TED Fellows Program

What happens when you give nature a little help from AI? ⚡️ Protein engineer Cesar Ramirez-Sarmiento believes the answers to our biggest global challenges may lie within nature itself. In his Fellows Film, he shares how AI is accelerating his work in protein design — and inspiring a new generation of Latin American researchers to imagine what’s possible when technology and biology evolve together: https://lnkd.in/dBW9BWSU #tedfellows #2025fellowsfilms #AI Instituto de Ingeniería Biológica y Médica (IIBM) Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Instituto Milenio de Biología Integrativa iBio

Rainforest toxicologist and 2025 TED Fellow Claudia Vega runs a world-class lab in the Amazon, studying the impacts of mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining on both people and ecosystems. In her Fellows Film, she shares how education and collaboration with local communities and policymakers are helping create solutions to protect public health and preserve the Amazon. Watch her full Film: http://t.ted.com/XY5uf6M

Season 2 of the TED Fellows Film Series is here 👀 These short films spotlight innovators from around the world who are tackling urgent challenges with bold, boundary-pushing ideas — from developing new proteins with AI to empowering the next generation of pilots. Watch the first five films — and meet the founders of a better future: http://t.ted.com/u4D9P1k Molly Hemstreet, Claudia Vega, Dion Dawson, Refilwe L. and Cesar Ramirez-Sarmiento

Two countries. One week. One powerful community. From New York's Climate Week to TEDAI Vienna, our Fellows gathered to listen, learn and connect — strengthening our global network of innovators and changemakers committed to shaping a better future.

"Being honest about how we feel doesn't make us weak, it makes us human." TED Fellow Dr. Sangu Delle shares why there's no shame in taking care of your mental health: https://lnkd.in/gSk6BkFR

What if the cures for chronic disease were hidden in our own immune systems? Neuroscientist and TED Fellow Beck Brachman explains how scientists could identify the hidden causes of and cures for chronic disease within our immune systems through machine learning and experimental tools: https://lnkd.in/g_bF7cib

When TED Fellows come together, ideas take flight.💡 Recently, eight TED Fellows gathered in Abu Dhabi for a workshop and dinner hosted by Alanna Shaikh and Genevieve von Petzinger. Designed and led by Alanna, our Fellows shared successes, tackled challenges and brainstormed new ways to reach their goals. From Yara Shaban to Arunraj Subbaraj, Zahra Almahdi, Asher Hasan MD, Mohamed Aburawi, MD, MBA, and Rumaitha Al Busaidi — the energy and insight in the room were truly inspiring! Here’s to the power of the #TEDFellows community — where collaboration and impact collide. #TEDTalks #Leadership #Innovation #Collaboration #Community

“You can still do good business and do good by people, and you don't have to build like everyone else," says Dion Dawson, entrepreneur and TED Fellow. That’s the vision behind Dion's Chicago Dream — a nonprofit social enterprise delivering fresh, high-quality produce to thousands of households each week, while creating good jobs and reinvesting millions back into his local community. Watch his TED #FellowsFilm to see how this dreamer is rewriting the future of food access: https://lnkd.in/gKxYCT4f

Enzo Romero 🦾, TED Fellow and bionic inventor, is making affordable prosthetics a reality for working-class communities across Latin America. Using 3D printing and recycled plastics, his prostheses cost just 10% of traditional models — expanding access for those who need it most: https://lnkd.in/gezXMfXY

When the textile industry left Southern Appalachia in the 1990s and 2000s, it didn’t just take jobs — it stripped away opportunity, identity and the sense of agency from the entire community. That's why Molly Hemstreet co-founded The Industrial Commons, a network that’s rebuilding the working class through community-owned manufacturing. This economic model keeps profits in local hands, converts businesses to employee ownership, and turns textile waste into new products — literally weaving value back into discarded materials, and opportunity back into the towns that lost it. Watch the first of our 2025 TED Fellows Films: https://bit.ly/4lleDL8 #TEDFellows #TEDTalks The Textile Innovation Engine of North Carolina