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).

The 'Quin House
217 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts, 02116
United States

Akshat Dave

Akshat is a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT Media Lab in the Camera Culture group led by Prof. Ramesh Raskar. He received his Ph.D. from Rice University and Masters and Bachelors from IIT Madras. His research lies at the intersection of applied optics, computer vision and machine learning. His work has been recognized by Ralph Budd Best Thesis Award, OSA Best Paper Prize and fellowships by Texas Instruments and Qualcomm.

Alaa Maalouf

"Dr. Alaa Maalouf is a postdoctoral researcher at MIT CSAIL, working with CSAIL director Prof. Daniela Rus. He is also an associate at Harvard SEAS, and a machine learning researcher at project CETI. Before that, he obtained his PhD. from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Haifa, where he was supervised by Prof. Dan Feldman. He worked at several tech companies and startups including Mellanox Technologies (acquired by NVIDIA) as a chip design engineer, and DataHeroes as a lead machine learning researcher. In 2025, Dr. Maalouf will be joining the University of Haifa as the Neubauer assistant professor of Computer Science."

Amanda Rischbieth

Dr Amanda Rischbieth AM PhD FAICD is a former Visiting Scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2018 to 2022) after being competitively selected as one of 40 global leaders, as a Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) Fellow in 2017. She is a the ALI Impact Leader in 2024 and also chairs The National Blood Authority Australia. In 2023 she received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) award for her services to public health and governance, and has over 24 years company directorship experience in addition to being a CEO of a leading health organisation for 6 years. Dr Rischbieth is a Non-Executive Director of the International Women’s Forum Australia (IWFA) and a member of the International Foundation for Valuing Impacts Technical and Research Committee. She is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Adelaide, a Fellow and Faculty of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of Chief Executive Women, and a former Telstra Business Women’s Award Finalist. She undertakes corporate advisory work on governance, sustainability, ESG, health, cyber, and AI and is currently building two AI ventures in Climate and in Health. Dr Rischbieth was a member of a gold-winning team in the MIT AI Venture Studio in Spring 2024. Dr Rischbieth’s previous directorships include Duxton Farms (ASX:DBF), the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority Advisory Board, the National Heart Foundation of Australia SA, the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (National President), the South Australian Public Health Council, the South Australian Urban Renewal Authority, the Leaders Institute of SA, and the South Australian Motor Sport Board (V8 Supercars Adelaide 500). She received her PhD which focused on intensive care decision-support systems, in 2007 at the University of Adelaide. Earlier in her career she established and co-led a private intensive care unit for 10 years. In 2018 she joined the Hands-On group going to Sri Lanka, fitting 247 prosthetic hands to landmine victims. "

Annika Thomas

Annika Thomas is a PhD candidate at MIT’s Aerospace Controls Laboratory, specializing in robotic perception. She aspires to design, integrate, and optimize autonomous robotic systems while contributing to a more inclusive culture of women in STEM.

Ariel Furst

Ariel L. Furst is the Paul M. Cook Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Her work centers on inventing technologies to improve human and environmental health by making access to resources more equitable. Her lab develops transformative technologies to solve important problems related to healthcare and sustainability by harnessing the inherent capabilities of biomolecules and using electrochemistry to fundamentally understand these systems. She completed her Ph.D. at Caltech developing non-invasive diagnostics for colorectal cancer and was then an A. O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley, where she developed sensors to monitor environmental pollutants. She is a 2024 NSF CAREER Awardee, a 2023 NIH New Innovator Awardee, and a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar for accelerated decarbonization. She was awarded the MIT UROP Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award in 2022 for her work with undergraduate researchers. She is passionate about STEM outreach and increasing participation of underrepresented groups in engineering.

Brad Ack

"Brad works at the intersection of science, policy and technology, in pursuit of the preservation of our natural world. He has designed and implemented conservation and sustainable development initiatives around the world. Brad currently serves as CEO for Ocean Visions, an NGO and science network advancing a new agenda for our Ocean, focused on the greatest cause of harm – the greenhouse gas pollution that is driving existential threats. Ocean Visions works to identify, test, develop and scale cutting-edge innovation to regenerate critical components of the ocean-climate system. Previously Brad served as SVP Oceans at WWF-US; Executive Director of the Puget Sound Recovery Program for the State of Washington; and Regional Director-Americas for the Marine Stewardship Council. He earlier led conservation programs in the canyonlands of the Southwest and started his career working on community-based conservation in tropical forests and seascapes of Latin America. Brad received his Masters’ degree from Georgetown University and Bachelors’ degree at Macalester College. "

Conner Glass

Dr. Connor Glass is the Founder & CEO of Phantom Neuro which seeks to enable lifelike control of prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons for individuals with limb difference and beyond. Dr. Glass received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine followed by a research fellowship in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he studied surgical interventions for neuromuscular injury and advanced prosthesis control. He is the primary inventor of a minimally invasive implantable neural interface which his company now seeks to commercialize and has raised over $11 million in venture capital to that end. Dr. Glass has multiple publications on nerve injury and neuromuscular reconstructive surgery. His work has been featured in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Axios, and STAT.

