Theme: Radiance

Like a radiant light, ideas originate from an individual to a community, providing a presence felt by the ears, the eyes, and the mind. TEDxUofT is proud to bring back our first in-person conference since 2019 in an entirely new context of a post-COVID world. From decrypting the art of networking to learning how to think positively in the face of adversity, to student leaders breaking stories through journalism, our expertly curated masters of their craft are bringing their radiance to the University of Toronto.

Isabel Bader Theatre
93 Charles St W
Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C7
Canada

Andrea Thompson

Andrea Thompson is a writer, editor, educator and spoken word artist who has been publishing and performing her work for over twenty-five years. Thompson was featured in the award-winning documentary, Slamnation as a member of Canada’s first national slam team, she was host of the critically acclaimed Bravo TV series, Heart of a Poet, and was the 2009 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word’s Poet of Honour. In 2005 her spoken word album, One, was nominated for a Canadian Urban Music Award, in 2019 her album, Soulorations, earned her a Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award, and in 2021 she was the recipient of the Leon E. & Ann M. Pavlick Poetry Prize. Thompson currently teaches spoken word poetry through the University of Toronto’s Department of English & Drama. She is an editor at Brick Books and has served as both a curator and the Artistic Director of Brick's online spoken word showcase, Brickyard. Thompson's work was featured in the anthology, Best Canadian Poetry: 2020 and her collection,

Baher Abdulhai

Baher Abdulhai has been a professor at the University of Toronto since 1998. Born in Cairo, Egypt in 1966, and earned his Ph.D. in engineering from the University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA, in 1996. Areas of expertise include: Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), modelling and simulation of large-scale dynamic transportation networks, Artificial Intelligence (AI) based street and freeway traffic control, traveller information systems, emergency evacuation optimization, dynamic road pricing, smart cities under automated and transformative transportation systems.

Diana Burchell

Diana Burchell is a PhD Candidate in her final year of the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She is also a certified Intermediate-Senior teacher in French (Immersion, Extended and Core), English and Special Education. Diana’s research focuses on the accessibility of language immersion programs for exceptional and multilingual students in Canada. She is especially interested in working on an assessment and intervention method which will disentangle deficits due to language disability from language delays due to multilingualism. Her SSHRC-funded dissertation project examines the effect of disability and socioeconomic status on the equitable access to French Immersion programs. As the project coordinator for The International Bilingual Education (IBE) project, Diana’s second project focuses on assessing at-risk learners in French as a Second Language (FSL) programs using dynamic assessment methods.

Elizabeth Provost

Elizabeth Provost is a Russian-Canadian writer, editor, and aspiring art conservator. She is a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto studying Chemistry and Art History. Serving as Volume 48 and 49’s Editor-in-Chief of The Medium—University of Toronto Mississauga’s independent student-run newspaper—Liz creates a space for students to feel represented, inspired, and heard through writing, and where editors can be introduced to the newsroom dynamics. You can connect with Liz on her website: www.eprovost.crd.co.

Fahad Tariq

Fahad Tariq is the Founder of Shift, a revolutionary non-profit that transforms animal and human waste into clean energy in developing countries. Shift builds anaerobic digestion systems in remote communities, converting waste into gas and fertilizer for people to use. Fahad’s day job is as an Equity Research Analyst at Credit Suisse, where he covers the materials sector. Fahad has received several accolades for his community work and professional success, including the Ivey Emerging Leaders Award, CPA Emerging Leader Award, and Ascend Rising Star Award. Fahad holds a BCom from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University, and is a CPA, CA.

Kamille LeClair

Kamille has recently obtained her Master's degree from the University of Toronto. As part of her thesis project, she led the development of an equity-scoring tool that has since been adopted by the City of Toronto. In the fall of 2022, she joined Mott MacDonald as a consultant specializing in social outcomes. Kamille is passionate about designing equity-forward solutions to challenges faced by cities of all sizes.

Matthew Cabraja

Matt Cabraja was born on May 10 2002 in Richman Hill and raised in Vaughan Ontario as the youngest of two. Growing up with immigrant parents contributed to his personal identity. Born with defects in his eyes, Matt had limited vision in his right eye, and none in his left. His sister, Victoria was the main inspiration to his love for swimming and the family begin to spend many hours a week poolside. Learning the world with no vision presented its challenges to Matt however, with the assistance of family, teachers and coaches, no challenge was insurmountable. At the age of nine, the loss of his remaining vision due to retinal detachment, presented its greatest challenge so far. Finding love in swimming was the igniter to the beginnings of success. Making his first provincial championship, one year later and nationals at the age of 12, Matt began to emerge as one of Canada’s future swimming talents. Entering high school in 2016 Matt also entered into the Tokyo next GEN program. Finding the fine balance between swimming and school formed him into an exceptional student athlete. Being selected to his first national team, in 2018 mats international debut resulted with a trio of metals, two bronze, and one silver. In 2019 he was selected to his first world Championships in London. His greatest achievement today was finally at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. Recently, Matt was also a finalist of the 2022 Medira world championships. Matt is an Uoft student and a musician in his free time. He now trains with the Varcity Blues and is looking forward to the 2023 worlds. He can often be found exploring Toronto with his guy dog, Goku, coding, in the library, or in the studio, preparing for his band’s next show.

