Directory

Step inside the TED Fellows community

Each year, a new group of TED Fellows from around the world, and from every discipline, are welcomed into this international community of remarkable thinkers and doers.

TED Fellows
2024 Cohort

TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Photojournalist, visual artist

Daro Sulakauri

Photojournalist Daro Sulakauri chronicles social and political issues in the Caucasus. By focusing on issues that are considered taboo, such as early marriages and the impact of Russian occupation, she defends against the erasure of Georgian culture, history and borders.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Equity bioengineer

Erika Moore

Biomedical engineer Erika Moore Taylor researches how ancestry and sociocultural data affect disease development. Unlike many researchers, she accounts for diverse populations when building regenerative tissue models to create more equitable disease models

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Visual artist, poverty researcher

Huiyi Lin

Huiyi Lin is an economic policy researcher and one-half of Chow and Lin, an artist duo using statistical, mathematical and computational techniques to address food insecurity and poverty. Chow and Lin combine research, design and photography to raise awareness about global inequality in visually arresting ways.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Medical mythbuster

Joel Bervell

Joel Bervell is a medical student educating people about health care disparities and biases through viral social media content. By sharing stories and studies with his audience of more than one million about the neglect of marginalized groups, he advocates for change in the health care system. 

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Ocean navigator

Lehua Kamalu

Lehua Kamalu is a captain and navigator of traditional Hawaiian ocean-voyaging canoes. She preserves and teaches these ancient sustainable navigation practices by integrating them into digital storytelling and daily life for future generations.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Health systems entrepreneur

Mohamed Aburawi

Mohamed Aburawi is a surgeon and founder of Speetar, a digital health platform reshaping health care in conflict zones across the Middle East and Africa, especially his native Libya. Through this work, Speetar is helping to dismantle barriers to quality care and advocate for health care as a fundamental human right.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Mechanical engineer

Norah Magero

Norah Magero is a mechanical engineer and creator of VacciBox, a cold chain solution saving lives in rural communities. She is working to build an Africa that manufactures and produces its own climate-health care technology.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Chemosensory researcher, nurse

Paule Joseph

Taste and smell researcher Paule Joseph explores how conditions such as COVID-19, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders and substance abuse affect the chemical senses. Her lab combines clinical research, behavioral neuroscience, genomics and molecular biology, offering insights on how taste and smell affect our daily lives.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

AI scientist, entrepreneur

Ramin Hasani

Ramin Hasani is cofounder and CEO of Liquid AI, where he helped invent liquid neural networks: a new AI technology inspired by living brains and physics. These revolutionary networks are more flexible and efficient than current AI solutions, shaping the future of machine learning and artificial intelligence research.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Wildland firefighter

Royal Ramey

Royal Ramey is the cofounder of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP), a nonprofit providing career opportunities to formerly incarcerated firefighters in California. A 12-year wildland firefighter veteran, Ramey draws on his own lived experience, rethinking job training for the formerly incarcerated and addressing the challenges they face re-entering the workforce.

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TED Fellows 2024 Cohort

Composer, artistic director

Sahba Aminikia

Iranian-born composer, pianist and educator Sahba Aminikia is the founder and artistic director of Flying Carpet Children Festival, an annual mobile arts festival and artist residency for refugee children escaping conflict zones.

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2024
Cohort

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Fellows Directory

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TED Fellows 2007 Cohort

Co-Founder

Zubair Abubakar
A TED fellow, who passionately believes in the power of technology to promote positive change and create wealth. In 2011, He started an initiative now called Constitution for All which today has enabled over 2,000,000 Nigerians have access to the Constitution anytime anywhere on their mobile phones. He has also served as a consultant to World Bank’s infoDev on its Mobile Innovation Program. He co-founded ChopUp - a mobile social gaming Startup, building locally relevant games for mobile Africa. They have released titles such as Danfo Reloaded II, Table Soccer and Sambisa Assault to name a few. In addition to designing and producing mobile apps, he also helped to build one of Nigeria’s largest information portals, ConnectNigeria.com. Zubair has also worked at Chevron Nigeria and IZY Brand limited.
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TED Fellows 2009 Cohort

