Whether it’s an initiative to automatically wipe the criminal records of millions of people, putting solar panels in space, or centering data (not politics) in the reproductive freedom debate — some of the most inspiring, world-changing ideas have been shared from the TED stage.
But TED does more than give people a literal platform to talk about their ideas with a massive audience — it’s also committed to providing people doing important work around the world with the tools they need to maximize their reach and impact.
In addition to initiatives like the Audacious Project, TED does that through the TED Fellows program.
Since 2009, TED has selected “some of the brightest, most ambitious thinkers, future-shapers and culture-shakers” around the world to join the TED Fellows program and provide them with skills not often readily available to early-stage businesses and organizations.
“Whether it’s discovering new galaxies, leading social movements, or making waves in environmental conservation, with the support of TED, Fellows are dedicated to making the world a better place through their innovative work,” the TED Fellows website reads.
Providing support over the course of their careers, the TED Fellows program “nurtures innovation by nurturing the innovators” in three ways: preparation, amplification, and connection.
With workshops and one-to-one mentoring, Fellows hone the skills they’ll need to be prepared to take the global stage. TED’s expansive platforms also give Fellows a global, multi-disciplinary audience of millions. Lastly, Fellows can form unique connections both with other Fellows as well as industry leaders and potential sponsors and collaborators in the larger TED community.
The program is funded by individual donors as well as corporations and organizations like the Bezos Family Foundation.
Now a global community with over 500 members from over 100 countries, the TED Fellows program is helping equip those changing the world for the better with the skills needed to maximize their impact.
The 2024 cohort was just announced from the TED 2024 stage in Vancouver. Representing 11 countries and five continents, and spanning disciplines like health care, bioengineering, artificial intelligence, firefighting, visual art, and more, the newest TED Fellows are building a better future.
Meet the 2024 TED Fellows Cohort
Daro Sulakauri, Georgia
Daro Sulakauri is a photojournalist and visual artist from Georgia. Sulakauri documents the social and political issues in the Caucasus, a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprised of mainly Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Russia.
Sulakauri’s work features “taboo” issues like early marriages and the impact of Russian occupation, and aims to preserve her home country’s culture, history, and borders.
Erika Moore, United States
Erika Moore is a biomedical engineer researching how ancestry and sociocultural factors impact disease development. What makes her work uniquely important, though, is that it’s centered around equity.
Unlike other researchers, Moore accounts for diverse populations, building regenerative tissue models that more accurately and equitably reflect how diseases spread. By leveraging the regenerative power of the immune system, her work is helping heal more people from disease.
Huiyi Lin, Singapore & China
Huiyi Lin is an economic policy researcher and one-half of the visual art duo Chow and Lin. Through their work, Chow and Lin use statistical, mathematical, and computational techniques to address food insecurity and poverty.
By combining research, design, and photography, Chow and Lin are working to creatively raise awareness about global inequality.
Joel Bervell, Ghana & United States
Joel Bervell is a medical student and educator leveraging the power of social media to share engaging, viral content about health care disparities and biases.
Sharing stories and studies with an audience of more than one million, Bervell busts medical myths, highlights the neglect of marginalized groups, and advocates for change in the health care system.
Lehua Kamalu, Hawaii & United States
Lehua Kamalu is a captain and navigator of traditional Hawaiian ocean-voyaging canoes. After nearly 10 years of training, in 2018 Kamalu, became the first woman to captain and navigate a long-distance ocean voyage, sailing on a 2,800-mile journey from Hawaii to California.
Now, Kamalu is both preserving and teaching the ancient, sustainable navigation practice for future generations by integrating it into digital storytelling and daily life.
Mohamed Aburawi, Libya & Canada
Mohamed Aburawi is a surgeon and founder of Speetar, a digital health platform transforming health care in conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa.
Speetar takes a uniquely localized approach by working with governments, health systems, and community organizations to reduce inequality and improve health care outcomes.
Through this work, Aburawi and Speetar are not only bringing quality health care to more people — but advocating for it as a fundamental human right.
Norah Magero, Kenya
Norah Magero is a mechanical engineer and creator of the VacciBox, which is bridging gaps in “cold chain” infrastructure and saving lives in Africa’s rural communities with solar-powered vaccination delivery boxes.
Expanding that work beyond vaccination delivery, Magero is working to build resilient communities all across Africa through reliable, affordable, and sustainable cold chain solutions.
Paule Joseph, Venezuela & United States
Paule Joseph is a taste and smell researcher exploring how conditions like COVID-19, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders, and substance abuse impact those senses.
By combining clinical research, behavioral neuroscience, genomics, and molecular biology, Joseph’s lab is unlocking insights into how these chemical senses impact our daily lives.
Ramin Hasani, United States, Austria, & Iran
Ramin Hasani is an AI scientist and entrepreneur who co-founded Liquid AI. At Liquid AI, Hasani helped invent liquid neural networks, which are a new kind of AI technology inspired by brains and physics.
More flexible and efficient than existing AI systems, these networks are already shaping the future of AI.
Royal Ramey, United States
Royal Ramey is a wildland firefighter and cofounder of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, a nonprofit organization recruiting and providing career opportunities to California’s formerly incarcerated firefighters.
With 12 years of professional experience as a wildland firefighter, Ramey takes a new approach to job training and addresses the unique challenges formerly incarcerated folks face as they re-enter the workforce.
Sahba Aminikia, Iran & United States
Sahba Aminikia is a composer, pianist, and educator who founded and art directs the Flying Carpet Children Festival, an annual mobile art festival and residency for refugee children fleeing conflict zones.
Born into post-revolutionary wartime in Iran, Aminikia brings a unique perspective to the art of exploring hope and creativity in the midst of darkness.
