Step inside the TED Fellows community

2017

United States

The Gil Lab at the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder focuses on quantitative behavioral ecology, conservation, and promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in science. Their work involves studying decision-making in wild animals, understanding wildlife networks, predicting natural resource responses to environmental changes, investigating the impact of plastic pollution on wildlife and ecosystems, and shaping public perception of scientists to enhance diversity in STEM fields. // Dr. Mike Gil, Ph.D., is a researcher and mentor actively involved in scientific research at the intersection of ecology, animal behavior, and conservation. He has led research projects worldwide, from coral reefs in various locations to studying microislands of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean. Dr. Gil is dedicated to understanding natural ecosystems to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services essential for humankind. As a TED Fellow and National Geographic Explorer, he is also an award-winning science communicator, aiming to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public. Through his website SciAll.org, Dr. Gil shares the excitement of scientific discovery with a diverse audience, using storytelling and humor to inspire an appreciation for science. Additionally, he is passionate about teaching and mentoring students, emphasizing interactive and diverse teaching methods to engage learners of all backgrounds. Dr. Gil's speaking engagements have been praised for his ability to present complex scientific concepts in an engaging and accessible manner, inspiring audiences to take action for ocean health and conservation. // I am trying to use my scientific discoveries and status as an established research scientist to wake people up to the limitless possibilities we can achieve as an evidence-guided species. From my own work in coral reef ecology and conservation, it is clear that we are capable of saving the world's coral reef's...with the public's buy-in. But achieving this buy-in means connecting with far greater and diverse swaths of the public than scientists traditionally do. I hope to be an agent of change on this timely front. // Dr. Mike Gil, a researcher and mentor at the University of Colorado Boulder, is a leading figure in the field of quantitative behavioral ecology and conservation. His work at the Gil Lab focuses on studying decision-making in wild animals, wildlife networks, and the impact of plastic pollution on ecosystems. Dr. Gil is dedicated to promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in science, aiming to shape public perception of scientists and enhance diversity in STEM fields. As a TED Fellow and National Geographic Explorer, he excels in science communication, using storytelling and humor to engage diverse audiences and inspire an appreciation for science. Through his teaching and mentoring, Dr. Gil emphasizes interactive and diverse methods to engage learners from all backgrounds, while advocating for ocean health and conservation through his research and public engagements. // Marine biologist +science advocate // Dr. Mike Gil, Ph.D., is a marine biologist, a National Geographic Explorer, and a TED Fellow. Dr. Gil has led research expeditions in the Caribbean, French Polynesia and Southeast Asia, from coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and salt marshes to plastic pollution in the middle of the Pacific. His diverse research efforts are unified by a common goal: better understand how natural ecosystems work so that we can better preserve them (and their socioeconomic services) in a changing world. His research findings have been covered by a wide range of national and international media outlets, including: BBC News, CNN, WIRED Magazine, The Economist, CNBC, ABC News, and Discover Magazine. In addition to his scientific research, Dr. Gil is an award-winning science communicator with broad interests in connecting the public with the process of scientific discovery and all that it offers to individuals and to humankind. To this end, Dr. Gil founded and runs a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, SciAll.org, which bring together world-leading scientists of all types to vlog on YouTube. By sharing their personal stories, Dr. Gil and his team aim to humanize scientists, demystify the process of scientific discovery, and make STEM career mentoring accessible to ALL. // Mike Gil spies on fish: using novel multi-camera systems and computer vision technology, the TED Fellow and his colleagues explore how coral reef fish behave, socialize and affect their ecosystems. Learn more about how fish of different species communicate via social networks -- and what disrupting these networks might mean to the delicate ecology of reefs, which help feed millions of us and support the global economy. // Dr. Mike Gil, a researcher and mentor at the University of Colorado Boulder, is a leading figure in the field of quantitative behavioral ecology and conservation. His work at the Gil Lab focuses on studying decision-making in wild animals, wildlife networks, and the impact of plastic pollution on ecosystems. Dr. Gil is dedicated to promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in science, aiming to shape public perception of scientists and enhance diversity in STEM fields. As a TED Fellow and National Geographic Explorer, he excels in science communication, using storytelling and humor to engage diverse audiences and inspire an appreciation for science. Through his teaching and mentoring, Dr. Gil emphasizes interactive and diverse methods to engage learners from all backgrounds, while advocating for ocean health and conservation through his research and public engagements. // Marine biologist +science advocate // technology, ecology, social behavior, fish, biodiversity, led, diversity, equity, research, inclusion, coral reef, coral reefs, natural resources, community engagement, species, coral, stem, wildlife, pollution, oceans, diversity and inclusion, plastic debris, plastic, conservation, plastic pollution, computer vision, reef, science, and inclusion, seagrass, artificial intelligence, justice, ecosystem, ecosystem services // Willemstad|USA|Colorado|Curacao|United States|Boulder

Willemstad|USA|Colorado|Curacao|United States|Boulder

2018

United Kingdom

Journalist + historian // Used to be war correspondent, covered Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, Palestine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Ukraine. In 2010 co-founded the only Russian independent news TV-channel Dozhd. The channel survived all the state-sponsored attacks and still exist. In 2015 wrote political best-seller, 'All the Kremlin's Men' // History is written by the victors, as the saying goes -- but what would it look like if it was written by everyone? Journalist and TED Fellow Mikhail Zygar is on a mission to show us with Project1917, a "social network for dead people" that posts the real diaries and letters of more than 3,000 people who lived during the Russian Revolution. By showing the daily thoughts of the likes of Lenin, Trotsky and many less celebrated figures, the project sheds new light on history as it once was -- and as it could have been. Learn more about this digital retelling of the past as well as Zygar's latest project about the transformative year of 1968. // Used to be war correspondent, covered Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, Palestine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Ukraine. In 2010 co-founded the only Russian independent news TV-channel Dozhd. The channel survived all the state-sponsored attacks and still exist. In 2015 wrote political best-seller, 'All the Kremlin's Men' // Journalist + historian // war