Social entrepreneur

asher hasan
Dr. Asher Hasan is a digital health innovator and serial entrepreneur. Asher is the CoFounder & Executive Chairman of doctHERs (http://www.docthers.com), the emerging world's first women-centred, gender-inclusive telemedicine company. Asher is also the Founder of NAYA JEEVAN (http://www.njfk.org), a hybrid social enterprise dedicated to providing socio-economically disadvantaged families throughout the emerging world with affordable access to quality, catastrophic healthcare. Asher served on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council for Social Innovation for 2012-2014. He is a 2011 World Economic Forum/Schwab Foundation Asian Social Entrepreneur of the Year, a 2013 Synergos Senior Fellow, a 2009 TED India fellow, a 2011 Ashoka US fellow, a 2011 Ariane de Rothschild fellow and an invited member of the Clinton Global Initiative for 2014, 2010 and 2009. He has also been selected as an Asia 21 young leader in 2010. In addition, doctHERs is a winning finalist of the 2017 MIT SOLVE competition in the women & tech category and the winner of the Start-up Track at the 2017 World Health Summit (Berlin) . In 2016, doctHERs was a recipient the Judge's Choice Award in the MIT Inclusive Innovation Competition. In 2013, NAYA JEEVAN was recognised with the prestigious, Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Award and the Asia Society Public Service Award. Prior to launching NAYA JEEVAN, Asher served in the capacity of Senior Director and Head of the US Medical Affairs team (Obesity drugs portfolio) for Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company in San Diego, CA. He spent six years at Sanofi as a Medical Director in their US headquarters. During his tenure in New York City, Asher also completed an MBA in Global Business & Leadership from New York University’s Stern School of Business. In his hey-dey, Asher attended Oberlin College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and biology with an additional concentration in international relations. This was followed by research at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital followed by training in general surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center. Asher can often be seen hurtling down alpine ski slopes, is a voracious reader and loves to cruise the Caribbean. Istanbul, Bali, Bellagio and Rio de Janeiro are his favourite destinations for spiritual rejuvenation.
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TED Fellows 2015 Cohort

Artist

eL Seed ...
French/Tunisian artist eL Seed is one of the founding forefathers of modern 'calligraffiti’, a blend of the historic art of Arabic calligraphy and the modern art of graffiti, mixing street culture from Paris and Arabic history to poetic effect. Born to Tunisian parents in the suburbs of Paris, eL Seed spent his formative years juggling different cultures, languages, and identities. Today eL Seed’s pieces have developed out of two worlds colliding, with these two cultures clashing and blending into one another, to form a new identity, a unique mark and a distinctive style. eL Seed uses intricate composition in his work to call not only on the words and their meaning, but also on their movement, which ultimately lures the viewer into a different state of mind. Working primarily with subjects that seem contradictory, eL Seed’s art reflects the reality of mankind and the world we live in today. In mid-2012 eL Seed completed his largest piece to date, in the southern Tunisian city of Gabes, a 47 metre high minaret on the Jara mosque, spreading a message of unity, peace and tolerance. eL Seed's art has been shown on the walls of many cities around the world including Paris, New York, Jeddah and Melbourne, Rio Di Janeiro in addition to his home country Tunisia. In 2013, Condé Nast Traveler recognized him as one of the years ‘visionaries’ for advocating peaceful expression and social progress through his work. And proving that street art can collide with luxury to fashionable effect, in 2013 eL Seed collaborated with the international luxury maison of Louis Vuitton, where he created a unique calligraffiti design for the classic monogram scarf, as part of the Foulards d’Artiste project. He is the first and only Arab to have ever designed a collaborative product for the famous French brand. In March 2014, eL Seed launched his first book, Lost Walls, documenting his calligraffiti journey across Tunisia.
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TED Fellows 2019 Cohort

Cross-disciplinary scientist

federica bianco
Dr. Bianco is a Professor at the University of Delaware in the Physics and Astronomy Department, Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, and Data Science Institute. She built her unusual career by letting her passions and her desire to learn new things guide her: trained as an astrophysicist, she splits her time between unveiling the secret of the Universe, finding new ways to improve quality of life in cities, and fighting in the ring. As an astrophysics she studies astronomical transients, things that change in the night sky, from solar system objects passing in front of background stars to explosions at the edge of the known Universe. As the Coordinator of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Science Collaborations she is creating a network of over 1500 scientists as they prepare to study the night skies through the largest, most complex astrophysical dataset to date. The telescope will come online in 2023 and it will observe the whole southern sky every few days from the mountains of Chile, to unprecedented depths and spatial resolution. The sky that to our naked eye looks like a static painted celestial volt is the site of continuous, tumultuous, dramatic changes which a telescope as powerful as this can reveal. Dr. Bianco will focus on understanding the nature of the millions of things that change every night in the night sky. The potential for discovery is transformational! When Dr. Bianco turns her instruments to study urban environments she works on developing new ways to predict energy needs and measure pollution that are accessible to all economies, not just the richest countries, and uses her data skills to improve the prosecutorial justice system. Outside of academia, Dr. Bianco is known as the Madscientist; she is a professional boxer in the bantamweight class, with a record of 4-1, 2KOs (not bad for a geek!).
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TED Fellows 2010, 2009 Cohort