Daniel Jackson

Daniel Jackson researches new approaches to software design and new programming paradigms. His recent book Essence of Software (https://essenceofsoftware.com) uncovers the causes of user friction in applications and shows how to overcome them.

Eda Erol

Eda, Founder and CEO of Poliark, navigates the intersection of Urban Design, Architecture, and Technology with a keen eye for industry inefficiencies. Her journey began in architecture firms and Fortune 500 tech companies, where she discerned the pitfalls of existing AECO software. Post-corporate ventures, Eda dedicated herself to R&D patent processes. Driven by a commitment to overcoming challenges, she established Poliark, a manifestation of her vision to tackle industry issues using the power of AI. At Poliark, she is focused on building AI capable of modeling intricate 3D structures through simple text input from architects and engineers. This revolutionary technology instantly calculates carbon emissions, providing real-time insights into the environmental impact of construction projects. Her narrative unfolds as a tale of blending architectural wisdom with cutting-edge technology, positioning her as a catalyst for transformative solutions within the AECO realm. Poliark's transformative approach is not just about creating intelligent software but about fostering a greener, more sustainable future for the architecture and construction industries.

Em mily Capodilupo

"Emily Capodilupo is the Senior Vice President of Research, Algorithms, and Data at WHOOP, Inc., where she leads all efforts around creating algorithms to optimize human performance using physiological data. In this capacity, Emily oversees research efforts which have produced novel findings around predicting risk for COVID-19 prior to symptom onset, identifying differences in daily vital sign patterns between women who have term and preterm pregnancies, and the relationship between long-term sleep patterns and mental health. Emily is passionate about closing the gap in understanding women’s health, an area that has long been under-funded and under-investigated by traditional academic research, and working toward a world in which we all have access to actionable data that enables health span elongating decision making. "

Henriette Fleischmann

"Henriette Fleischmann is Hosta a.i.'s Co-founder, CEO & President. Hosta AI bridges the gap between the physical and virtual built environment. Prior to co-founding Hosta AI in 2020, Henriette received her MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management focusing on A.I. and Entrepreneurship. Originally from Germany, Henriette’s professional career began as the Chief of Staff to the CIO of Daimler Financial Services and she later joined Porsche Consulting as Strategy Project Manager in the automotive industry. Before moving to Boston for her MBA, she was Head of the Strategy Office for Peek & Cloppenburg, one of Europe’s largest fashion retailers. Henriette graduated from the Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) with a B.Sc. in Business Administration and from the Hochschule Wismar with an M.A. in Specialized Sales, Merchandising, and Marketing Operations. "

Hossein Rahnama

Hossein Rahnama is shaping the future of artificial intelligence and its impact on our lives. As a Professor at both the prestigious MIT Media Lab and Toronto Metropolitan University, he's at the forefront of cutting-edge research, exploring how humans and AI can work together to create a better world.He's also the founder of Flybits, an AI and data science company pushing the boundaries of innovation. Hossein's work has been recognized globally, with over 40 publications, 23 patents, and numerous awards, including being named to the MIT Technology Review TR35 list and Canada's Top 40 Under 40. He has served on national research councils and currently contributes his expertise to the boards of several leading organizations including Home Capital Group, Havergal College and Canadian Science Publishing. Hossein's impact goes beyond accolades. He's a passionate advocate for responsible AI development, focused on ensuring these powerful technologies are used ethically and for the benefit of all.

John Sviokla

Dr. John J. Sviokla is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and co-founder of GAI Insights, a research, best practices, and executive education firm whose mission is to help organizations, communities, and individuals understand, and ethically derive value from the power of GenAI & AI. Before GAI Insights, John helped grow PwC’s US advisory business from $1B to $3B in while also serving as Chief Marketing Officer and head of global thought leadership. Before that he was Vice Chairman at Diamond Technology Partners a pioneering digital consultancy. John also has served on many boards public and private. For over 20 years he also led The Exchange, an award winning think tank. He is an active author, frequent speaker and board member. John most recently co-authored a series of four HBR articles on GenAI, including one that introduces the WINS framework to assess relevance and urgency of GenAI for any task, function, or firm. During his 12 years on the faculty of Harvard Business School John pioneered the very first courses on AI and electronic commerce. John taught scores of students and executives at HBS and around the world and has over a hundred publications. He is the author of three books: Seeking Customers, Keeping Customers and The Self Made Billionaire Effect. He has also been a guest on Squawk Box, CNN, Fox Business and others. Other recent writings concern his notion of the Law of Computability, and how GenAI can reinvent education by supplying “Socrates at scale”. John earned his B.A. from Harvard College, and his M.B.A. and Doctorate from Harvard Business School.