2021

South Korea

Documentary filmmaker // Mila Turajlic is a documentary filmmaker born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Her most recent film The Other Side of Everything premiered at the Toronto IFF in 2017, and went on to win 32 awards including the prestigious IDFA Award for Best Documentary Film. The film was HBO Europe’s first co-production with Serbia, and had a record-breaking theatrical release in Serbia. Mila's debut documentary film Cinema Komunisto, premiered at IDFA and the Tribeca Film Festival, and went on to win 16 awards including the Gold Hugo at the Chicago Int’l Film Festival in 2011, and the FOCAL Award for Creative Use of Archival Footage. Theatrically released in France, UK, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, "Cinema Komunisto" was broadcast across Europe. She is currently in post-production on The Labudovic Reels. In her work with archives, Mila researches the intersection of personal and national memories, always seeking to reactivate forgotten histories, through forms ranging from lecture performances and video art to analytical essays. In 2018 she was commissioned by MoMA in New York to create a series of archive-based video installations for their landmark exhibition on Yugoslav modernist architecture. Mila has been awarded grants from the Serbian Film Center, CNC-Cinémas du monde (France), EURIMAGES, the Doha Film Institute (Qatar) and the Jan Vrijman Fund (Netherlands). She is an alumnus of Archidoc, Documentary Campus, IDFAcademy and EURODOC. Mila was named a Chicken&Egg Award grantee in 2020. The same year she was invited to join the Documentary Branch of the Academy. Mila teaches documentary film-making and creative archive use at SciencesPo and INASup in Paris. Her films are regularly taught at several US and European universities, and she has been a guest lecturer at universities (Sorbonne, Harvard, Stanford). Mila regularly teaches at documentary film-making workshops (Scottish Documentary Institute, Balkan Discoveries x Balkan Documentary Center, Archidoc x La Fémis). She received her Phd in cinema from the University of Westminster, and her MSc and BSc in Politics and International Relations from the London School of Economics. After obtaining a BA in Film and TV Production at the national film school in Belgrade, Mila specialized in documentary filmmaking at La Fémis in Paris and worked as production assistant and researcher on series for the Discovery Channel and ARTE France, as well as gaining experience on fiction films (“Apocalypto” dir. Mel Gibson, “Fade to Black” dir. Oliver Parker, “Brothers Bloom” dir. Rian Johnson). ​ Mila produced the Magnificent 7 Festival of European Feature Documentary Film in Belgrade since it’s creation in 2005, with the aim of creating an audience for cinematic auteur-driven documentary films in Serbia. She is a founding member of DOKSerbia, the Association of documentary filmmakers of Serbia, and served as the first President of the Board. // Mila Turajlic is a documentary filmmaker born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Her most recent film The Other Side of Everything premiered at the Toronto IFF in 2017, and went on to win 32 awards including the prestigious IDFA Award for Best Documentary Film. The film was HBO Europe’s first co-production with Serbia, and had a record-breaking theatrical release in Serbia. Mila's debut documentary film Cinema Komunisto, premiered at IDFA and the Tribeca Film Festival, and went on to win 16 awards including the Gold Hugo at the Chicago Int’l Film Festival in 2011, and the FOCAL Award for Creative Use of Archival Footage. Theatrically released in France, UK, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, "Cinema Komunisto" was broadcast across Europe. She is currently in post-production on The Labudovic Reels. In her work with archives, Mila researches the intersection of personal and national memories, always seeking to reactivate forgotten histories, through forms ranging from lecture performances and video art to analytical essays. In 2018 she was commissioned by MoMA in New York to create a series of archive-based video installations for their landmark exhibition on Yugoslav modernist architecture. Mila has been awarded grants from the Serbian Film Center, CNC-Cinémas du monde (France), EURIMAGES, the Doha Film Institute (Qatar) and the Jan Vrijman Fund (Netherlands). She is an alumnus of Archidoc, Documentary Campus, IDFAcademy and EURODOC. Mila was named a Chicken&Egg Award grantee in 2020. The same year she was invited to join the Documentary Branch of the Academy. Mila teaches documentary film-making and creative archive use at SciencesPo and INASup in Paris. Her films are regularly taught at several US and European universities, and she has been a guest lecturer at universities (Sorbonne, Harvard, Stanford). Mila regularly teaches at documentary film-making workshops (Scottish Documentary Institute, Balkan Discoveries x Balkan Documentary Center, Archidoc x La Fémis). She received her Phd in cinema from the University of Westminster, and her MSc and BSc in Politics and International Relations from the London School of Economics. After obtaining a BA in Film and TV Production at the national film school in Belgrade, Mila specialized in documentary filmmaking at La Fémis in Paris and worked as production assistant and researcher on series for the Discovery Channel and ARTE France, as well as gaining experience on fiction films (“Apocalypto” dir. Mel Gibson, “Fade to Black” dir. Oliver Parker, “Brothers Bloom” dir. Rian Johnson). ​ Mila produced the Magnificent 7 Festival of European Feature Documentary Film in Belgrade since it’s creation in 2005, with the aim of creating an audience for cinematic auteur-driven documentary films in Serbia. She is a founding member of DOKSerbia, the Association of documentary filmmakers of Serbia, and served as the first President of the Board. // Documentary filmmaker // politics, architecture, documentary // Belgrade|Serbia

Belgrade|Serbia

Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Sustainable Development

2010

Brazil

Environmental chemist // Brazilian chemist developing methods to detect emerging contaminants in the environment // Brazilian chemist developing methods to detect emerging contaminants in the environment // Environmental chemist // pollution, sustainable development, environmental sciences, sustainable development , chemistry // Sao Paulo|Rio Claro|Brazil|State of S√£o Paulo

Sao Paulo|Rio Claro|Brazil|State of S√£o Paulo

Data Visualization

2013

Science visualization designer // American designer who creates interactive visualization systems that help scientists make sense of complex data. She is a USTAR assistant professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah and a faculty member in the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. Her research focuses on the design of visualization systems for helping scientists make sense of complex data. Miriah obtained her bachelors degree in astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, and earned a PhD in computer science from the University of Utah. Prior to joining the faculty at Utah She was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University and a visiting scientist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Miriah was awarded a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship in 2012. She has also been included on MIT Technology Review's TR35 list of the top young innovators and Fast Company's list of the 100 most creative people. She is the recipient of a NSF/CRA Computing Innovation Fellow award, and an AAAS Mass Media Fellowship that landed her a stint as a science writer for the Chicago Tribune. // Miriah is a USTAR assistant professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah and a faculty member in the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. Her research focuses on the design of visualization systems for helping scientists make sense of complex data. She obtained her bachelors degree in astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, and earned a PhD in computer science from the University of Utah. Prior to joining the faculty at Utah Miriah was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University and a visiting scientist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Miriah was named a TED Fellow for 2013, as well as awarded a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship in 2012. She has also been included on MIT Technology Review's TR35 list of the top young innovators and Fast Company's list of the 100 most creative people. She is the recipient of a NSF/CRA Computing Innovation Fellow award, and an AAAS Mass Media Fellowship that landed her a stint as a science writer for the Chicago Tribune. // Miriah is a USTAR assistant professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah and a faculty member in the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. Her research focuses on the design of visualization systems for helping scientists make sense of complex data. She obtained her bachelors degree in astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, and earned a PhD in computer science from the University of Utah. Prior to joining the faculty at Utah Miriah was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University and a visiting scientist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Miriah was named a TED Fellow for 2013, as well as awarded a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship in 2012. She has also been included on MIT Technology Review's TR35 list of the top young innovators and Fast Company's list of the 100 most creative people. She is the recipient of a NSF/CRA Computing Innovation Fellow award, and an AAAS Mass Media Fellowship that landed her a stint as a science writer for the Chicago Tribune. // Science visualization designer // research, technology, data visualization, design, science, data

