Organising Committee 2015

MATKO BOŠNJAK

Director / Curator

Matko Bošnjak is still pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at the University College London, but he stopped plotting on world domination by artificial intelligence through guiding them to read the whole Internet. Instead, he decided to help the machines work with us, specifically in the area of human language understanding, by still using machine learning and natural language processing.

He is still a big fan of TED talks because he aligns dearly with the motto of TED: Ideas worth spreading; there are great thoughts, great stories, and great experiences which deserve disseminating, and TED does that splendidly. That is why he is very excited in making such an event happen at his most favourite College in the whole world, together with a truly great team of organisers, speakers and performers.

Webpage: matko.info

ALESSANDRA MONACO

Event and Networking Manager

Dr Alessandra Monaco is a medicinal chemist SNF postdoctoral fellow in the group of Dr Stephen Hilton at the School of Pharmacy of the University College of London, working on the synthesis of central nervous system active alkaloids. She is passionate of drug discovery and development of new therapies to improve human health. She considers TED a unique platform to share ideas and inspire people to think differently.

ANDREA SMITH

Event and Networking Manager

Andrea is currently working on her PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health at the Health Behaviour Research Centre, UCL. Originally, she moved from Belgium to Brighton to pursue a degree in Biomedical Science and loved it so much that she stayed on to study for a Master’s in Public Health in Cambridge before finally coming to the busy city of London. Whilst she is passionate about her current research on the genetic and bio-behavioural pathways that contribute to obesity risk in childhood, she enjoys how she can stay in touch with the more creative aspects of life and stimulate lateral thinking via the vast range of topics covered by TED talks.

PAVITHRA RALLAPALLI

Marketing Manager

A Post Doctoral Research Associate at the UCL Cancer Institute, Dr. Pavithra Rallapalli analyses Big Data, models and simulates protein structure functions and develops algorithms to analyse human mutations. She has a PhD in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics from UCL. She researches molecular evolution of human genes, writes occasionally and goes on a quest for good coffee apart from reading on Indian Art and Movies. She is also interested in Biological Data Visualization and occasionally develops digital art that merge photographs that she clicks with the biological art she generates in her lab. She worries about extreme climate change and believes in Aliens and hopes to meet one soon and become best friends. She also wants to compare their genome with that of humans and study the difference (Computational Astro Biology).

DAMJAN TEMELKOVSKI

Technology Manager

Damjan is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Westminster. His field of work is bioinformatics and he investigates how new computing technologies can help scientists perform molecular simulations. Volunteering for IAESTE shows how much he values the exchange of knowledge and experience globally. The amazing opportunity to freely gain but also to share knowledge, ideas and experiences with the world is what makes TED so important to him. He feels that TEDx events perfectly bridge the gap between the large global and the small local community.

BRECHT DE MAN

Audio Production Manager

A PhD student in audio engineering at Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Digital Music, Brecht De Man develops audio production tools and investigates music recording and mixing practices. Brecht is a recording and mixing engineer, musician, and an active member of the Audio Engineering Society (where he is chair of the Student Delegate assembly, the London UK Student Section, and this year’s edition of major student event Up Your Output!). At TEDxGoodenoughCollege, he seeks to combine audio production and event organisation experience in a student event with extraordinarily high production value.

RAREȘ PAMFIL

Visual Arts Manager

Rareș is currently studying for a Master in Public Administration at the London School of Economics. Prior to that, he worked for Ashoka in Washington, D.C., building an online network for social entrepreneurs. Rareș believes that TED talks are a good way to inspire large audiences to learn about new topics and disciplines. He is also passionate about photography and will be taking pictures at this year’s TedX event.

