Theme: Illuminate

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).

L'Astral
305 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
Montréal, QC, Quebec, H2X 2A3
Canada

Alexandra Simond

Science Communicator

Dr. Alexandra Simond is a science communicator, educator and researcher. She is comfortable starting conversations about women’s place in academia and the struggles they face every day. She graduated from McGill University in 2014 with first class honours and spent the last 7 years studying preclinical mouse models of breast cancer in the goal of suggesting alternative patient therapies. Her scientific expertise and creativity culminated in 3 first author publications in leading scientific journals including Genes & Development. During this time, she spent 2 years as Chair of an organization that ran scientific conferences for students and staff. With her extensive teaching experience, she has spent the last 6 months developing study material for 60+ topics of biology covering the curriculum of 30+ North American universities. She now hopes to use her skills in science communication and public speaking to have cutting edge scientific discussions in the goal of advancing patient care.

Alexandre Grant

Researcher and Advocate

A budding immunologist at McGill, Alexandre Grant's research focuses on understanding novel mechanisms of immune protection against important infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza. However, Alex’s connection to immunology is more than academic, it is also personal. In 2017, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that soon led him to become paralyzed. Since recovering, Alex has devoted himself to helping other patients affected by neurological conditions as a Director of the Friends of the Neuro Foundation at the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital where he was a patient. He also serves as the Quebec Director of the GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada where he supports patients as they navigate their diagnosis with rare neurological disorders. Alex hopes to inspire others to embrace adversity as an opportunity to develop new passions that can be put to the service of others.

Barney Tennyson

Musician

Barney Tennyson (Guitarist) is a musician, physicist, and circus artist from Aotearoa, New Zealand. He is currently based in London and is working on a novel.

Chelsea Wang

Student

Chelsea is a second-year student at McGill University from Vancouver, BC. At an early age, she developed a keen interest in leadership, politics, and problem-solving, along with a fervor for social justice and change. This ultimately led her to McGill’s Joint Honours program for Philosophy and Political Science, where she is developing further interests in Ancient Greek philosophy and political theory. In her free time, Chelsea enjoys hiking with friends and family, playing instruments, and watching movies, particularly film noir. After her chapter in Montreal, she hopes to attend law school back home at UBC's Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Ida Derish

Researcher

Ida Derish is a PhD candidate in the department of Experimental Surgery at McGill University, and an entrepreneur in Montreal’s medical technologies space. She co-founded her start-up GynAware in 2019. Ida is passionate about providing personalized medical treatment options rather than a one-size-fits-all solution to health problems. Her award-winning research on novel cardiovascular repair therapies has garnered support from the Montreal General Hospital Foundation. She is currently spearheading efforts to study patient-specific differences in heart disease, supported by the Courtois Cardiovascular Signature Program at the McGill University Health Centre. An advocate of scientific knowledge dissemination, Ida has led multiple seminars at McGill University. She currently sits on the trainee committee of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, a national organization focused on providing cardiovascular trainee-oriented events that boost networking, research collaboration and discovery.

Jonathan Spencer

Mapmaker

Jonathan Spencer is the Mapmaker at Driftscape and a developer of the ArtworxTO tours of Toronto's outdoor public art collection which launched in September 2021. After wandering through West Africa on foot, by truck, boat, bike, train and donkey cart he pursued a career in accounting and public policy. He is the founder of the Toronto Snowshoe Club and serves on the board of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

Joze Piranian

International Speaker and Comedian

Joze Piranian is a lifelong stutterer turned Forbes featured International Speaker on Inclusion and Resilience. Born and raised in Lebanon, Joze avoided speaking for more than 25 years out of the fear of being judged for being different. Then, everything changed. He won the Inspirational Speaker of the Year and performed stand-up comedy in 3 continents and 4 languages, most recently for a CBC television taping at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. Having graduated from McGill University with a Bachelors in Commerce and Psychology, from Queen’s University with a Master of International Business and from Cornell University with a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion, Joze has since delivered hundreds of stand-up comedy and speaking engagements about Inclusion and Resilience at Google, Tesla, TikTok, Dell, IBM, Rogers, BCG, TD, Manulife and Diageo.With more than 3 000 000 views on Goalcast, Joze has also been featured on Forbes, ABC, TEDx, NowThis and CBC.

Laurence Liang

Student Researcher

Laurence Liang is a software developer and an engineering student at McGill University. Starting as a self-taught programmer at 14 years old, Laurence used software and artificial intelligence to model genomic interactions in neuron regeneration, and more recently, to identify non-coding genes that could halt the progression of COVID-19. His work has been recognized on multiple platforms, such as the Canada-Wide Science Fair, Sanofi Biogenius, and Regeneron ISEF.