Architecture, biotech, climate, data collection, ecological design, future cities, green buildings, research, sustainable design, transportation, urban design, urban mobility

2010, 2011

United States

Parsons School of Design; Pratt Institute; Hess Architects; Norman Foster Foundation; Syracuse University; Terreform ONE; Cornell University; New York University; EverCurb; University of Toronto; Columbia University; Pei Cobb Freed & Partners; Moshe Safdie and Associates; Harvard University Graduate School of Design; School of the Museum of Fine Arts; The European Graduate School; Gehry Partners, LLP; Columbia University in the City of New York; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; The European Graduate School ; Washington University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MIT Media Lab; University at Buffalo

Terreform ONE is a nonprofit art, architecture, and urban design research group founded in 2006. They focus on combating the extinction of planetary species through innovative design acts and exploring environmental possibilities in habitats, cities, and landscapes. The organization operates as an interdisciplinary lab advancing socio-ecological design, with a strong emphasis on building resilience in various sectors like transportation, infrastructure, and energy. Their work includes projects in public art, biotech architecture, and urban systems, aiming to communicate complex environmental and societal messages. Terreform ONE offers educational programs, fellowships, and engages in creating sustainable, biodiverse cities through innovative concepts and materials. // Mitchell Joachim is an architect and urban designer known for his innovative projects that utilize living biological matter for fabrication and design purposes. He is the Co-Founder of Terreform ONE and an Associate Professor of Practice at NYU. Joachim has an extensive educational background, including a Ph.D. from MIT and a Master of Architecture from Harvard GSD. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work, such as the Fulbright Scholarship, LafargeHolcim Foundation Award, and Time Magazine Best Invention of the Year 2007. Joachim's projects have been exhibited at prestigious institutions like MoMA and have been widely published. He has been recognized by various publications and organizations for his contributions to architecture and sustainability. // Director of Research and Development, Former Executive Director. // // GLOBAL Design New York University (London) was part two of a five-city exhibition/speaker series is entitled Elsewhere Envisioned that brings together leading architects, designers, urbanists, historians, and scientists to address global climate concerns. // // Parsons School of Design; Pratt Institute; Hess Architects; Norman Foster Foundation; Syracuse University; Terreform ONE; Cornell University; New York University; EverCurb; University of Toronto; Columbia University; Pei Cobb Freed & Partners; Moshe Safdie and Associates; Harvard University Graduate School of Design; School of the Museum of Fine Arts; The European Graduate School; Gehry Partners, LLP; Columbia University in the City of New York; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; The European Graduate School ; Washington University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MIT Media Lab; University at Buffalo // Mitchell Joachim is a Director of Research and Development with a background as a Former Executive Director. With experience at GLOBAL Design New York University (London), Mitchell has been involved in a diverse range of projects, including exhibitions and speaker series focusing on global climate concerns. His work involves collaborating with architects, designers, urbanists, historians, and scientists to address pressing environmental issues. Mitchell's expertise lies in envisioning innovative solutions and pushing the boundaries of design to create a more sustainable future. // Mitchell Joachim is an architect, urban designer, and Co-Founder of Terreform ONE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to innovative design solutions that combat the extinction of planetary species. With a Ph.D. from MIT and a Master of Architecture from Harvard GSD, Joachim is known for his pioneering work in utilizing living biological matter for fabrication and design purposes. He serves as an Associate Professor of Practice at NYU and has received prestigious awards like the Fulbright Scholarship and the LafargeHolcim Foundation Award. Joachim's projects, exhibited at institutions like MoMA, focus on creating sustainable, biodiverse cities through interdisciplinary collaborations and pushing the boundaries of design to address pressing environmental challenges. // Architect + futurist // Dr. Joachim is a leader in ecological design and urbanism and co-founder at Terreform ONE and ONE Lab. Mitchell is an Associate Professor at NYU and EGS in Switzerland. Previously he was the Frank Gehry Chair at University of Toronto and faculty at Pratt, Columbia, Syracuse, Washington, and Parsons. He was formerly an architect at Gehry Partners, and Pei Cobb Freed. He is a TED Senior Fellow and has been awarded fellowships with Moshe Safdie and Martin Society for Sustainability, MIT. He won the Zumtobel Group Award for Sustainability and Humanity, History Channel and Infiniti Award for City of the Future, and Time Magazine Best Invention with MIT Smart Cities. His project, Fab Tree Hab, has been exhibited at MoMA and widely published. He was chosen by Wired magazine for "The 2008 Smart List: 15 People the Next President Should Listen To." Rolling Stone magazine honored Mitchell in "The 100 People Who Are Changing America." Popular Science magazine has featured his work as a visionary for "The Future of the Environment". Dwell magazine selected him for "The Now 99" in 2012. // Dr. Joachim is the Co-Founder of Terreform ONE and an Associate Professor of Practice at NYU. Formerly, he was an architect at the offices of Frank Gehry and I.M. Pei. He has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and fellowships with TED, Moshe Safdie, and Martin Society for Sustainability, MIT. He was chosen by Wired magazine for "The Smart List” and selected by Rolling Stone for “The 100 People Who Are Changing America”. Mitchell won many honors including; ARCHITECT R+D Award, AIA New York Urban Design Merit Award, 1st Place International Architecture Award, Victor Papanek Social Design Award, Zumtobel Group Award for Sustainability, History Channel Infiniti Award for the City of the Future, and Time magazine’s Best Invention with MIT Smart Cities Car. He's featured as “The NOW 99” in Dwell magazine and “50 Under 50 Innovators of the 21st Century" by Images Publishers. He co-authored three books, "XXL-XS: New Directions in Ecological Design," "Super Cells: Building with Biology," and "Global Design: Elsewhere Envisioned". His design work has been exhibited at MoMA and the Venice Biennale. He earned: Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MAUD Harvard University, MArch Columbia University. // TED Fellow and urban designer Mitchell Joachim presents his vision for sustainable, organic architecture: eco-friendly abodes grown from plants and -- wait for it -- meat. // Mitchell Joachim is an architect, urban designer, and Co-Founder of Terreform ONE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to innovative design solutions that combat the extinction of planetary species. With a Ph.D. from MIT and a Master of Architecture from Harvard GSD, Joachim is known for his pioneering work in utilizing living biological matter for fabrication and design purposes. He serves as an Associate Professor of Practice at NYU and has received prestigious awards like the Fulbright Scholarship and the LafargeHolcim Foundation Award. Joachim's projects, exhibited at institutions like MoMA, focus on creating sustainable, biodiverse cities through interdisciplinary collaborations and pushing the boundaries of design to address pressing environmental challenges. // Architect + futurist // technology, infrastructure, architecture, green building, ecological design, buildings, cities, extinction, building resilience, eco-friendly, urban, research, meat, resilience, mobility, climate, design, urban planning, species, urban design, urbanism, biotech, transportation and infrastructure, plants, urban mobility, living materials , sustainable design, trees, cars, future cities, science, food, transportation, ecology, ecological // New York|United States|Brooklyn|USA

