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).

TUMO
16 Halabyan Str.
Erevan, Erevan
Armenia

Armen Der Kiureghian

President of the American University of Armenia

Armen Der Kiureghian is the fourth President of the American University of Armenia (AUA), having assumed the post in July, 2014. As of July 1, 2015, he is Taisei Professor of Civil Engineering Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley, where he served for 37 years in various positions. He has held visiting professorships at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, University of Tokyo, Japan, ROSE School in Pavia, Italy, Technical University of Denmark, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and Technical University of Munich, Germany. Der Kiureghian is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a Fellow of its Institute of Engineering Mechanics, and member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), the Seismological Society of America (SSA), the International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability (IASSAR), and the Civil Engineering Risk and Reliability Association (CERRA). He is a past President of CERRA and served as Chair

Armen Martirosian

Genetic scientist

Armen Martirosian is a repat, having moved from Honolulu Hawaii, to Yerevan Armenia. His initial aspiration was to study medicine, but along the way, his interests also sent him in various directions. Today, not only does he work as an ultrasound specialist in the National Center for Oncology, introducing vascular and abdominal techniques learned in his earlier life in the US, but he's also a field consultant for anthropology, working in archaeological sites, and is also involved in population genetics. The latter two entail collecting ancient DNA from both historical and prehistorical sites in modern Armenia and Artsakh, as well as constructing the genetic profile of modern Armenians. Reconstructing the past to bridge the future.

Larisa Hovannisian

CEO Teach For Armenia

Larisa Hovannisian was born in Yerevan to an Armenian mother and an Irish-American father. Her father’s work took her family to Russia – first to the Far East and then to Moscow. This is where Larisa spent the next ten years of her life, prior to moving to the United States for university. In 2010, Larisa joined Teach For America to teach special education in Phoenix, Arizona. She taught students with moderate disabilities in an underserved public school. Inspired by her two years in the classroom, Larisa repatriated to Armenia in 2013 and established Teach For Armenia, an organization with a mission to improve educational outcomes for all children in Armenia by recruiting and training exceptional individuals to teach in underserved schools for a minimum of two years. Larisa considers her return to Armenia an opportunity to systemically impact educational outcomes, and provide an opportunity for top graduates from Armenia and her diaspora to affect true, meaningful development

Laura Bailey

World Bank’s Country Manager

Laura Bailey moved to Yerevan in September 2014 to serve as the World Bank’s Country Manager for Armenia. She leads a multidisciplinary team in Yerevan who draw on experts from across the region and around the world to bring financial, technical solutions, and creative ideas to Armenia through the World Bank work program. During her 25+ year career in development, she has worked and lived in large middle-income and transition countries, such as India and Indonesia, and in small post-conflict countries, like Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea. She also spent four years at World Bank Group HQ in Washington DC, working intensively on modernizing the international approach to countries affected by conflict and war, with substantial partnership work with the United Nations. Prior to joining the World Bank in 2005, Ms. Bailey worked in international economic development for 16 years: directly for national governments, for NGOs, and for community organizations across countries in Asia, Afr

Maiko Tajima

‘DIFFERENCE’ advocate

Maiko is a ‘DIFFERENCE’ advocate. She was born in Tokyo and grew up in Japan – a society that often appreciates homogeneity more than difference. Since that time she has lived and worked in seven countries, and collaborated with people from dozens of nations. She believes that overcoming our own internal fear of differences is the key to professional growth, spiritual maturity and quality of life. Maiko is the author of book "How to Become Global Communicators - Keys to Improve your Global Business Skills (ranked 4th top seller on 11 May 2015, Kindle Japan, Amazon ISBN-10: 4757426054)", and has delivered inspirational talks at renowned universities, job seminars, youth camps and contributed to magazines and on-line websites. Maiko holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Oxford and has worked for KPMG and the United Nations.

Sunil Kumar V Kaushik and Yuka Yokozawa

Indo-Japanese couple

Sunil Kaushik is a writer, innovator and Influential voice of Quality for the American Society for Quality,. Yuka Yokozawa has worked for Japan foundation as an advisor for teachers in UK and enjoyed teaching primary and secondary school children. She is a passionate Japanese teacher teaching Japanese for all age groups (5 – 60 years). As a passionate foodie, she is working on a Green Tea project by inventing fusion recipes by mixing green tea with the local recipes. facebook page “Sushi and Sambar on the Silk Route” https://www.facebook.com/sushiandsambar/

Taron Lizagub

Founder of Knoxlabs

Taron was born in Yerevan moved to the other Yerevan (Glendale) at age eleven. He graduated UCLA with dual degrees in Electrical Engineering and Math and did not pursue either as a career. He successfully failed three startups before brewing one that was virtually real. He founded Knoxlabs in 2015, a virtual reality mobile hardware and platform lab, now a leader in the entry level vr market (a Google partner & and a supplier ~10% of all mobile VR headsets on the market). He is currently working on a device agnostic VR platform to help us better experience and connect with empathy regardless of who and where we are. He is driven by the passion of bridging how our senses interact with technology in creating everyday products that are emotional extensions of ourselves.

Vardanush Petrosyan

Dietitian-Gastroenterologist

Vardanush Petrosyan is a top-performing multilingual medical professional with strong experience in all aspects of dietology and gastroenterology. She is expertise in obesity, metabolic disorders and healthy nutrition in Armenia, Russia federation, Europe and US. Petrosyan is recognized by Specialist Certification of Obesity Professional Education and International Association for the Study of Obesity. She hot her education in Yerevan State Medical University. Vardanush Petrosyan is the founder of INGREDIENT healthy food café and the owner of VP Diet (Healthy Food Delivery Service). Petrosyan is also a private consulting and case management agent. She is the Best Doctor of 2014. Currently she is dietitian-gastroenterologist in Scientific Research Institute of Spa Treatment and Physical Medicine and National Institute of Health in Yerevan, Armenia. Besides all the above mentioned, Petrosyan promotes healthy lifestyle through TV talk shows as a host and an invitee.