Urban thinker, experimentalist

gabriella gm
Gabriella is the founder and director of Experimentalista (a transdisciplinary urban+creative studio working with cities across the world) and The Institute for Everything In-Between. As former Chief Creative Officer of Mexico City, Gabriella founded and directed Laboratorio para la Ciudad, the award-winning experimental and creative office of the Mexico City government, reporting to the Mayor. She headed a young, transdiciplinary team: from urban geographers, political scientists and civic tech experts, to artists, historians and philosophers. The Lab was created to tackle urban challenges - from experiments in democracy and mobility to projects related to spatial justice, experimental territories, play as a city making tool, tech platforms and new models of governance - creating novel transdisciplinary methodologies and participatory practices, exploring ways to find common ground in a gargantuan, diverse (and often divided) city. Hence the Lab's projects were multiple, often paradigmatic, and covered widely in international publications – such as the crowdsourcing of the Mexico City Constitutionm which was a first for the urban world. She is a Yale World Fellow, MIT Director’s Fellow, a GeorgeTown University Global Cities Initiative Visiting Fellow, a TED Senior Fellow, an Institute for the Future Fellow and has received several awards in different disciplines: from 1st prize in the Audi Urban Future Award to 1st Prize in the Best Arts Practice and TED City 2.0 award , as well as recognized as a leading "creative bureaucrat" in the Creative Bureaucracy Festival 2018. Gabriella is also part of the international advisory committee for the Mayor of Seoul on Social Innovation, as well as NACTO's Streets for Kids, The XXII Triennale of Milan, C40´s Knowledge Hub, Harvard`s Mexican Cities Initiative, Canada`s MaRS Lab, amongst others. She was also named one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company magazine in 2018.
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TED Fellows 2009 Cohort

Managing Director

raja manohar
an entrepreneur and everything that goes along with being one.Founded Hexolabs Interactive, lead expansion across 15 markets in Asia and Africa, elected among the “Young Global Leaders ” by World Economic Forum in 2012. My venture Hexolabs offers critical big-data analytics products to telecom operators to help them enhance their network user experience. Hexolabs' technology leadership has earned a spot among MIT Technology Review's list of Top 20 innovators while its core research team has been named "Social Innovator of the year 2012" Currently bootstrapping a stealth location aware big-data analytics venture. Look forward to share more in coming months!
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TED Fellows 2009 Cohort

Chairperson

svati Bhogle
Svati Bhogle is the Chairperson of TIDE, a nonprofit that specializes in biomass combustion technologies. She is also the Chairperson of the Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN) a network of more than 200 decentralized renewable energy practitioners in India. In a long career spanning over three decades, she has worked in diverse aspects of cooking energy, including research, cookstove design and development, dissemination, and advocacy in the clean energy sector. She has also developed and disseminated biomass-based stoves and dryers for a variety of other applications, such as post-harvest processing, herbal medicine preparation, sericulture, textile bleaching and dyeing, etc. She is a recipient of several awards including the Ashden Award, and the National Award for Women’s Development Through Science and Technology of the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.
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TED Fellows 2018 Cohort

Journalist, editor

Ольга Юркова
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Fellows Talks

We’ve organized Fellows talks into curated playlists to make it easier to find content you’re interested in.

TED Fellows impact at a glance

Change that gets noticed

200M

200M people impacted by Fellows work annually

451M

451M TED Talk views

2,234

2,234 articles published by/about Fellows per year

1,303

1,303 speaking engagements each year

234

234 businesses launched

The groundbreaking work of a TED Fellow does not stay in the shadows. Each year we study the impact Fellows have on their respective fields, as measured by tangible forms of recognition. Here are some highlights from the past few years.

Our purpose

What makes a TED Fellow?

TED Fellows are some of the brightest, most ambitious thinkers, future-shapers and culture-shakers from nearly every discipline and corner of the world.

Whether it’s discovering new galaxies, leading social movements or making waves in environmental conservation, with the support of TED, Fellows are dedicated to making the world a better place through their innovative work. In 2024 the program will shift to a nomination-based application process.

Qualifications

We look for the proximate emerging leaders working on-the-ground on world-changing ideas -- the doers, makers, inventors, technologists, filmmakers and photographers, musicians and artists, educators, scientists, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and human rights activists. Here is what we look for in a TED Fellow:

1

Emerging leaders. We focus our efforts on individuals who are in the earlier phases of their career, those who have a track record of excellence but have not received a numerous other fellowships and accolades. We search for those who are not already on the global stage.

2

Originality and authenticity. We look for proximate leaders with a unique approach to solving humanity’s greatest challenges. We look for the people working on-the-ground on world-changing ideas, putting ideas into action.

3

Kind, collaborative character. We look for individuals who have an early track record of great work in their field. We look for individuals from all disciplines, who have collaborative, kind personalities. Many Fellows claim that the community of other Fellows is the most valuable aspect of the fellowship. We try to nurture this collaborative spirit in the community.

4

Poised to grow. Since this is not a granting fellowship, we look for individuals who would best be able to use the TED community and this opportunity as a launching pad. The TED Fellowship is best for candidates who are prepared to grow with TED’s forms of support: amplification, network-building, communication training, professional development coaching and mentoring.