New York|United States|Brooklyn|USA

2018, 2016

United Kingdom

Writer + filmmaker // Mitchell S. Jackson’s debut novel The Residue Years was praised by publications including The New York Times, The Paris Review, and The Times of London. Jackson is the winner of a Whiting Award. His novel also won The Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence and was a finalist for The Center for Fiction Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, the PEN / Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction, and the Hurston / Wright Legacy Award. Jackson’s honors include fellowships from the Cullman Center of the NYPL, PEN, the Lannan Foundation, NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts), and The Center for Fiction. His writing has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, Harpers, The Paris Review, The New York Times Book Review, and Time Magazine. Jackson is an Assitant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Chicago. // Mitchell S. Jackson’s debut novel The Residue Years was praised by publications including The New York Times, The Paris Review, and The Times of London. Jackson is the winner of a Whiting Award. His novel also won The Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence and was a finalist for The Center for Fiction Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, the PEN / Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction, and the Hurston / Wright Legacy Award. Jackson’s honors include fellowships from the Cullman Center of the NYPL, PEN, the Lannan Foundation, NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts), and The Center for Fiction. His writing has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, Harpers, The Paris Review, The New York Times Book Review, and Time Magazine. Jackson is an Assitant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Chicago. // Writer + filmmaker // New York|United States|USA

New York|United States|USA

AI, Capacity building, Digital health, Education, Global health, Healthcare, Social innovation, Technology

2024

India

Harvard Kennedy School; Harvard Medical School; Al Margeb University Faculty of Medicine; Ashoka Visionary Program; Harvard Business School; Echoing Green; Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT; Cairo University; Speetar; Social Innovation + Change Initiative; MIT Sloan School of Management

Harvard Kennedy School; Harvard Medical School; Al Margeb University Faculty of Medicine; Ashoka Visionary Program; Harvard Business School; Echoing Green; Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT; Cairo University; Speetar; Social Innovation + Change Initiative; MIT Sloan School of Management // I'm driven by a vision to revolutionize healthcare accessibility and education in regions overwhelmed by conflict and economic instability. Through innovative technology ventures like Speetar, my goal is to build resilient care systems that do more than deliver immediate medical services—they empower entire communities for sustainable growth. We focus particularly on supporting women and children, who are disproportionately affected in crisis situations. By harnessing cutting-edge technology and forming global partnerships, we aim to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their circumstances. What if we could make the right to health and education universal, no matter where you are born? // Mohamed Aburawi is a visionary entrepreneur dedicated to revolutionizing healthcare accessibility and education in regions facing conflict and economic challenges. Through initiatives like Speetar, he aims to establish resilient care systems that not only provide immediate medical services but also empower communities for sustainable development. His focus on supporting vulnerable groups like women and children in crisis situations underscores his commitment to equitable healthcare and education opportunities. By leveraging innovative technology and forging global partnerships, Mohamed strives to ensure that every individual has the chance to thrive, irrespective of their circumstances. His work embodies a mission to make universal access to healthcare and education a reality worldwide. // Digital healthcare entrepreneur // Mohamed Aburawi is a visionary entrepreneur dedicated to revolutionizing healthcare accessibility and education in regions facing conflict and economic challenges. Through initiatives like Speetar, he aims to establish resilient care systems that not only provide immediate medical services but also empower communities for sustainable development. His focus on supporting vulnerable groups like women and children in crisis situations underscores his commitment to equitable healthcare and education opportunities. By leveraging innovative technology and forging global partnerships, Mohamed strives to ensure that every individual has the chance to thrive, irrespective of their circumstances. His work embodies a mission to make universal access to healthcare and education a reality worldwide. // Digital healthcare entrepreneur // technology, children, global health, social innovation, resilience, capacity building , accessibility, e-learning, education, digital health, women, capacity building // Cambridge|Seattle|Libya|USA|Vancouver|Washington|United States|Massachusetts|Canada|British Columbia|Tripoli

Cambridge|Seattle|Libya|USA|Vancouver|Washington|United States|Massachusetts|Canada|British Columbia|Tripoli

Cognitive neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience, Neuropsychology, Statistics and Research Design, neuropsychiatry

2013

Palestine

Neuroscientist // Founder of the Palestinian Neuroscience Initiative, working to create an infrastructure for neuroscience research and to train the next generation of neuroscientists in Palestine. // Founder of the Palestinian Neuroscience Initiative, working to create an infrastructure for neuroscience research and to train the next generation of neuroscientists in Palestine. // Neuroscientist // research, infrastructure, neuropsychology, design, statistics and research design, neuropsychiatry, computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience // Jerusalem|Jerusalem District|Palestine|Israel

Jerusalem|Jerusalem District|Palestine|Israel

Architecture, Climate, Communication, Curation, Editing, Entrepreneurship, Graphic Design, Interior design, Photography, Project management, Sustainable design, Technology, Urban planning, Urbanism, Web Design

2010, 2009

Bangladesh

J.A. Architects Ltd.; TEDxDhaka; The University of Asia Pacific; World Economic Forum; Rajshahi University School; ArchSociety; Rajshahi Collegiate School; Portonics Limited; Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements; TED Conferences; Institute of Architects Bangladesh

