Theme: Voices of the Future

Welcome to "Voices of the Future," a TEDx event driven by the insatiable curiosity of ideas that acts as a powerful force in bringing us together. In a world brimming with challenges and opportunities, this event explores the dynamic ways we remain connected and how ideas serve as the architects shaping and inspiring our collective tomorrow. Our TEDx stage is graced by an impressive lineup of guest speakers, visionaries, and thought leaders who embody the spirit of exploration and innovation. Each speaker brings a unique perspective on the intersection of curiosity, connectivity, and the transformative power of ideas. As our guest speakers take to the stage, they will share their insights and experiences, offering a glimpse into the ways curiosity has fueled their personal and professional journeys.
The ideas presented at "Voices of the Future" are not just theoretical concepts but practical catalysts for change. Attendees will be inspired to contribute to the ongoing narrative of our shared future, as these ideas serve as the building blocks for a world shaped by collaboration, understanding, and innovation.

The day will be filled with intellectual exploration, engaging discussions, and a celebration of the curiosity that propels us forward. "Voices of the Future" is not just an event; it's a call to action, an invitation to collectively shape a tomorrow that is brighter, more connected, and inspired by the limitless potential of human curiosity.

St Georges Edinburgh
St George's
Garscube Terrace
Edinburgh, Edinburgh, City of, EH12 6BG
United Kingdom

Aksara Balakumar

Student

Aksara is an up-and-coming young woman who is deeply fascinated by the life sciences. With curiosity and determination, she has delved into the topic of rejuvenation. Her sole aim, to inspire passion in the generations at the forefront of scientific developments in the future. Aksara’s talk will explore the emerging technique of parabiosis, discussing its ability to change the future of medicine but also asking thought provoking questions into what it means for our society’s future.

Aliza Khalid

Student

Aliza enjoys debating and public speaking. She has been interested in the different mindsets that people have used in order to achieve their goals and how much that mindset contributes to their achievements. She hopes the audience walks away from her talk with a strong sense of inspiration and the realisation that they can achieve great things if they manifest it.

Christian Foley

Writer, rapper and a teacher

Christian Foley makes it up as he goes along. His improvised, interactive rap performances have taken him from the school classroom to Oprah's Television Networks and PMQ's at Westminster, from the festival circuit to the Premier League. Christian is a writer, rapper and a teacher – all at once. His work has drawn effusive praise from stars like 50 Cent, John Legend and creator of Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda. Christian studies a PhD in ‘Hip Hop Education’ at Goldsmiths University and is an expert on incorporating rap into the process of learning. Outside of the classroom, in the field of music, Christian has released two albums. Christian has written two ‘Hip-Hop picture books’ for Early Years students. Christian has also published Moving Up (Scholastic, 2024). Christian’s next book Barney’s Rock (Flying Eye, 2025) focuses on the healing and transformative power of music, for children in turbulent times.

Dr. Ioannis (Yannis) Konstas

Associate Professor in Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University

Yannis Konstas is an Associate Professor in Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University since 2017. He is also a co-founder and head of Machine Learning at Alana AI, an official spin-out of Heriot-Watt since 2020. His expertise lies in the areas of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Natural Language Generation (NLG), and Machine Learning (ML). His research passion is to build faithful, trusted, safe, and fair NLP applications. His early work focused on data-driven scalable machine learning techniques and deep learning models for a multitude of NLG applications including Data-to-Text generation, Text Summarisation, Question Answering, and Conversational AI. More recently his research interests moved into the field of representation in AI, specifically in the domain of online Gender Based Violence (GBV). In this talk he will explore several facets of online GBV in our modern society and ways to mitigate it using AI

Louise Thomson

Student

Louise is a passionate and determined student whose talk will explore the expectations and ideals which women and men within society are expected to meet. Her aim is to challenge existing stereotypes to work towards dismantling the romanticisation of such toxic ideals for this generation and those which follow.

Mikaila Kelly

Community organiser, group facilitator and business advisor

Mikaila's academic background is in political science and philosophy, where she had the chance to examine the history of world politics while questioning the existence of everything - great mix! Mikaila’s work in community started in 2018 when she moved to New Zealand, working as a research associate, project consultant, yoga teacher and helping create the evening panel session “About Time We Talked”, a social initiative for raw and real conversations for parents and teenagers. After a few years working abroad, Mikaila was drawn back to Canada to work with communities a little closer to home, working with First Nation businesses operating in the Canadian energy sector. Learning from the Indigenous communities she worked with on how to build sustainable business initiatives while balancing their core values. Mikaila moved to Scotland and she splits her time teaching trauma-informed yoga, a Community Lead for Skip The Small Talk, and a Content & Development Manager at Operations Nation.

Moritz Thieme

Student

Originally from Germany, Moritz is a keen chess player with an interest in logic, psychology, and personal development. His subject of increasing work productivity stems from personal reading and personal experiences, and his talk will focus on making this topic accessible to all and giving tips and techniques on decluttering your mind, overcoming procrastination, setting goals and increasing motivation.

Raphael Uddin

Student

Being open to new opportunities has allowed Raphael to partake in the Young People in European Forests competition, winning at both the Scottish and UK levels. He was also a founding member and editor of the school newspaper, The Boroughmuir Chronicle. Raphael has been inspired by the people he interviewed, including Professor Sir Geoff Palmer OBE and President of the BFPA Ken Edwards. He saw a recurring theme in the importance of making the most of your time in the education system and how significant the voices of young people can be.