Lillian Borger

Circus Performer

Lillian is a McGill student by day and a circus performer by night! When she isn’t studying Political Science, volunteering, or talking with those around her, she can usually be found swinging around upside down. She has been training in circus arts for over 13 years, ever since she was 7 years old. She specializes in cyr wheel, aerial silks, and acrobatics. She has performed across the world in places like Finland and Austria, and has been a part of symphony orchestra concerts, gala events, and independent shows. She hopes to continue performing throughout her life, while pursuing a career in the non-profit or government sector.

Lucy Whichelo

Author

Lucy is a Political Science, Communications and Sociology graduate from McGill University, and will be working in Toronto in Media and Public Affairs. She is also the debut author of “Unelectable: Making Space for a Future with Female Leaders''. Lucy published “Unelectable” in April 2021 and has since continued to engage herself and others in creating a more inclusive environment for women in leadership. In taking on her very first book-writing journey, Lucy gained invaluable knowledge about what it takes to write, market, and publish a book, and hopes that by sharing her experience she can encourage others to take up their own book-writing journeys. Lucy strongly believes in the power of writing and plans to persuade anyone who will listen that everyone can and should take up the journey of writing their own book.

Naeem Komeilipoor

Scientist and Entrepreneur

Dr. Naeem Komeilipoor is a curious scientist and an entrepreneur passionate about finding solutions that could have huge impacts on people’s lives. He has studied and worked in several countries around the world in different fields such as Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, and AI. Currently, he is setting his roots in Montreal where at his company, AAVAA, he is leading a group of engineers and scientists pushing the frontiers of technology to build neural-interface devices that will revolutionize many industries and enhance human capabilities. Alongside his passion for science and technology, he has pursued his love for art, from composing and performing music to writing short stories and poetry.

Saman Arfaie

Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (Candidate)

Saman Arfaie is a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery Candidate at McGill University. He completed his B.Sc. in Neurobiology, Honours B.A. in Persian Literature, and double minors in chemistry and music, all at the University of California, Berkeley before conducting brain tumor research at UCSF. Saman has co-authored/presented a dozen peer-reviewed papers/posters & won 20+ national & international awards. He serves as the co-founder of the Canadian Medical Student Interest Group in Neurosurgery (CaMSIGN) and co-presidents of the McGill Osler Society and the McGill Student Interest Group in Neurology & Neurosurgery. Saman is an active researcher at the Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Center and the Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory of the Douglas Research Center. Classical music has been a central part of Saman’s life from a young age. In his spare time, he enjoys reading philosophy and eating excessive amounts of chocolate (with guilt).

Sarah Gao

Musician

Sarah Gao is a Montreal based musician and student and is currently in her last year at McGill University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Sarah began her early music career in classical piano performance, earning her Associate of the Royal Conservatory in five and a half years. Sarah is currently working on an EP that fuses Soul, R&B, rap, and comedy. She is very driven and passionate and will pursue music full time following university.

Trevor Cotter

Interdisciplinary Engineer

Trevor is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering with experience in physics and biomedical engineering. He has always had a passion for tinkering and designing, whether that is outside, in a garage, or in the lab. This, compounded with an interest in translational research, brought him from academic and industrial pursuits in Minnesota and Arizona to graduate school in Montreal at McGill University. He has worked with multiple companies and start-ups in and around the medical device space, including co-founding BioOptic, which focuses on developing a non-invasive physiological pressure measurement device for the treatment of incontinence and low back pain. His doctoral research centers around developing a physics-based surgical simulator to communicate visual and haptic feedback for training spine surgeons. He hopes to use his education and communication skills to bridge gaps among multidisciplinary teams and from these teams to the general public.

Vandad Pourbahrami

Humo(u)r Consultant and Trainer

Vandad Pourbahrami is a humo(u)r consultant and trainer, training people and organizations how to use humo(u)r to be more effective. Vandad helps people use humo(u)r strategically to spark creativity, improve organizational culture and enjoy their work more. Vandad and his team have worked with over 300 organizations around the world, like the UN, Accenture and his best friend (he thanks you for the break!). Vandad graduated from McGill University and the London School of Economics & Political Science, and also has many years of experience in the Management Consulting and Improv Comedy space.

William Falcao

University Assistant Professor

Dr. William Falcao is an Assistant Professor at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. His work focuses on broad aspects of youth development through sport. Native from Brazil, Dr. Falcao has witnessed first-hand the consequences of social-economic disparity and the lack of positive role models in youth lives. As an avid sports practitioner, he also realized the motivating nature of sport becoming, thus, an advocate for sport for personal and social development. His studies in psychology, sport sciences, and management led him to collaborate with sports organizations and coaches in developing, disseminating, and evaluating strategies that promote development through sport, especially among youth in underserved communities. In particular, he has developed innovative coaching approaches, created and delivered coach training protocols, and led evaluation programs assessing the impact of sports on communities, coaches' behaviours, and youth development.