Mohammad Tauheed is an architect, technology consultant, editor, curator, and designer with expertise in event production, public speaking, communications, business development, leadership, and cyber-security. He has been involved in various global projects and initiatives, including being a TED Senior Fellow, organizing TEDxDhaka Conference, and volunteering for the Global Shapers Dhaka Hub of the World Economic Forum. Tauheed has a background in founding and leading architectural communities and think tanks, and he currently works with a technology consultancy firm on global technology projects. His multidisciplinary skills and experiences make him a strategic problem solver with a keen eye for patterns and innovation. // Mohammad Tauheed practices as an editor, curator and technology consultant, followed by his stints as a professional architect. He is also trained in public speaking, communications, business development, leadership and cyber-security through various workshops and short-programs in different places in North America and Europe. Tauheed is a TED Senior Fellow and a former consultant for TED Conferences LLC, New York. He also organises and curates the TEDxDhaka Conference, and volunteers as the Founding Curator of Global Shapers Dhaka Hub of World Economic Forum. He was the Founder and Editor in Chief of ArchSociety – one of the largest open-source global communities of architects and designers (2006-2012). He was among the founding members of Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements in Dhaka, where he worked as the Academic Coordinator and was responsible for managing the academic programs, events, publications, communications, technology and the internet media of the Institute since 2015 until 2021. Tauheed was the founding editor of the biannual magazine Vas, published by the Institute, he continues to be a member of the editorial board. Tauheed has a unique exposure and experience to multidisciplinary ideas and innovation through actively participating, working and volunteering at more than eight TED Global Conferences; locally curating and juggling through ideas, talents, innovation and design for TEDxDhaka, Global Shapers and Bengal Institute for several years. This makes him an insightful strategist, who perceives patterns and solves problems effectively though his vast multidisciplinary skills and experience. He brings in positive changes through new ideas, technological innovations and efficient governance to any organisation or project he works with. // I became a TED Fellow at TED 2009, Long Beach. And I was awarded with the Senior Fellowship on TED 2010, which welcomed me to continue going to TED Conferences for years. I have been to 9 TED Conferences in Long Beach, Oxford, Edinburgh, Whistler and Mysore.Visit http://ted.com/fellows to know more about TED Fellowship Program // TEDxDhaka is an independently organized TED event in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the biggest and oldest of its kind in the country. And it has become a part of the culture of the city as the prime hub of 'ideas worth spreading' and 'people worth knowing about'. Mohammad Tauheed founded TEDxDhaka in 2009, co-organizing and curating the conference and related activities ever since. To learn more about TEDxDhaka visit http://tedxdhaka.com.bd To know more about the TEDx program visit http://ted.com/tedx // Tauheed is responsible for planning and organising the Academic Program, it also includes orgnising all the public events, lectures and symposia. He is the editor of the flagship newsletter-magazine of the Institute ‘Vas.’ He also manages the archives, public communications, social media, website and the overall technology for the Institute. He designs and manages the graphics and branding of the organization. http://bengal.instituteThe Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements is a unique, transdisciplinary forum for the study and design of the environment, based in Dhaka. Bengal Institute conducts research and design initiatives at regional and urban scales through multidisciplinary academic and research programs. Team of national and international experts in many disciplines are involved in the initiatives. Ideas and programs of the Institute are open to everyone and circulated through exhibitions, public events and publications. Established in 2015, Bengal Institute has already become a leading organisation in rethinking the future of our settlements and habitats. // We help non-profits, boutique startups, corporations with strategising their technology transformation and building the most suitable solutions from a wide range of cutting edge tools with meticulously managed projects. At Portonics we deeply believe in the transformation through technology, and aim to contribute to the evolution through holistic approach and strategic partnership with bespoke end-to-end technology solutions. // TEDxDhaka is an independently organized TED event in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the biggest and oldest of its kind in the country. And it has become a part of the culture of the city as the prime hub of 'ideas worth spreading' and 'people worth knowing about'. Mohammad Tauheed founded TEDxDhaka in 2009, co-organizing and curating the conference and related activities ever since. To learn more about TEDxDhaka visit http://tedxdhaka.com.bdTo know more about the TEDx program visit http://ted.com/tedx // IAB appointed Tauheed as the Competition Director to organise, manage and oversee the Crest/Trophy Design Competition for IAB Awards, 2020. He is also designing the competition website, graphics, and managing the submission and jury online. // IAB appointed Tauheed as the Competition Director to organise, manage and oversee the Crest/Trophy Design Competition for IAB Awards, 2020. He is also designing the competition website, graphics, and managing the submission and jury online. // Tauheed founded the Dhaka Hub of World Economic Forum's Global Shapers network. Global Shapers is the youth wing of WEF focusing on creating a community of young leaders who can bring social changes through various projects running through the Hub. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaHub, Hub website https://www.globalshapers.org/hubs/dhaka // ArchSociety is an open-source community, resource library and news publisher to support and connect the students and architects worldwide specially from the developing nations. http://archsociety.com // JA Architects Ltd is an award winning, renowned architecture practice in Bangladesh. Tauheed worked as an architect for various projects of diverse building types and context, and was responsible for conceptualization, design, visualizations and production of construction drawings. http://jaarchitects.com.bd // The Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements is a unique, transdisciplinary forum for the study and design of the environment, based in Dhaka. Bengal Institute conducts research and design initiatives at regional and urban scales through multidisciplinary academic and research programs. Team of national and international experts in many disciplines are involved in the initiatives. Ideas and programs of the Institute are open to everyone and circulated through exhibitions, public events and publications. Established in 2015, Bengal Institute has already become a leading organisation in rethinking the future of our settlements and habitats.Tauheed is responsible for planning and organising the Academic Program, it also includes orgnising all the public events, lectures and symposia. He is the editor of the flagship newsletter-magazine of the Institute ‘Vas.’ He also manages the archive, public communications, social media, website and the overall technology for the Institute. He designs and manages the graphics and branding of the organization. http://bengal.institute // J.A. Architects Ltd.; TEDxDhaka; The University of Asia Pacific; World Economic Forum; Rajshahi University School; ArchSociety; Rajshahi Collegiate School; Portonics Limited; Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements; TED Conferences; Institute of Architects Bangladesh // Mohammad Tauheed is a versatile professional with a background in architecture, editing, curation, and technology consulting. With experience as a TED Senior Fellow and former consultant for TED Conferences LLC, he has a strong foundation in public speaking, communications, business development, and cyber-security. Tauheed has a rich history of organizing and curating events such as the TEDxDhaka Conference and serving as the Founding Curator of the Global Shapers Dhaka Hub of the World Economic Forum. His role as the Academic Coordinator at the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements involved managing academic programs, events, publications, communications, and technology. With a keen eye for multidisciplinary ideas and innovation, Tauheed is known for his strategic insights and problem-solving abilities, driving positive change through new ideas and technological innovations. // I am in the middle of switching gears into trying out completely new territories and industries. Leaving the world of architecture-urbanism based research and academia, I am now working in the tech industry trying to apply the same people-first approach of solving problems that improve the lives across borders and communities. // Mohammad Tauheed is a versatile professional with a diverse background in architecture, technology consulting, event production, and editing. With experience as a TED Senior Fellow and a consultant for TED Conferences LLC, he excels in public speaking, business development, and cyber-security. Tauheed has a strong track record of organizing impactful events like the TEDxDhaka Conference and serving as the Founding Curator of the Global Shapers Dhaka Hub of the World Economic Forum. His role as the Academic Coordinator at the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements involved managing academic programs, events, publications, and communications. Tauheed's multidisciplinary skills and strategic problem-solving abilities enable him to drive positive change through innovative ideas and technological solutions. // Architect // [Current positions: Architect | Founder, Editor in Chief at ArchSociety | Technology Consultant at the Institute of Architects Bangladesh]<br /><br /> <b>Background</b><br /> I am a design and art enthusiast since I was a kid, participating and sometimes winning almost every local art competitions during my elementary and high school days in Rajshahi. I naturally adopted a radical openness, classlessness and addiction to knowledge from a family with a critical mixture (! in fact a weird mixture) of socialist philosophies and Sufism. The proximity of Rajshahi divisional Public library to our neighborhood played a big role in turning me into a global soul and thinking beyond the boundaries. I end up reading the whole library by the end of my junior high school.<br /> I found myself a good fit for the architecture profession and enrolled into the crazy stressful 5 years long undergrad in The University of Asia Pacific in Dhaka and graduated in 2008. During my sophomore terms I was feeling the necessity of a shared open library and a help-desk for architects and designers. I was thinking of a platform that would give the access to free design information and resources. I was thinking of starting an open-srouce community website. It was not easy, at that time I had no computer of my own and obviously I also could not afford to hire a web-designer. So I had to learn web-designing, database-maintenance etc all by myself spending time in cyber-cafes by snatching money from my subsistence allowance. That's the way I learned how to design a website and maintain a web-server and made the whole ArchSociety.com siting in neighborhood cyber-cafes or in the computers of my university labs with internet connection as slow as 4-6 kbps on my own. Soon ArchSociety.com started to become a popular place of content sharing and helping each other in design related issues. I started get supports from my friends to help me collect news, edit the contents and maintain the sanity of the discussion forums.<br /><br /> <b>Nowadays</b><br /> I continued working on ArchSociety, expanding the community and services, adding new sections and people to the team from around the world. And it turned out to be a community of thousands of members from around a hundred countries with a considerable amount of free design resources. <br /> Simultaneously I am working with some of Bangladesh’s most renowned architects in very diverse group of architectural design projects, from designing a university campus in Bhutan, banks in Vietnam to small residences and high-rise towers in Bangladesh and also few tiny projects of my own focusing on the climate responsive design techniques with culturally integrated aesthetics. <br /> I struggled a lot to get ArchSociety registered locally as a non-profit and to start an independent office for ArchSociety and to get some fund to run our regular works and new projects, we still are struggling. <br /> A new project we started working on last year (typically with no fund). We call it the Open Urban Design Think-tank (The OUT). The core of the idea is to ‘bringing democracy to urban design and governance’. Our target is to develop an "Open archive of crowd-sourced solutions, ideas and data" to solve the complex urban crises of Dhaka - a city of 18 million people stuffed in a 15x20 km area. The OUT is intended to be replicated in other fat-growing poor cities in the world in the future if it works.<br /> Out of the box, the prime authority and watchdog of architectural profession the in Bangladesh, the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) recently called me up to be their Technology Consultant for some of their digitalization projects. Since I am somewhat the only person of the sort who understands both the languages of web-design, programing and also architecture they thought I would be the best fit for the position. So I am now also happily working with them in a part-time basis advising them about the ways of total computerization of maintaining, monitoring, regulating the professional affairs of architects and the building constructions throughout the country. // [Call me TAUHEED, I go by my last name, the pronunciation is just like the spelling, with soft T and soft D] Tauheed is an architect by training, he often transitions into being a web-designer, graphic-designer, photographer, curator, organizer and editor. Currently his primarily role is working as the Academic Coordinator of Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a unique, transdisciplinary forum for the study and design of the environment, where Tauheed manages the Academic Program with Kazi Khaleed Ashraf and Marina Tabassum. He also organizes the public events of the Institute and edits the newsletter-magazine Vas. Tauheed, became a TED Fellow in 2009, the inaugural class of TED Fellows, and he was awarded a Senior Fellowship in 2010. He has been to 9 TED Conferences in Long Beach, Oxford, Edinburgh, Mysore and other places. He worked for TED HQ as a consultant from 2013 to 2017. Tauheed, was picked by the World Economic Forum to start their Global Shapers Dhaka Hub in 2013. He became the first Global Shaper of the country and started the Dhaka Hub. He is still involved with the projects and activities of the Hub. Among the most notable projects he was working on is the ArchSociety. It's an online community and resource library for architects and students. It's free, open-source; and specially focused to support the architects and designers of the developing nations. He taught himself web-design just to make the portal by himself way back in 2005. As he couldn't afford to hire a web-designer, and he even had no computer of his own at that time, the whole ArchSociety.com was built in cyber-cafes and university computer labs. ArchSociety's nascent project Open Urban Design Think-tank (The OUT) is preparing to develop an "Open archive of solutions and data" to solve the complex urban crises of Dhaka - a city of 18 million people stuffed in a 15x20 km area. The OUT is intended to be replicated in other fast-growing poor cities in the world. [Updated on 4th February, 2018] // Mohammad Tauheed is a versatile professional with a diverse background in architecture, technology consulting, event production, and editing. With experience as a TED Senior Fellow and a consultant for TED Conferences LLC, he excels in public speaking, business development, and cyber-security. Tauheed has a strong track record of organizing impactful events like the TEDxDhaka Conference and serving as the Founding Curator of the Global Shapers Dhaka Hub of the World Economic Forum. His role as the Academic Coordinator at the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements involved managing academic programs, events, publications, and communications. Tauheed's multidisciplinary skills and strategic problem-solving abilities enable him to drive positive change through innovative ideas and technological solutions. // Architect // technology, entrepreneurship, interior design/project management, architecture, cities, data, job skills training, urban, research, editing, photography, climate, design, volunteerism, urban planning, monitoring, urban design, urbanism, construction, youth, sustainable design, graphic design, web design, governance, communication, curation // Bangkok|Bangladesh|Dhaka Division|Thailand|Dhaka

