TEDxTUDarmstadt

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Akash Pandey

  Aerospace Engineer

  Akash Pandey is an aerospace engineer from TU Delft who has also lived in five Indian states, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and now Germany. His humour has had to pass more cultural crash tests than his aerospace projects. Once a certified skydiver and tunnel flyer, today he jumps headfirst into cultural differences — using comedy to build connections where words sometimes fail.

• Aljona Eilers

  Storytelling Coach

  Aljona Eilers carries the precision of a ballerina into the fast-changing world of business. Today, she helps leaders navigate change with courage and creativity.

• Anna & Julia

  Anna and Julia are a harp and cello duo whose performance brings together musical sensitivity, emotional depth, and artistic expression. At TEDxTUDarmstadt, they performed “Der letzte Tanz der Sonne” — The Last Dance of the Sun — creating a powerful moment of stillness and reflection within the event experience. Through the dialogue between harp and cello, their music invited the audience to pause, feel, and connect beyond words.

• Hanga Katreiner

  Space and Software Engineer

  For Hanga Katreiner the stars have always been more than distant lights in the sky. Encouraged by her grandfather’s words — “I leave my soul to you” — she found the courage to turn childhood wonder into a path toward space. Today, she is a space and software engineer working on satellites, a startup founder, an analog astronaut, and a science communicator. From Shaolin Kung Fu to space technology, her journey is united by a single goal: opening doors with technology for humanity and inspiring the next generation to pursue their wildest dreams.

• Julia Nestlen

  Science Journalist and Communicator

  Julia Nestlen knows how it feels to question your own voice. At first, she wondered: why would anyone listen to me instead of someone else? The answer came through the feedback of her audience — reminding her that differences, quirks, and imperfections don’t weaken communication. They make it real. As a science journalist and communicator, Julia translates research for audiences across podcasts, TikTok, and beyond. Her work shows that science communication is not just about accuracy, but about connection — and about speaking with confidence and heart

• Markus Eilers

  Coach, Speaker and Trainer

  Markus Eilers once lived the life of a content software architect — until the financial crisis forced him into the unknown. Practically overnight, the world he had built collapsed, and he had to confront something he’d always avoided: approaching strangers, starting conversations, persuading. That uncomfortable necessity became a revelation. Markus realised that communication is not just a skill — it’s survival, it’s growth, it’s the bridge that carries ideas into the world. Today, his greatest joy is helping others step beyond their fears and discover that authority doesn’t come from titles, but from the courage to connect.

• Pradeep Ghosh

  Nuclear Engineer

  Dr. Pradeep Ghosh journey abroad as a young student began with strangers who welcomed him like family — a kindness that revealed to him the power of human connection. Today, as a nuclear engineer and leader of international cooperation at one of Europe’s largest BigScience projects, he brings that same belief into the world of science and diplomacy: that breakthroughs aren’t only about technology, but about people working together.

• Srishti Prabakar

  Artist, Urban Planner, Heritage Enthusiast

  Srishti Prabakar Nadathur turning point came when she stepped away from conventional architecture, realising that real change isn’t found in structures alone but in the people who inhabit them. Today, as an artist, urban planner, and heritage enthusiast, she creates people-centric city environments and explores how communities can shape the spaces they live in.

• Tim Cortinovis

  Author and International Keynote Speaker

  For Tim Cortinovis the journey started 35 years ago with a first computer — sparking a lifelong fascination for how technology can amplify human thinking and work. Today, as an author and international keynote speaker, he warns of another sharp turning point: the internet is shifting as fundamentally as it did at its birth — but this time, the revolution is unfolding quietly. Beyond the stage, Tim finds perspective off the grid — hiking and wild camping in the mountains. That balance grounds his work and his vision.

• Yash Gurbani

  social work/migration and globalization

  Yash Gurbani is a graduate student in computational physics at Universität Heidelberg, with an interdisciplinary focus on artificial intelligence and cognition. Alongside his academic work, he is a poet, street photographer, vocalist, and multimedia artist whose creative practice brings together poetry, visual storytelling, music, and scientific thought. His work explores the spaces between questions, identity, connection, and discovery. At TEDxTUDarmstadt, Yash performed “Out Beyond,” a multimedia spoken word piece combining original poetry, live music, and photographic visuals to invite the audience into a reflective journey beyond certainty and into wonder.