Theme: Grand, central

TEDxNewYork is a conference dedicated to big questions, to shaking us out of apathy, to giving us pause and helping us realize two things: The world is endlessly interesting, and there are people who are working tirelessly to make it better.

The event is independently organized in the spirit of the TED conference. It brings together 20 speakers and 400 New York leaders across all disciplines and industries to present talks and foster cultural, intellectual and socially-minded conversation. The theme is: Grand, central.

Weylin B. Seymour's
175 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York, 11211
United States

Albert Wenger

Investor

Albert Wenger is a partner at Union Square Ventures whose portfolio includes game-changing companies like Etsy and Tumblr.

Alyssa Loorya

Archaeologist

Alyssa Loorya is an archaeologist digging beneath the grid of New York, uncovering the most unlikely of artifacts.

Azra Raza

Oncologist

Oncologist Azra Raza is the director of the MDS Center at Columbia where she moves the latest therapies from theory to practice.

Ben Lillie

Storyteller

Ben Lillie is a former particle physicist and the director of The Story Collider, a live series that features true stories about science.

Ben Wellington

Data nerd

Ben Wellington teaches city planning at Pratt and is the brains behind I Quant NY, a blog that tells the story of New York City through data.

Choclattjared

Musician

Musician Jared Crawford, aka Choclattjared, got his start bucket drumming as a New York subway busker at the age of thirteen.

Emily Balcetis

Psychologist

Psychologist Emily Balcetis explores differences in perception and decision-making from conscious and nonconscious levels.

Ismael Nazario

Prison reform advocate

As a teenager, Ismael Nazario was sent to Riker’s Island and into solitary confinement for a total of 300 days before he was ever convicted of a crime.

Joshua Kissi

Master of style

Joshua Kissi makes up one half of Street Etiquette, a creative duo making dandy cool again.

Kit Fine

Philosopher

Philosopher Kit Fine explores the boundaries of what we think is real. He asks questions about the nature of math, language, and abstraction.

Lam Thuy Vo

Multimedia reporter

Lam Thuy Vo is the interactive editor at Al Jazeera America, bringing stories to life through multimedia.

Michelle Bradbury

Radiologist

Radiologist Michelle Bradbury collaborates with nanotechnologists to bring innovative imaging techniques into the operating room.

Safia Elhillo

Spoken word poet

Spoken word poet Safia Elhillo draws on the universal themes of love, culture, and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Sheri Berman

Political scientist

Political scientist Sheri Berman studies the history of democracy – why it works, and why more often than not, it fails.

Somi

Musician

Singer Somi merges jazz and musical legacies from across Africa to create a unique and soulful sound.

Sree Sreenivasan

Digital immigrant

Sree Sreenivasan is the first Chief Digital Officer of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Previously he taught at the Columbia Journalism School for two decades.

Stacey Sutton

Urban planner

Stacey Sutton teaches urban planning at Columbia University. She thinks deeply about our common misconceptions around gentrification.

Starlee Kine

Writer

Starlee Kine is a writer and a contributor to This American Life. She finds self-help rather unhelpful.

Sue Mi Terry

Foreign policy expert

Sue Mi Terry is a North Korean scholar who served in the CIA for seven years. She makes the case for a shift in foreign policy: from reactive and scrambling to strategic and forward-thinking.

Travis Gumbs

Master of style

Travis Gumbs makes up one half of Street Etiquette, a creative duo making dandy cool again.

Will Stephen

Funny person

Will Stephen is a writer for CollegeHumor.com, a contributor to The New Yorker, and a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.