Bangkok|Bangladesh|Dhaka Division|Thailand|Dhaka

Triage, medicine, technology

2014

South Africa

Healthcare innovator + emergency medicine doctor // A healthcare entrepreneur and emergency medicine doctor in South Africa who has co-founded TOMPSA, which builds mobile apps for healthcare workers in developing countries, including a triage app that acts as a decision support system for patients in critical condition. // Dr Mohammed Dalwai. Mohammed holds an MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) from University of Stellenbosch. He is passionate about the impact of medicine having worked at Manguzi Hospital a rural hospital in the KwaZulu-Natal province. This led him to join MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF, Doctors without Borders) as an ER doctor in various countries such as Pakistan, Libya and Syria. In 2012, the Mail & Guardian recognized Mohammed as one of South Africas Top 200 young and most interesting people specifically for his groundbreaking work around the South African triage score and its implementation across the developing world. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Emergency Medicine. In 2012 he co founded The Open Medicine Project, an organization aimed at capacitating healthcare workers using mobile technology. Mohammed believes in the accumulative value of individual contributions with the overall imperative of changing the world, one step at time. // Dr Mohammed Dalwai. Mohammed holds an MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) from University of Stellenbosch. He is passionate about the impact of medicine having worked at Manguzi Hospital a rural hospital in the KwaZulu-Natal province. This led him to join MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF, Doctors without Borders) as an ER doctor in various countries such as Pakistan, Libya and Syria. In 2012, the Mail & Guardian recognized Mohammed as one of South Africas Top 200 young and most interesting people specifically for his groundbreaking work around the South African triage score and its implementation across the developing world. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Emergency Medicine. In 2012 he co founded The Open Medicine Project, an organization aimed at capacitating healthcare workers using mobile technology. Mohammed believes in the accumulative value of individual contributions with the overall imperative of changing the world, one step at time. // Healthcare innovator + emergency medicine doctor // technology, developing countries, rural, triage, led, mobile applications, medicine, decision support, workers // Cape Town|Western Cape|South Africa

