TEDxBasel 2022 Nerdy by Nature - Speakers

Christine Blume

Christine is a senior sleep scientist at the Centre for Chronobiology of the University of Basel and the University’s Psychiatric Hospital (UPK). She studied psychology in Germany and the UK and obtained her doctorate at the University of Salzburg, Austria, before moving to Basel. Christine’s research centres around human sleep and the biological and psychological mechanisms involved. She is particularly interested in the effects of natural and artificial light on sleep. Besides this, she is passionate about science communication and works a sleep therapist at the UPK Basel. (Photo credit: Michael Brauer)

Richard Fakin

Dr. med. Richard Fakin is a board certified plastic surgeon in Switzerland and Spain, fellow of the European Board of Plastic Surgery (EBOPRAS) and lecturer (PD) of plastic surgery at the University of Zurich. He is founder of Ocean Clinic Madrid and Zurich. He specialises in aesthetic surgery and gender reassignment surgery. Dr. Fakin is the author of numerous scientific peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. 

Thorhildur Halldorsdottir

Dr. Thorhildur Halldorsdottir is an assistant professor at Reykjavik University and a clinical child psychologist. She received her PhD at Virginia Tech where she specialized in the evidence-based psychosocial interventions used to treat common psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Halldorsdottir broadened her research to include behavioral genetics and epidemiology at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry and at the University of Iceland. Building on this multidisciplinary background, her research today focuses on understanding the connection between exposure to stress and trauma and psychiatric disorders.

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. 

Key Kawamura

Key is co-founder of Studio Banana. 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. Key is the partner in charge of the Workplace of the Future area within Studio Banana, who is responsible for projects like the HQ of NTT Switzerland, the multimedia reception experience at Olympic House, the McCann Group HQ in Madrid, the Losinger Marazzi regional agency in Lausanne or the EY Innovation Centre in London.

Martin Oeggerli

Martin Oeggerli is aPhD Swiss molecular biologist who uses his microscope to probe the tiniest enclaves of nature, taking his sharp eye for beauty to the nanoscale. Styling himself as a Micronaut—explorer of invisible worlds—Martin creates incredible microscopic photographs using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and post-processing coloration. Martin has a background in cancer research and received his PhD at the University Basel, in the field of genetics and molecular biology. Over the past 15 years he has worked as a science photographer. His work has been featured in BBC, GEO, Nature, Science, Vogue, and most prominently, National Geographic.

Cecilia Ben Salah

Cecilia is the founder of the Instagram account @migrantsinswitzerland, an account that tells the untold stories of migration. Passionate about good stories, Cecilia has developed a unique interviewing style that focuses on the protagonists. In her method, the interviewee leads the way. The stories she publishes aim to challenge our own narratives and beliefs, and thus give us food for thought.

Crispin Thurlow

Crispin grew up in South Africa and England where he trained as a psychologist and then an actor. Long story short, he is now Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Bern. He previously held professorships at the University of Washington in the USA and completed his PhD at Cardiff University in Wales. As a sociolinguist, Crispin’s core research interest lies in the way people make sense of social difference and inequality in their everyday communication. He is currently finishing off a new book titled The Language of Elitism.

Tania Rinaldi Barkat

Tania leads the Brain and Sound Lab at the University of Basel. Her academic journey includes an assistant professorship at Copenhagen University, a postdoc at Harvard University and a PhD at EPFL. When she is not plugged in to how neurons respond to sounds, Tania enjoys exploring nature and the Arts with her husband and two daughters.

Shivangi Walke

Shivangi is a Master Trainer, Leadership Branding Coach and Founder of the vibrant non-profit organization Thrive with Mentoring - a global women’s mentoring network active across 8 countries that has catalyzed thousands of mentoring relationships. She brings over two decades of corporate leadership experience, encompassing the leadership of HR and L&D functions globally. The foundation on which she excelled across all her roles is her ability to lead and influence teams across industry sectors and seniority levels - using her skills to influence and hold crucial conversations. Known for her compelling drive, Shivangi has trained and coached leaders and management teams in over 40 countries globally for organizations such as Google, Johnson and Johnson, Airbus, Pfizer, Syngenta, and Swiss Re.