil Yousefi-Koma is the professor of Mechanical or Industrial Engineering in University of Tehran. He holds a PhD degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Eng from Carleton University, Canada. He worked 7 years in the Canadian Space Agency, Techspace Aero Canada, and National Research Council Canada from 1997 to 2005. He is the director of Center of Advanced Systems and Technologies (CAST) in University of Tehran, working on following topics: SURENA Humanoid, Biorobotic systems such as, intelligent prosthesis, robo-fish, flying wing robots, Structural test and analysis, Modal analysis, Vibration tests, Iran Pipeline High-Tech Center (IPHTC). He is the Project Leader of "SURENA Humanoid" and " IPHTC".

Asghar Rastegar

Medical Doctor + Health Activist

Dr. Asghar Rastegar, a native of Iran received his B.A.(in chemistry) and M.D. from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). He did his postgraduate training in Internal medicine and nephrology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where he also served as clinical instructor and Chief Medical Resident. He is presently Director of Global Health Program of the Department of Medicine as well as Chief, Peters and Fitkin Firm at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. Dr. Rastegar, winner of many teaching awards, is well known as an educator both here and abroad. He has spent much of his academic career as an educational innovator (initially in Shiraz and more recently at Yale) helping create educational models for training of students and residents. Internationally he served as Co-Chair of the Education Committee of the International Society of Nephrology (2000-2007), and is active in medical education in Iran and Russia.

Marzieh Boroumand

Director

Marzieh Boroumand is an Iranian actress, puppeteer, screenwriter and director of TV series and films. She is best known for Alo!Alo! Man joojoo-am (1994), Barbershop Ziba (1989) and City of Mice (1985). Marzieh Boroumand was the student of Bahram Beizaei in university in last 40, She began her career in cinema by playing in The Cycle directed by Dariush Mehrjui. She has won the Golden Sirens award of Italy’s Puppet Theater Festival “Arrivano dal mare” which is given to those artists or festivals most active in developing and promoting puppet theater in the world.

Mohammad Abolhassani

Animation Producer

Mohammad Abolhassani is an Iranian animation producer, and the initiator of Gigoole project,the "Animated Encyclopedia". He has studied Civil Engineering in Tehran University and since then he has started his own business.

Mohammad Darvish

Environmental Activist

Mohammad Darvish is one of the greatest desertification combatant in Iran; born in January 24, 1966 – Tehran. He has a BSc in range and watershed management from Tehran University and a MSc in Environment management from Tehran Azad University (Oloom Tahghighat branch). He is the author of more than 70 publications including books and articles related to the environment and desert. Such as: "An Introduction to the method of Desertification assessmsnt in Iran using adopted Criteria and Indicators", "Petroleum Mulches: A Review", "The Role of soil and water salinization on desertification of Mond watershed",... He is the president of NGO and public donations department of Environmental Protection Agency. Darvish is in charge of the study and analysis group studying the features of desertification and representative of the institute of forests and pasture study in sustainable development committee “Tat study organization”.

Mohammad Dehghani

Author + Poet Critic

Mohammad Dehghani was born in 1965. He received his B.A. degree in Persian Language and Literature from Chamran University of Ahwaz, in 1988. He accomplished his M.A. of Persian Literature at Ferdowsi University of Mashad in 1994; In 1999, he achieved his Ph.D of Persian Language and Literature from the University of Tehran. He has been the writer of seven books, more than 50 reviews and articles on literary criticism, Persian literary history, Iranian mysticism, intellectual and cultural history of Iran, etc. which have been printed in Persian journals. He taught Persian language and literature to the under and post graduate Chinese students in Beijing University for one academic year (2005-2006). Parnassus, a famous Greek literary society, awarded him a diploma for translating Kazantzakis’ works in February 2006. As a book critic, he was awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in 2013.

Rambod Javan

Director + Actor + Producer

Rambod Javan‎‎, was born on 21 December, 1971 in Shahr Ara of Azeris parents. He is an Iranian theater and cinema actor and director. He has taken roles in eleven movies in cinema. Playing a short part in the popular TV series, Hamsaran, causes him to take a serious part in "Khane Sabz" as "Farid Sabahi" which made him famous. The roles he plays are usually comedy. He directed four television series named "Gomgashte", "Neshani", "Tote famili" and "Mosaferan" and some cinema films like "Spaghetti" and "voroud aghayan mamnou" . He is best known for his very popular telecast "Khandevaneh" that first aired on 11 June 2014 on Nasim channel. The program is focusing on showing that there should not be any reason not to laugh.

Reza Malekzadeh

Doctor

Reza Malekzadeh (born 1952, Kazerun, Fars province, Iran) is an Iranian medical scientist and gastroenterologist. Malekzadeh studied medicine at Shiraz University. He continued his studies to become specialized in Internal Medicine in Shiraz University where he did as well his fellowship in gastroenterology. In 1985, he joined the department of gastroenterology at Free Royal Hospital in London. After his return to Iran, he got a faculty position at Shiraz University and later on at Tehran University of Medical Sciences where he is currently a full professor of internal medicine. He is also an Honorary Professor at University of Birmingham, UK. He is working on a big cancer cohort in Bandar-Turkeman, Golestan Province of Iran to investigate the environmental and genetic causes of oesophageal cancer. Besides being a renowned gastroenterologist,Professor Malekzadeh has been instrumental in designing and executing an efficient and practical way of diagnosing cancerous esophageal lesions.

Shahindokht Kharazmi

Sociologist + Social Psychologist

Being born in 1938, in Iran, she educated B.Sc. Psychology, in 1969 from shiraz university. She took her . M.A degree in Educational Psychology and her PhD in Social Psychology from Indiana university. Dr. Kharazmi has been an extraordinarily active woman in her fields of interest. She is a founding members of Iranian Association for studies on Information Society (IRASIS); Also she has been an advisor to many high ranked decision makers and companies in the country in different fields, including Iran-Khodro car company and the ministry of industries and business. Currently she has decided to halt all her previous activities to pursue a more ambitious, fascinating idea. In an adventurous journey towards finding the very basic underlying principle of the universe, accompanied by her loving life partner, her husband, day and night, she has devoted herself to studying cosmology, quantum physics and life sciences.