Cape Town|Western Cape|South Africa

New Venture Development, Recruiting, Technology Commercialization

2009

Belgium

Oriental Aquamarine Biotech specializes in offering patented Nitrifying Bioreactor Technology for the establishment of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). These systems continuously filter and recycle water, enabling large-scale fish farming with minimal water usage and pollution. The Nitrifying Bioreactors effectively transform harmful substances in water to maintain optimal water quality for aquatic species' growth and development. The technology has been patented in multiple countries and is designed to reduce residual levels of harmful compounds in water to near zero. // na // Mohan Kandaswamy is the founder of Oriental Aquamarine Biotech, a company specializing in patented Nitrifying Bioreactor Technology for Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). His expertise lies in developing innovative solutions for sustainable fish farming by continuously filtering and recycling water to minimize environmental impact. The Nitrifying Bioreactors effectively convert harmful substances in water, ensuring optimal water quality for aquatic species' growth. Kandaswamy's technology, patented in multiple countries, aims to significantly reduce pollution and promote efficient large-scale aquaculture production with minimal water usage. // Mohan Kandaswamy is the founder of Oriental Aquamarine Biotech India Private Limited; a startup company in Biotech space. The company is working on commercializing the Nitrifying Bioreactor Technology developed at India’s National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, Cochin. The Nitrifying Bioreactor helps in establishment of Biosecure Recirculation Aquaculture Systems in hatcheries and has multiple applications. This will substantially minimize the water quality problems being faced by any establishment involved in the rearing and maintenance of aquatic species. Closed Recirculating Aquaculture System fitted with the ‘Nitrifying Bioreactor’ actively control water quality and helps maintain reef quality oligotrophic conditions for optimum growth and development of various aquatic species The Nitrifying Bioreactor is the first of its kind in the industry worldwide. The product is patented in India, Thailand, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Indonesia and has attracted interest from industrial and scientific circles. An alumnus of IIM, Ahmedabad, Mohan also runs a consulting practice. Apart from his professional work, he is an avid swimmer and aquatic enthusiast. // Mohan Kandaswamy is the founder of Oriental Aquamarine Biotech India Private Limited; a startup company in Biotech space. The company is working on commercializing the Nitrifying Bioreactor Technology developed at India’s National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, Cochin. The Nitrifying Bioreactor helps in establishment of Biosecure Recirculation Aquaculture Systems in hatcheries and has multiple applications. This will substantially minimize the water quality problems being faced by any establishment involved in the rearing and maintenance of aquatic species. Closed Recirculating Aquaculture System fitted with the ‘Nitrifying Bioreactor’ actively control water quality and helps maintain reef quality oligotrophic conditions for optimum growth and development of various aquatic species The Nitrifying Bioreactor is the first of its kind in the industry worldwide. The product is patented in India, Thailand, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Indonesia and has attracted interest from industrial and scientific circles. An alumnus of IIM, Ahmedabad, Mohan also runs a consulting practice. Apart from his professional work, he is an avid swimmer and aquatic enthusiast. // Mohan Kandaswamy is the founder of Oriental Aquamarine Biotech, a company specializing in patented Nitrifying Bioreactor Technology for Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). His expertise lies in developing innovative solutions for sustainable fish farming by continuously filtering and recycling water to minimize environmental impact. The Nitrifying Bioreactors effectively convert harmful substances in water, ensuring optimal water quality for aquatic species' growth. Kandaswamy's technology, patented in multiple countries, aims to significantly reduce pollution and promote efficient large-scale aquaculture production with minimal water usage. // technology, water, recruiting, fish, water quality, biological filtration system for recirculating aquaculture systems, animal health, water usage, farming, species, aquatic, bioreactor, pollution, biotech, aquaculture, technology commercialization, recirculating aquaculture, reef, new venture development, water recycling, industrial, farmed fish, recycling // India|Coimbatore|Tamil Nadu

India|Coimbatore|Tamil Nadu

2025

United States

Gender equity, Global Health, HIV/AIDS, Women's rights

2022

Canada

CAMH; University of Toronto; FIOCRUZ - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Dr. Monica Malta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Her research focuses on social and structural factors influencing health-promoting behaviors related to mental health and HIV prevention/care, particularly among marginalized groups such as transgender women, people who use/abuse drugs, people living with HIV, and female sex workers. Dr. Malta has directed research projects funded by organizations like UNESCO, addressing mental health, gender-based violence, and HIV vulnerability among transgender women in Brazil. She has a strong publication record and her studies have influenced updates in Brazilian guidelines on HIV prevention and treatment. Dr. Malta's work is supported by prestigious institutions and she has received several awards for her contributions to public health research, including recognition from NIH, CDC, UN, and various universities. // Monica Malta is a Brazilian researcher and professor at the University of Toronto and a scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Her work focuses on addressing health inequalities faced by LGBTQ persons. Malta has a background in social psychology and public health, with a particular emphasis on improving the lives of marginalized groups such as people living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ individuals. She has received international recognition for her work, including awards from organizations like the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the World Health Organization. Malta has also conducted research on the impact of societal structures on public health behavior and has developed resources for LGBTQ+ individuals, including an app that provides information on safe spaces in Brazil. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she shifted her focus to studying the response to the virus in South America. Malta has been recognized for her contributions to global health and gender equality, and she continues to advocate for human rights and the mitigation of gender-based violence. // Global Health Researcher with expertise in epidemiology, social and behavioral aspects of global health. Experience in Latin America, Africa, US and Canada. // CAMH; University of Toronto; FIOCRUZ - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health // Monica Malta is a Global Health Researcher specializing in epidemiology and the social and behavioral aspects of global health. With a wealth of experience in regions such as Latin America, Africa, the US, and Canada, Monica has a strong foundation in conducting research and analyzing health trends on a global scale. Her work focuses on understanding the complexities of health issues and implementing strategies to address them effectively. Monica's expertise lies in contributing valuable insights to the field of public health through her research and data analysis skills. // As a survivor of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence, I aim to empower fellow survivors to speak out and collaborate to transform a world where it is still deemed acceptable for 35% of women globally to experience violence each year. My work is driven by the desire to create a safer, more supportive environment for all survivors, fostering a collective effort to challenge and change these harmful norms. // Dr. Monica Malta, an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is a dedicated researcher focusing on social and structural factors influencing health behaviors related to mental health and HIV prevention/care, particularly among marginalized groups like transgender women, people who use drugs, and female sex workers. Her work, supported by prestigious institutions and recognized internationally, has influenced updates in Brazilian guidelines on HIV prevention and treatment. With a background in social psychology and public health, Dr. Malta's expertise lies in addressing health inequalities faced by LGBTQ individuals and advocating for human rights and gender equality. Her research spans global health issues, with a focus on epidemiology and behavioral aspects, contributing valuable insights to public health efforts worldwide. // Human rights champion // Dr. Malta is a Social Epidemiologist who works in low and middle income countries. During the last 20 years she has been a strong human rights activist, working mostly to address the impact of violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons. In addition to providing resources mitigating the impacts of violence, disease and addiction, Malta advocates for protection for these communities by scholarly research in service of policy change and legal protections. Her studies influenced several key changes in Brazilian policies, including the decision to make homophobia and transphobia hate crimes in 2019. She is the leader of interventions tackling the mental health impact of discrimination and violence among queer women, education initiatives for queer people living in slums, and several mobile health strategies that have improved the access to healthcare, shelter, psychological, social and legal support for thousands of queer people. All her studies include queer people as advisors and employees, aiming at decreasing this population lack of employment opportunities and deep poverty. As a survivor of violence herself, her motto is “Nothing about us, without us” // Dr. Monica Malta, an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is a dedicated researcher focusing on social and structural factors influencing health behaviors related to mental health and HIV prevention/care, particularly among marginalized groups like transgender women, people who use drugs, and female sex workers. Her work, supported by prestigious institutions and recognized internationally, has influenced updates in Brazilian guidelines on HIV prevention and treatment. With a background in social psychology and public health, Dr. Malta's expertise lies in addressing health inequalities faced by LGBTQ individuals and advocating for human rights and gender equality. Her research spans global health issues, with a focus on epidemiology and behavioral aspects, contributing valuable insights to public health efforts worldwide. // Human rights champion // violence, gender based violence, education, public health, jobs, equity, gender equity, research, hiv, activism, human rights, rights, women's rights, policy, covid, women, mitigation, discrimination, marginalized, gender, advocacy, aids, disease, workers, global health, gender-based violence, health impact, lgbtq+ health, law, vulnerability, equality, poverty, pandemic, slum, income // Mozambique|Brazil|Nairobi|Rio de Janeiro|Maputo|Ontario|Toronto|Canada|Kenya

