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).

Howard Theatre
Downing College
Regent Street
Cambrige, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1DQ
United Kingdom

Brian Wang

Founder of In2MedSchool

Dr Brian Wang is a junior doctor in London, having graduated from Imperial College London and University of Cambridge. As a keen academic, he took time out during medical school to obtain a PhD at the National Heart and Lung Institute. Dr Wang is a keen advocate for widening participation in higher education. He is the founder of In2MedSchool, a charitable organisation that provides mentorship and support for disadvantaged children that wish to study Medicine. Their aim is to level the playing field for aspiring medics, so that the healthcare workforce can truly represent the communities it serves. Dr Wang has been recognised both nationally and internationally for his achievements in academia, medical education and social enterprise.

Deepak Shukla

Founder of Pearl Lemon Group

Deepak Shukla is the founder of the Pearl Lemon Group – a full service sales and marketing agency with offices in Africa, North America and the UK. Outside of work you can find him ultramarathon running and playing with his cat Jenny.

Éireann Attridge

Education Enthusiast

Éireann Attridge is an education enthusiast who, from a young age, has committed to working in the Higher Education sector to improve and enhance access and outcomes for disadvantaged students. As a result of her own experience and academic interest, Éireann is concerned with the experience of underrepresented students at every point of their educational journey. Éireann currently works as a Programme Manager for the Elephant Group, a schools’ led charity that seeks to increase the number of students from non-selective state schools at top universities. She also works in various roles at Homerton College, Cambridge and is a trustee for Goldsmiths Students’ Union.

Elizabeth Weir

Postdoctoral Researcher (Autism Research Centre – University of Cambridge)

Elizabeth Weir is a postdoctoral researcher at the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge and a Rokos PDRA Fellow at Queens’ College. Elizabeth strives to fill gaps in current research by highlighting the needs of understudied and underserved groups within the autism community, including middle-aged and older people, those with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and those assigned female at birth.

Ella Baragwanath

NGO Initiator and Student at University of Cambridge

I’m Ella, currently in my second year studying English at Newnham College, Cambridge. After a seven year battle with Motor Neurone Disease, my mother died when I was twelve. Her death has instilled a passion to break down the taboo surrounding grief and childhood bereavement. I am proud to work with charities supporting young people who have experienced loss, especially focusing on building communities and fondly remembering missing loved ones. I’m originally from Norfolk and enjoy spending time on the coast with my dad and little brothers, alongside reading and writing in my spare time.

Eloise Skinner

Entrepreneur, Author and Existential Therapist

Eloise Skinner is an entrepreneur, author and existential therapist. She is the founder of two businesses: One Typical Day (an ed-tech start-up), and The Purpose Workshop (a social impact consultancy). Eloise Skinner first lived on a council estate in East London, and later studied Law at Cambridge University and trained at Oxford University Business School. Having practiced as a lawyer in the city, and after some soul-searching (including a year training in a monastic community), Eloise followed her passion into existential psychotherapy. A published author, Eloise also teaches Pilates, yoga, meditation, massage and nutrition. She also has her own podcast, ‘About Wisdom’. Eloise is passionate about spirituality, meaning, purpose, social impact and education. Above all, Eloise is driven by the idea of integration – the power of bringing together all aspects of work and life; to live fully, with intention, integrity and purpose.

Fagun Thakrar

Actor, Writer-Director, Founder, Social Entrepreneur, Global Ambassador

Fagun is a critically acclaimed actor, writer-director, founder, social entrepreneur and global ambassador. As an actor Fagun has appeared in several Hollywood and international films and has starred alongside Academy Award winners. Her films have been released in cinemas internationally, selected in festivals and won awards. Fagun focuses on cinematic roles that communicate a broader social message. As a film writer-director, her expertise and passion lie particularly in developing purpose-driven films that can affect positive change.

Holly Gabrielle

Youtuber

Holly is 24 years old and she goes by Holly Gabrielle online. In 2019, she graduated from the University of Cambridge, having studied Biological Natural Sciences for three years, and her time as an undergraduate student also saw her grow her YouTube channel and brand on social media. Her YouTube videos capture everything from veganism and fitness to solo travelling and her personal struggles with mental health, and her goal is to simply put a smile on the face of those watching behind the screen. She most recently shared her journey training for the London Marathon in 2021, as well as her year as a master’s student of the Cancer MSc programme at UCL (University College London).

Jen Scarlett

Founder of (In)Credible

Jen Scarlett is founder of (In)Credible, a social enterprise to rebrand caregiving – as parents, guardians and unpaid carers – from ’time out’ to an amazing way to develop credible skills. With over 10 years experience in sustainability, Jen has worked in charities and FTSE 100 companies. Yet the most stretching thing she’s done is care for her children and her late father. (In)Credible empowers people to capture the skills they develop through caregiving to improve their employability and unlock a vast pool of talent for employers.

Keya A. Elie

Research Scientist & Program Evaluator (Child Development Psychology)

Keya A. Elie is a research scientist and program evaluator with over 10 years of experience in the field of Child Development Psychology. Currently, she serves as a Program Evaluator for Praxis Associates in California, while also completing the 3rd year of her Ph.D. within the University of Cambridge's Centre for Family Research.

Sarah Teichmann

Head of the Cellular Genetics Programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute

Sarah Teichmann is interested in global principles of regulation of gene expression and protein complexes, specifically in the context of immunity. Sarah did her PhD at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK and was a Beit Memorial Fellow at University College London. She started her group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 2001. In 2013, she moved to the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton/Cambridge, jointly with the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Sanger Institute (WSI). In January 2016 she became Head of the Cellular Genetics Programme at the WSI. Sarah co-founded and is co-leader of the “Human Cell Atlas” (HCA) international consortium. She is an EMBO member, a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Her work has been recognized by a number of prizes, including the Lister Prize, Biochemical Society Colworth Medal, Royal Society Crick Lecture, EMBO Gold Medal and the Mary Lyon Medal.

Yan-Yi Lee

PhD Candidate (University of Cambridge)

Yan-Yi Lee is a PhD candidate at the Education Faculty here at the University of Cambridge, researching strategic language learning and the neuroscience of multilingualism. As a child, she was deeply intrigued by the diversity of human languages, and nowadays she is curious to know how that very diversity can contain an increasingly strong implication for the brain’s functions in old age. She strongly opposes to the common misconception that language majors are ‘useless’ and believes there are a plethora of unexplored channels whereby languages can be highly crucial for scientific development. She is possibly also the youngest female in Taiwanese history to have taught full-time at tertiary level.

Yash Mishra

Co-Founder of Animal Alternative Technologies

Yash Mishra is a Co-Founder of Animal Alternative Technologies, which is creating scalable, end-to-end Cultivated Meat manufacturing systems for global food security and sustainability. Yash is also finishing a PhD at the University of Cambridge, creating bioelectronic 3D human Brain-on-a-Chip models, and his work has been showcased at the UK Parliament as ‘frontier and ground-breaking’ research. He is a Biochemical Engineering graduate from University College London with over 6 years of research experience at 3 of the world’s top 10 universities and a multinational pharmaceutical giant. Furthermore, Yash has won gold medals and Best Entrepreneurship at iGEM, the world’s biggest synthetic biology competition, where he is now a Judge. Moreover, Yash is a Lead Author for chapters of 2 textbooks, including the world’s 1st on Cultivated Meat.