Michèle Newton

Michèle Newton is a tenured communicator turned speaker, advocate and educational consultant, driving inclusion and belonging. Michèle shares her intersectionality and Black lived experiences through keynote speaking and educational workshops. A public relations and communications expert with over 25 years experience, Michèle provides unique insights and leading expertise through an equity lens. Spearheading the “Fit Out” movement by sharing her Black-lived experience, Michèle Newton is an inspirational catalyst for building inclusion and belonging. A changemaker and advocate, Michèle created Our Mosaic Lives™, launched Community Conversations, and co-founded the non-profit organization Making Change.

Monica Vermani

Dr. Monica Vermani is a clinical psychologist specializing in treating trauma, stress, mood, and anxiety disorders, and a well-known public speaker, teacher, author, expert commentator, and mental health advocate. In over 25 years of clinical practice, Dr. Vermani has successfully treated thousands of patients through Supportive Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Breath~Body~Mind (BBM) practices, Mindfulness Meditation, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Dr. Vermani is a frequent expert commentator/contributor to major TV, radio, and podcast, online and print media outlets, including Forbes Magazine, CNN Health, NBC, CTV, NewsTalk 1010, USA Wire, Psychology Today, Business Insider, InStyle Magazine, Men’s Health, Medical News Today, Parade, HUFFPOST, Martha Stewart, Health Digest, Fast Company, Oprah Daily, Yahoo!Life, and many others. Her latest book, A Deeper Wellness, conquering stress, mood anxiety, and traumas, is available in print, eBook, and audiobook worldwide on Amazon, and at drmonicavermani.com.

n/a Mahmood Magic

Mahmood Magic are two brothers, twins to be specific, that have been performing magic professionally in Toronto for over a decade. Being self-taught, Aaqib and Saqib have fostered a unique, intimate style to their performance.

Paul Nazareth

Paul Nazareth is a generosity specialist teaching the connection between charitable giving and financial, tax, and estate planning for over 20 years. But he has been a student of ‘networking’ since his time at the University of Toronto and he continues to teach networking skills, has been published in several books, and appeared on national media on the topic of networking in a digital age for career success and personal fulfillment.

Rebecca Rosenblat-Billings

Dr. Rebecca Rosenblat is a Clinical Sexologist, Registered Psychotherapist, Certified Trauma & Addiction Counselor, Relationship Therapist, and Life Coach, critically acclaimed as one of Canada’s leading experts. She has reached millions worldwide as a host of 7 TV shows & 2 radio shows; workshop leader & keynote speaker; and the author of 9 books. Her latest book – Awaken Your Sensual Goddess – is geared towards guiding women through a journey of self-love, sexual freedom, and having the relationships they want. Rebecca is also a clinical associate and private practitioner in Toronto, dedicated to helping people heal, grow, and live their best lives.

Sheldon Huang

Sicong (Sheldon) Huang is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Toronto, where he is researching deep learning, information theory, AI safety, and value alignment. Sheldon's research has been published at top machine learning venues. His current research explores how to align AI with human values, and in turn, bring people closer together by aligning their values, using AI and insights from psychology, economics and philosophy. Prior to his PhD studies, Sheldon completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Statistics, and Mathematics at the University of Toronto. He was also the founding president of the University of Toronto Machine Intelligence Student Team (UTMIST), a student organization dedicated to demystifying machine learning and providing opportunities for students to learn, grow, and collaborate.

Taylor Ball

Taylor Ball is fascinated by the future and is virtually certain we’ll all wear digital clothes sooner than we might think. Born to a family of entrepreneurs, business is in her blood. During her undergrad, she studied business strategy and technology at Queen’s University with two semesters abroad at HEC Paris and the London School of Economics. Thanks to these experiences, Taylor explored the disruptive potential of emerging technologies on businesses. After graduating, Taylor shifted her focus to sustainability and began working for How to Change the World, a sustainable non-profit. Hoping to change the world, Taylor enrolled in a Corporate Sustainability and Innovation certificate program at Harvard and then began her Master’s in Sustainability Management at the University of Toronto. After discovering the detrimental impacts of the fashion industry, she tailored her coursework to focus on the sustainable fashion niche. Last summer, Taylor worked in the Strategy & Operations department at Aritzia, one of Canada’s top womenswear retailers. In the fall, she learned from climate change experts at the University of Copenhagen.

University of Toronto Campus Philharmonic Orchestra N/A

The University of Toronto Campus Philharmonic Orchestra is a newly formed campus-wide orchestra for non-music majors (undergrad and graduate), staff, faculty, and community members who play an orchestral instrument and enjoy playing music! The orchestra is co-conducted by graduate students Lorenzo Guggenheim (Director and Founder), Shawn Bennett, and Émile Grou, and supervised by Uri Mayer Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Toronto. We believe that creating interdisciplinary collaboration and interdepartmental connections across campus is part of the academic experience and generate a broader sense of community.