In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Advanced Engineering Building GHD Auditorium
Building 49, The University of Queensland, Staff House Rd
St Lucia, Queensland, 4072
Australia

Ben Powell

Prof Ben Powell is an award winning theoretical physicist. He studies the collective behaviours that emerge when we bring a septillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) or more quantum particles, such as electrons, together and make them interact strongly. No computer can model this – so Ben searches for new ideas to explain these particles and the quantum materials that they form.

Breanna Lepre

Dr. Breanna Lepre is a Researcher and Lecturer on a mission to revolutionize healthcare education. Driven by her vision of a healthcare system that provides everyone with the knowledge to live and eat well, her research aims to improve the nutrition education that healthcare professionals receive. Her talk was further informed by her lived experience in the healthcare system as an eating disorder survivor and someone who lives with multiple chronic illnesses. Dr. Lepre has been an invited speaker at renowned institutions worldwide including Cambridge University and the World Health Organization.

Emma Di Marco

A Churchill Fellowship recipient & Australian D’Addario Woodwinds Artist, Dr Emma Di Marco is an academic in the School of Music and an internationally recognised contemporary saxophonist. She has an active and vibrant portfolio career including work as a freelance musician, music education expert, podcaster, researcher, and founder of two businesses, EDM Music and Emma & Vincent. Emma has released a solo EP, two albums with the Barega Saxophone Quartet, and has toured the country twice as a saxophone soloist. She is best known for commissioning Australian contemporary music as well as composing her own works for solo saxophone. Emma, along with many others in the music industry, faced drastic changes to her career in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and this saw her re-examine how classical musicians engage with audiences, particularly in the online sphere. Her research since has focussed on the role of social media in the classical music scene and finding new ways to engage audiences online.

Huda Fadlelmawla

Huda the Goddess is a dynamic Sudanese Muslim spoken word and slam poet whose voice reverberates with passion and purpose. As a proud advocate for marginalized voices, Huda stands at the forefront of cultural and artistic innovation in the poetry community. She is the visionary founder of Black Ink, a vibrant local open mic platform dedicated to elevating the voices of BIPOC artists and centering Black artistry. Huda's commitment to amplifying underrepresented perspectives extends to her role as the founder of She Is, an annual all-female BIPOC exhibition that celebrates the diverse and powerful expressions of women of color. An acclaimed poet, Huda is the author of ""Introducing Me,"" a collection that underscores her profound engagement with personal and collective narratives. Her artistry has earned her recognition as a two-time Queensland Poetry Slam winner and the 2021 Australian Poetry Champion. Her latest work, a jazz poetry vinyl titled ""Story of Another Soul,"" exemplifies her innovative blend of lyrical intensity and musical exploration. Huda describes poetry as a deeply personal conversation with herself that bridges the gap between individual introspection and collective connection. Her work invites audiences to embark on a journey of empathy and understanding, connecting strangers through the shared experience of words and rhythms. Through her performances and projects, Huda the Goddess continues to inspire, provoke, and challenge the boundaries of spoken word, making an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary poetry.

Huda the Goddess

Huda Fadlelmawla - better known as Huda The Goddess - is a renowned poet, having been the 2021 Australia Poetry Slam Champion and a two-time Queensland Champion. She is a spoken word poet, educator, mental health advocate, dancer, and workshop facilitator. She describes poetry as one of the senses that has allowed her to turn her experiences into art and maintain her connection to her people.

Jack Feng

Jack is a UQ Medical student and the Chief Student Entrepreneur at UQ Ventures. He is passionate about mental health and the power of genuine connection.

Kate Power

Dr Kate Power is a researcher and lecturer at The University of Queensland Business School. As a critical discourse analyst, her expertise is in critically evaluating how people and organisations use language to communicate about themselves and shape the world around them. Kate is committed to doing research that promotes justice and equity, and helps government, the media, and industry communicate for the common good. In 2021, she was awarded an Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship to support arts workers recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this project, she collaborated with arts organisations around Australia to develop a peer coaching program known as “Creating out Loud,” which builds networks of mutual support for artists and arts workers across all levels of the arts and culture sector. Kate has also published on news reporting on violence against women and girls, and COVID-19 crisis communication.