Kushagra Tiwary

Kushagra is a PhD student at MIT and his research interests span Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Reinforcement Learning and Computational Design. He received his S.M at MIT Media lab in 2023, BS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is also the recipient of the North American Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship 2023. He has co-authored multiple papers and patents in major computer vision, machine learning and imaging conferences. Before joining MIT, Kushagra worked at Optimus Ride for 2 years where he lead the design and deployment of a fleet-wide multitasking computer vision models for autonomous vehicles.

Leroy Sibanda

Leroy Sibanda is a distinguished MIT graduate and researcher specializing in AI and decision-making. With an extensive background in mechanical engineering, mechatronics and product design, Leroy has earned dual master's degrees in Computer Science, focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Decision-Making, and Integrated Design and Management. His work centers on pioneering human-centered AI and design practices, aiming to harmonize technology with human interactions both in the workplace and beyond.

Nathan Eagle

Nathan Eagle is a computer scientist and entrepreneur who has been at the forefront of harnessing smartphones and AI to empower underserved regions globally. As the founder and CEO of Jana, Eagle raised $100 million over ten years to scale the company into the largest provider of free internet in emerging markets. Previously, as a Visiting Assistant Professor at MIT and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Computational Epidemiology at Harvard, Eagle developed machine learning-based methods trained on population-level mobile phone data to guide the allocation of malaria eradication resources across Africa. His academic work includes over 100 peer-reviewed publications in journals including Science and Nature, accumulating more than 15,000 citations; his book from MIT Press, Reality Mining: Using Big Data to Engineer a Better World, won the American Publishers PROSE Award. In recognition of his work with the World Bank on AI and mobile crowdsourcing, Eagle was awarded the prestigious Kiel Global Economy Prize alongside Daniel Kahneman.

Neil Thompson

"Neil Thompson is the Director of the FutureTech research project at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and a Principal Investigator at MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy. ‍ Previously, he was an Assistant Professor of Innovation and Strategy at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he co-directed the Experimental Innovation Lab (X-Lab), and a Visiting Professor at the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard. He has advised businesses and government on the future of Moore’s Law, has been on National Academies panels on transformational technologies and scientific reliability, and is part of the Council on Competitiveness’ National Commission on Innovation & Competitiveness Frontiers. ‍ He has a PhD in Business and Public Policy from Berkeley, where he also did Masters degrees in Computer Science and Statistics. He also has a masters in Economics from the London School of Economics, and undergraduate degrees in Physics and International Development. Prior to academia, He worked at organizations such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Bain and Company, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Canadian Parliament."

Robert Mahari

Robert Mahari is pursuing a joint JD-PhD degree at Harvard Law School and the MIT Media Lab. His work focuses on Computational Law: leveraging computation to analyze, improve, and extend the study and practice of law. Robert’s research aims to bridge the gap between technology and law to surface new quantitative insights into jurisprudential systems and to identify computationally-enabled approaches to the practice of law.

Sandeep Silwal

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin Madison

Sarat Kollimarla

Sarat Kollimarla is an experience designer and a self taught video producer. He is worked on over 500+ videos. Some of his videos have been featured on Forbes, NBC Boston, Samsung VR & MET Museum Website.

Steve Brown

Steve Brown is an AI innovator and entrepreneur with a dynamic background in software development, filmmaking, physics, and startups. Based in Malibu, California, Steve’s work focuses on leveraging media and technology to transform human relationships and our connection with the planet. As Founder of BotSciences, he is pioneering AI agents as tutors to revolutionize personalized education. At Abundance360 and PHD Ventures, Steve developed AI applications to enhance mindset, purpose, and community. He also directs and produces impactful documentaries at Ignite Channel Inc., including "CHASING EINSTEIN," "POACHED," "TWINSTERS," and "SPARK: A Burning Man Story." Additionally, Steve co-founded Sneakertopia, and held board roles at Invently LLC and Hudl. With two successful startup exits and over 100 U.S. patents, Steve's innovative approach continues to push the boundaries of AI and media, unlocking human potential and exploring new realms of understanding.

Tacita Morway

Tacita Morway is a seasoned technology leader with over two decades of experience in software development, team leadership, and strategic technology innovation. As the CTO of Textio she continues to push the boundaries of what technology can achieve, working to ensure that advancements in AI are responsibly built and capable of making a lasting positive impact on the world. Tacita fosters environments where teams strive for their highest aspirations, promoting growth, engagement, and ownership of challenging work.

Tobin South

Tobin South is a PhD Candidate at MIT working on privacy and verifiability for AI, an Australian-American Fulbright Scholar, and an entrepreneur.

Tsun-Hsuan Johnson

Tsun-Hsuan Johnson Wang is a PhD student in the Distrbuted Robotics Lab at MIT CSAIL. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan. He also did research in the industrial research groups such as Liquid AI, MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, Uber Advanced Technologies Group, etc. His research lies in the intersection of robotics, simulation, and machine learning and his goal is to build intelligence that can interact reliably with the physical world.