TEDxYale

Speakers

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

• Arya Ökten

  PhD Student

  Arya Ökten received her bachelor's degrees in Applied Mathematics and Biology from Brown University and is currently a 6th year PhD Candidate in the Yale Immunobiology department. In the lab, Arya studies how our immune system protects us against viral infections. Outside of the lab, she is committed to making learning about mathematics and science fun for all people of all ages, perhaps best exemplified by the children's book she co-wrote with her father: the Mathematical Investigations of Dr. O and Arya.

• David Fleming

  Student

  David Fleming is a senior at Yale College studying Economics and Spanish. He's a two-time American Ninja Warrior competitor, and the inventor of a trigger-point release tool that helped alleviate his debilitating migraines and transform his life. His invention has been featured and covered by outlets affiliated with NBC, ABC, and CBS. Following graduation, David will join Bain & Company's New York City office as an Associate Consultant, where he hopes to broaden his business interests and prepare for a future as an entrepreneur.

• Elihu Rubin

  Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies + Author

  Elihu Rubin is the Henry Hart Rice Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies and Associate Professor of American Studies at Yale University. His work bridges the urban disciplines, focusing on the built environments of nineteenth and twentieth-century cities, the history and theory of city planning, urban geography and the cultural landscape, transportation and mobility, architectural preservation and heritage planning, and the social life of urban space.

• Hsing-ay Hsu

  Pianist

  Steinway Artist and creator of Conscious Listening™, YSM alum. Her topic is what music can teach us about diversity and innovation.

• Kathryn Guarini

  Former CIO, IBM

  A Yale and Stanford alumna, she holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics, more than 65 patents, and serves on the boards of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the New York Hall of Science. She teaches at Yale and Cornell Tech and advises companies navigating AI, digital disruption, and responsible innovation.

• Rebecca Rutstein

  Artist

  Rebecca Rutstein is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice bridges art and science. For over twenty years she has created painting, sculpture, interactive installation and public art inspired by the natural world. Her environmentally-focused work sheds light on places and processes hidden from view to foster deeper connection in the face of our climate crisis.

• Sofia Franco

  Student

  Sofia Costa Franco is a sophomore at Yale University, majoring in Political Science with an Intensive Certificate in Education Studies. Sofia was born in São Paulo, Brazil, where she achieved an IB Bilingual Diploma in Higher Level Theater, and has acted and directed many shows. She has spent her entire academic journey fascinated by the intersection between the arts and the social sciences - theater and politics, and tries to engage in both fields at Yale through her classes and extracurricular activities.