Emma Hodcroft

Dr Emma B Hodcroft is formally a biologist, after completing her MSc & PhD at the University of Edinburgh, studying evolution, population genetics, & phylogenetics in HIV, she worked as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation PANGEA-1 project, creating an agent-based model to simulate genetic data for HIV in African communities. In 2017, she came to the University of Basel and began working as part of the Nextstrian team, where she helps both with programming, maintaining, and implementing new features and doing phylogenetic analyses. Since January 2020, she has been working 100% on SARS-CoV-2 research and science communication relating to the pandemic.

Sergio Colombo

Sergio is an Italian journalist. He studied at the City University of London and worked at the Centre for Investigative Journalism. His articles have been published in The Economist's 1843 magazine, Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, Il Foglio and Panorama. When he's not working he enjoys playing tennis and studying Arabic, not at the same time. 

Key Kawamura

Key is the partner in charge of the Workplace of the Future area and co-founder at Studio Banana, who is responsible for projects like the HQ of NTT Switzerland, the multimedia reception experience at Olympic House or the EY Innovation Centre in London. He's an architect by education and creative entrepreneur by miseducation. Together with his partners Ali, Alex and Pablo, and the rest of the Studio Banana team in Switzerland, UK and Spain, he loves exploring the power of design as a tool for transformation.

Fiona Wolownik

Fiona was born in Switzerland, but left her home country in 2018 in search of something life changing and meaningful. Trying to find purpose she encountered herself helping refugees in need. Since October 2018 she is living and working on the hotspot island Samos, Greece. She is one of the founders of "Project Armonia", a free restaurant for refugees where they provide around 1'000 meals a day. "Life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change" - Jim Rohn. If you would like to support out TEDxBaselAward winner please reach out to f.wolownik@gmail.com.

Daniel Magallon

Daniel Magallon is a sustainable energy technology, financial, and market specialist with many years of experience implementing projects in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa for private and public organizations. He is also CEO of BASE, a Swiss-based organization dedicated to scaling up investments and finance in climate change solutions, since 2007. His work focuses on developing market-based business models and financial mechanisms.

Julien Hirano

Julien believes in sports as a life school and the mental strength as an important success factor in sports and also in life. He is a sports scientist, personal trainer and mental coach. He runs a company in Basel and supports business people, but also professional athletes from various sports. Furthermore, he holds workshops and gives lectures for companies, sport clubs and Universities in Switzerland and Germany. Julien has also his own Podcast which is in Swiss German.

Mark Russo

Mark is originally from the greater Philadelphia area, but he’s lived and worked in 4 different countries since leaving the U.S. in 2006. He started his educational career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, and has worked for over 15 years in a variety of roles mainly with secondary aged students. He currently teaches Geography at the International School of Amsterdam.

Markus J. Buehler

Markus J. Buehler is the McAfee Professor of Engineering at MIT, a material scientist, and a composer of experimental, classical and electronic music, with an interest in sonification. Using an approach termed "materiomusic" (https://soundcloud.com/user-275864738), his work explores the creation of new forms of musical expression - such as those derived from the innate vibrations of biological materials and living systems - as a means to better understand the underlying science and mathematics. In recent work he has developed a new framework to compose music based on proteins – the basic molecules of all life, as well as other physical phenomena such as fracture singularities, to explore similarities and differences across species, scales and between philosophical and physical models.

Jennifer Cain Birkmose (3-Min Pop-Up Winner)

Jennifer is on a mission to help people live their best lives, whether that be high performing teams in Corporate Pharma as Vice President of Global Patient Access, or as a, mother, wife, sister and friend. She scoffs at New Years resolutions, but embraces annual “overcome fear goals”. In the winter you’ll find her skiing the slopes, in the summer you’ll find her on a stand up paddle board. Whenever time permits, you’ll find her saying YES AND doing improv. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she has lived in Europe for 20 years, 8 of those in Basel. 

Chloe Merz

Chloé Merz creates drinks. She is an adventurer, former scientist, and bartender who travels the world mixing both new and traditional cocktails. Chloé traded her lab coat for a jigger and bar spoon. With a tricultural household due to her Chinese, Swiss, and American heritage, she concocts complex yet clean beverages inspired by her diverse upbringing. Creating her ideology of beverage consumption, Chloé focuses on ‘simplexity’ - simple taste with a complex depth.

Liam Cox

Liam was born and bred in Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town which has changed hands 13 times between England and Scotland. He is a Physical Education and Sports Science teacher and has lived and worked in the UK, USA, Kenya and Switzerland. A former rugby player, he has now taken to running marathons. He is passionate about holistic education and loves the poetry of Robert Burns.

Jürgen Künkel - MC

Jürgen is founder and director of Vantage Global Event Production GmbH, an innovative event production agency which supports blue chip clients with events across the world. He has worked for over 20 years in the live communication industry wearing many different hats such as stage designer, lighting designer, creative and technical director, show caller, and producer.

Outside of work, he is passionate about kitesurfing, music, philosophy, nutrition, and kitesurfing again.