Mozambique|Brazil|Nairobi|Rio de Janeiro|Maputo|Ontario|Toronto|Canada|Kenya

Documentary filmmaking, Documentary photography, Human rights, Migration, Minority advocacy, Nomadism, Refugees, Reporter/Journalist, Storytelling, War

2011

Italy

Monika Bulaj is an award-winning photojournalist, reporter, and documentary filmmaker based in Italy. Her work focuses on minorities at risk, nomads, faiths, and shared sacredness in various regions such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. She has received recognition and awards for her impactful work, which has been featured in prominent publications. Monika has published multiple books and held numerous exhibitions worldwide. Her work sheds light on humanity living in hidden yet significant boundaries on earth, exploring themes of war, religiosity, tenderness, and dignity. Monika's projects involve // Monika Bulaj is an award-winning photojournalist, reporter, documentary filmmaker, and educator based in Italy. She is known for her work focusing on minorities at risk, faiths, and shared sacredness in various regions around the world. Bulaj's work has been recognized by numerous prestigious awards and has been featured in prominent publications. She has published several books and held numerous exhibitions globally. Bulaj is currently working on a project to create a visual atlas of threatened minorities and shared holy places. // I work on an atlas of minorities at risk in the shared sacred places, which disorients and confuses mental maps based on dogmas and exclusions, fixed on the preconception that every believer must have their own place for which to die and be able even to kill, on the pure-impure polarisation, the same that led to the extermination camps. These are clandestine geographies, stratifications of memories, copresences and correspondences. An atlas of places with uncertain identities, places-bridges, indecipherable to the barbarians, where formulas handed down by word of mouth have been preserved for centuries, and with them knowledge about origins, metaphors for initiations and transformations, recipes for survival. I look for the beauty in the dark places of the world. For the solidarity of the oppressed. The cohabitation among the religious where there are bombs.  For the cracks in the theories of the so-called clash of civilisations,  when presidents, bandits and terrorists use the name of gods to make war. It is a work on the move, with people fleeing the madness of man: nomads who can no longer wander, minorities forced to become nomads, pilgrims in shrines targeted by terrorists. // Monika Bulaj is an accomplished photojournalist, reporter, documentary filmmaker, and educator based in Italy. Her work is distinguished by its focus on minorities at risk, faiths, and shared sacredness in regions spanning Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Bulaj's impactful projects have garnered prestigious awards and have been featured in renowned publications globally. She is currently engaged in creating a visual atlas that explores threatened minorities and shared holy places, challenging conventional narratives and highlighting the beauty and solidarity found in marginalized communities. Through her work, Bulaj sheds light on clandestine geographies, memories, and coexistences, offering a unique perspective on the complexities of religiosity, conflict, and human resilience in diverse landscapes. // Photographer // Photographer + documentarian telling the stories of people and places in conflict. // Monika Bulaj is an award-winning photojournalist, reporter, documentary film-maker, and educator, based in Italy. Her personal work on minorities at risk, faiths and shared sacredness in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Africa, and Caribbean, has been recognized by The Aftermath Project Grant, Leonian Award & W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Bruce Chatwin Special Award, Grant in Visual Arts from the European Association for Jewish Culture, and other awards and nominations. Bulaj's work has appeared in The Guardian, Granta Magazine, National Geographic, The New York Times, TIME, Courier International, RevueXXI, La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, and GEO, among others. She has published 10 books, the latest being Nur. Afghan Diaries with National Geographic (in Polish) and Where Gods Whisper, with Contrasto (in English and Italian). She has displayed her work in more than 90 personal exhibitions around the world. Bulaj was the first women to receive the Italian National NonViolence Award “for her work as a photographer, reporter, and documentary-maker which sheds lights on humanity living in the most hidden yet most evident boundaries on earth, for showing war through its consequences, for investigating mankind’s soul, our eagerness for religiosity, tenderness, and dignity. Bulaj makes the invisible visible by exploring people’s soul, by uniting humanity in an image.” // Photographer Monika Bulaj shares powerful, intimate images of Afghanistan -- of home life, of ritual, of men and women. Behind the headlines, what does the world truly know about this place? // Monika Bulaj is an accomplished photojournalist, reporter, documentary filmmaker, and educator based in Italy. Her work is distinguished by its focus on minorities at risk, faiths, and shared sacredness in regions spanning Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Bulaj's impactful projects have garnered prestigious awards and have been featured in renowned publications globally. She is currently engaged in creating a visual atlas that explores threatened minorities and shared holy places, challenging conventional narratives and highlighting the beauty and solidarity found in marginalized communities. Through her work, Bulaj sheds light on clandestine geographies, memories, and coexistences, offering a unique perspective on the complexities of religiosity, conflict, and human resilience in diverse landscapes. // Photographer // minorities, human rights. i am a writer, thus returning somewhat to the theater i did in the past), led, lighting, in order to stay in the field closer to people and with respect, reporter/journalist, human rights, rights, long-term approach, refugees, with such a vastness of topics. i use different tools and methods of storytelling (for example visual multimedia storytelling, war, filmmaker. i have a slow, women, migration, also to seek, documentary photography, nomadism, documentary, minorities at risk, other avenues of dissemination., reporter, as much as is possible, with the crisis of freelance journalism, documentary film maker, religions, photographer // Trieste|Italy|Friuli-Venezia Giulia|Milan

Trieste|Italy|Friuli-Venezia Giulia|Milan