TEDxBrownU

Speakers

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

• Alex Greven

  Neurosurgery Resident + Pro Basketball Player

  From professional basketball to venture-backed startups to the neurosurgical suites of the Barrow Neurological Institute, Dr. Alex Greven’s diverse path has shaped his belief that the passionate pursuit of excellence in any field cultivates skills that transcend disciplines. His talk explores how passion, commitment, embracing the journey, and staying in the moment can be transformative, both personally and professionally, in ways that may surprise you.

• Cayden Brown

  American juvenile rights activist

  Cayden Brown, 18, is an American juvenile rights activist, the youngest UN youth peace panelist, and founder of The Trespass Project, helping underprivileged youth access legal systems. He earned a legal credential from Harvard Law School, has addressed world leaders including the president of the 79th UN General Assembly session, been featured in Forbes and TIME, and was named by ABC as one of the world’s most influential juvenile justice advocates.

• Daiela Simon-Seay

  Contemplative studies student + multi-instrumentalist

  Daiela is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer completing her senior year in Contemplative Studies at Brown University, blending R&B, jazz, and experimental sound with research on vibration, women’s health, and mindfulness. Through performance, film, and contemplative practice, she creates spaces where people can honor the full spectrum of their emotions and recognize deep feeling as a source of connection and wisdom.

• Hongyu Jasmine Zhu

  Comparative Literature student at Brown University

  Hongyu Jasmine Zhu, from Chengdu, is a third-year Comparative Literature student at Brown University who translates between Chinese and English while supporting international students as an IMP mentor and serving as Editor-at-Large for China at Asymptote Journal. Through her writing, translation, and community storytelling work, she explores grief, language, and connection, collaborating with grieving children in Providence to reimagine how loss and life coexist.

• Ismar Volić

  Director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy

  Ismar Volić is a Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy at Wellesley College whose work and writing, featured in outlets including TIME and The Hill, focus on how mathematics strengthens democratic systems. Author of Making Democracy Count, based on his popular course The Mathematics of Democracy, the Bosnia-born mathematician advocates for quantitative political literacy to help reimagine and improve democracy.

• Joyce Ng

  9/11 survivor, author, and tech innovator

  Joyce works in a leadership role at Google, driven by a mission to build things that matter, while pursuing a Master’s degree at Brown. Beyond her career, her most profound impact lies in her advocacy. As the founder of a nonprofit supporting the 9/11 community and author of the history book Hotel 9/11, she has transformed her experience of survival into a lasting legacy of support and historical preservation.

• Malia Chavinson

  Undergraduate Student studying Environmental Science and Entrepreneurship

  Malia Chavinson is a Brown University student studying Environmental Science with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship who challenges how self-preservation limits growth and promotes embracing painful emotions as tools for change. Transforming her own experience of assault into advocacy, she works to normalize conversations around trauma, consent, and emotional literacy, and aims to advance sustainability and community justice while creating hope beyond hardship.

• Rani Elwy

  Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

  Rani Elwy is the Warren Alpert Foundation Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, a VA Research Career Scientist, and Founding and Executive Director of the BRIDGE program, focused on expanding evidence-based practices in clinical and community settings. A Presidential Leadership Scholar and former RWJF Health Policy Fellow who served on Senator Patty Murray’s U.S. Senate health team, she advances this work through implementation, policy, psychological, and communication science.