Lauren Ball

Professor Lauren Ball is the Director of UQ’s Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing, based in the community of Springfield. Lauren thinks deeply and innovatively about the role of universities in society and what universities of the future will look like. Lauren is passionate about a future in which universities are fully embedded into the communities in which they serve. Lauren’s talk will share the progress her team has made connecting with community in Springfield, and how other researchers can form genuine connections with those who stand to benefit the most from their important work.

Lewis Nitschinsk

Lewis Nitschinsk is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland. Lewis’s research explores a variety of online behaviours, including trolling, online self-presentation, social comparisons, and in particular, how people behave anonymously online. Being anonymous is accessible to everyone, so when and why do certain people seek it out, what are their goals, and what do they hope to achieve? To answer these questions Lewis uses a functionalist approach, understanding how dispositional and situational factors interact to explain when people seek anonymity, and how they behave in anonymous online environments.

Matthew Sanders

Professor Matthew Sanders is a Foundation Professor of Parenting Studies and Family Psychology, Strategic Advisor to the Director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre and Founder of the Triple P Positive Parenting Program at The University of Queensland. Professor Sanders is a global leader in the development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of parenting and family interventions. His major career accomplishment is the development of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, a unique multilevel system of evidence-based parenting support that is the world’s most extensively evaluated and widely implemented parenting intervention system. The internationally recognised Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, which is now run in 72 countries around the world in 23 languages. Research on Triple P has been conducted in 42 countries. Over 100,000 practitioners have been trained to deliver Triple P programs. Professor Sanders has published extensively in the area of parenting, family psychology and the prevention of social, emotional and behavioural problems in children. Triple P has million families around the world. He received an Order of Australia Award in 2022 for his contribution to parenting and family psychology and was recently recognised by ScholarGPS for his prolific publication record, the high impact of his work, and the outstanding quality of your scholarly contributions that placed him in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide

Meagan Carney

Dr Meagan Carney is a Lecturer in Mathematics at The University of Queensland. She completed her PhD in Mathematics at the University of Houston, and her postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Germany. Dr Carney's expertise lies in predicting extremes and rare events in complex systems, where she applies machine learning algorithms to assess the likelihood and impacts of events such as extreme weather occurrences and rare outcomes related to SARS-CoV-2.

Seth Cheetham

Seth Cheetham is the leader of the Australian mRNA Cancer Vaccine centre and Deputy Director of the BASE mRNA manufacture facility. Seth has played an instrumental role in building the BASE Facility into Australia's leading mRNA research and manufacture hub. He recently received programmatic funding from the Australian Medical Research Future fund to establish Australia's first personalised cancer vaccine centre. His research program aims to progress new types of mRNA therapeutics for cancer into the clinic.

UQ Voices

UQ Voices' is a community choir for international students and friends. We are committed to building belonging on campus and fostering community connections.

Vicki Bos

Vicki Bos has over 25 years’ experience as a teacher and teacher trainer in the TESOL sector, in Australia and abroad. She has trained international educators in all fields of education, from early childhood to tertiary level. She is passionate about teaching language through music and song, conducting action research, innovating in learning design, developing language assessment, and building creative communities. Vicki founded and conducted international student choir, The ICTE-UQ Chorus at UQ, and co-ordinated the Raise Your Voice Choir Festival for international students in Brisbane. For her work with the ICTE-UQ Chorus, Vicki received a UQ Awards Commendation for Excellence in Community Diversity and Inclusion (2020). She currently works as a Teacher Professional Development Specialist with The Queensland Institute, directs the School of Psychology mental health research choir UQ Voices, and provides education consultant services with a creative focus through her website and YouTube channel Teaching in Harmony.

Vikesh Anand

Vikesh Anand is the Founder and President of STUTTA, the Australian Stuttering Association. Vikesh believes in empowering people who stutter to embrace their individual journeys. Building confidence in himself has allowed Vikesh to say what he wants to say, regardless of how the words come out. Vikesh’s passion is evident the moment he walks onto the stage, whether it's to advocate for the stuttering community or make people laugh with his stand up comedy.