JAVIER ELKIN

Speaker Manager

Pursuing a PhD in Translational Cognitive Neuroscience, Javier is passionate about promoting science-driven change in healthcare and society. His PhD focuses on finding practical applications for scientific research and is currently developing an app-based treatment for low mood as well as a diagnostic for Motor Neuron Disease. Javier thinks that if aliens ever visited earth, the first thing they should do is watch TED talks because they are a repertoire of the brightest people depicting the most important aspects of what it means to be a good human: innovative in thinking, inspirational to others, caring about the world, and sometimes, just pure fun.

MICHAEL MATTHIESEN

Speaker Manager

A Miami native who came to London after serving for two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA, Michael is currently pursuing a MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics of Health at UCL. No stranger to TED, for the last five years Michael has been a talk show host on Miami’s local radio station WVUM 90.5 FM, hosting the political talk show Counterpoint and founded the social change talk show RadioActive which he modelled off the TED format. A die hard two time University Miami Hurricane, one way to make him momentarily speechless is to say you are a fan of the FSU Seminoles or UF Gators. Upon returning to the United States, Michael hopes to get involved to policy while keeping in mind the welfare of the families he served while being an AmeriCorps VISTA. Coming to London and serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA have been two life changing experiences for Michael, but a close third experience has been discovering, using, and abusing the hashtag #IamGoodenough.

ARON KORENBLIT

Sponsorship Manager

After an education in mathematics and a stint working in the actuarial field, Aron is now pursuing an MSc in Finance at Cass Business School. His love for transmitting complex concepts in simple formats is what brings him to the TEDxGoodneough Team. Beyond juggling financial equations, Aron is an avid cook and occasional knitter. He’s the first to admit that neither of these will allow him to quit his day job anytime soon.

CIARA REMERSCHEID

Sponsorship Manager

Currently Ciara is pursuing an MSc in Global Politics at the London School of Economics. She is studying the relationship between how states use the language of international law to justify use of force actions that would otherwise be unlawful. As an avid news and editorial reader, TEDx is unique in that it provides audiences with the opportunity to learn about important ideas and topics in a way that is fresh and new.

VISHAL PANCHMATIA

Sponsorship Manager

Vishal is undertaking an MSc in Democracy and Comparative Politics at University College London. Prior to this Vishal completed a Post Graduate Teaching course at the University of Leicester. His research interests include the rise of right wing parties in Europe, the relationship between democratic political institutions and participation and state and constitutional design. Vishal believes in ideas that challenge our pre conceptual apparatus that have the capacity to inspire action and make the world a better place. TEDx events are amazing because they give us a glimpse of the future.

FABIAN STAMP

Stage Manager

Fabian is currently pursuing an MRes in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL. In his research he investigates whether the teenage years represent a sensitive period for learning abstract information. He is interested in applied cognitive neuroscience and science communication. As a committee member, Fabian is in charge of designing and managing the stage. Fabian is a fan of TED talks because he believes that great ideas should be shared.

KANUPRIYA BHATTER

Stage Manager

Kanupriya is a Charles Wallace Scholar currently pursuing a Master’s in Museum Studies at University College London. Prior to this, she worked with contemporary art spaces in India which encourage different ways of seeing and challenge existing boundaries of thought and knowledge. Her love for TED talks comes from her appreciation of original ideas and new perspectives. Dogs, flowers, the smell of pine, a good cup of coffee and travels to places, old and new, are some of her favorite things.

DAN KOON-HONG CHAN

Alumni Relations Manager

Dan Koon-hong Chan is a Chevening Scholar at UCL School of Public Policy, with a research interest in global and glocal democracy focusing on the role of cities. Dan is passionate in this field with his volunteer and research experience in Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UK. Last year, he initiated a year-long research project on Burma student activism and democratic transition, and interned at APEC Secretariat and global consulting firm Teneo Strategy. He is currently working on a human rights and capacity-building initiative for displaced Burmese refugees in Thailand, which has been recognized as a Clinton Global Initiative (University). “A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth looking at,” a quote from Oscar Wilde. TED has inspired Dan to imagine the Utopia, and determine to turn it into a reality.