In our lives there are moments when we may feel as though walking in a mist. On a personal level it could be when we are physically unwell and desperately yearn for healing, or when our grades are taking a nosedive and we peruse every past paper in hopes of an upswing. At the societal level it could be the uncertainty due to climate change or the evolution of geopolitics; with so much noise how do we hear the truth? But in the midst of these mists let us remember that there are people who have been through similar mists and have gone beyond the mist. At TEDxNTU 2021: Beyond The Mist we bring the spotlight on those individuals who have emerged from mist, those who can offer illuminating inspirations and guide us by sharing ideas that can help us navigate some of our mists.
In our lives there are moments when we may feel as though walking in a mist. On a personal level it could be when we are physically unwell and desperately yearn for healing, or when our grades are taking a nosedive and we peruse every past paper in hopes of an upswing. At the societal level it could be the uncertainty due to climate change or the evolution of geopolitics; with so much noise how do we hear the truth? But in the midst of these mists let us remember that there are people who have been through similar mists and have gone beyond the mist. At TEDxNTU 2021: Beyond The Mist we bring the spotlight on those individuals who have emerged from mist, those who can offer illuminating inspirations and guide us by sharing ideas that can help us navigate some of our mists.
Xiaodong Chen is President’s Chair Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics (by courtesy) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He is also the scientific director and principal scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) at A*STAR, Singapore. His research interests include mechanomaterials for flexible devices, sense digitalization and programmable materials for energy conversion. Recently, he has been leading efforts to create conformable sensors for communication with plants. So far, he has published over 330 high profiled scientific articles and serves as member of the editorial board of more than ten prestigious international journals. An internationally renowned and prolific scientist, he was awarded more than ten reputable awards and fellowships, including recently the Falling Walls 2021 award in Engineering and Technology.
Devi Sahny grew up in Antwerp, in Belgium & attended both French and American international school. She pursued a degree at Georgetown University in Philosophy and Economics. She was a Teaching Assistant for many courses. It was then that her passion for teaching started. She graduated with first class honors and spent the first three years post University at Goldman Sachs in Investment Banking. She realized she very much missed education, so decided to embrace an education venture in Singapore, where she started her company, Ascend Now. Devi is very passionate about involving students more in the process of learning by personalising their curriculum and giving them more autonomy. She is a Forbes30U30 recipient.
Dr Hakim Young is a medical doctor from Singapore who has organized public health, humanitarian and peace-building programs in Afghanistan for the past 18 years. He started the Afghan Peace Volunteers, an inter-ethnic group of young Afghans dedicated to building non-violent alternatives to war. He is the 2012 recipient of the International Pfeffer Peace Prize and the 2017 recipient of the Singapore Medical Association Merit Award for contributions in social service to communities. Witnessing the everyday struggles of ordinary Afghans, he realized how daily emotional healthcare was essential not only for his well-being, but crucial to help him and his friends pull through different crises together. He has since been applying the growing science of emotions to improve his health and work and encourages everyone to care for their emotional health every single day.
Andy Hau Yan Ho is a social scientist, educator, and psychologist. He holds a double Doctorate from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Nottingham, specializing in Thanatology and Lifelong Education. Andy’s research focuses on psychosocial gerontology, arts and creative ageing, end of life care, and community empowerment. Since joining NTU in 2015, Andy has successfully completed the first-ever Landscape Study on The Arts for Ageing Well in Asia, while founded several innovative and acclaimed psycho-socio-spiritual interventions . He is the first Asian recipient of the ADEC Academic Educator Award in 2018, while receiving the Nanyang Education Award in 2019, and conferred the Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Hong Kong in 2020. Andy’s social and scholarly contributions are recognized with distinction by academic, professional and government bodies around the world.
Annalisa Bruno is a Principal Scientist at the Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang Technological University (ERI@N) and at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). Her love for nature and passion for the sparkling and never-sleeping metropolis have always driven her curiosity: can sustainable forms of energy be real and efficient options for our beautiful planet? She believes that to respond to the worldwide energy needs without destroying the Earth, renewable energies must become the most efficient and cheapest available options. Annalisa’s research focuses on the development of innovative, versatile and sustainable, highly efficient solar cells. Her team recently developed scaled-up perovskite solar cells which have achieved the highest power conversion efficiency ever recorded .
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah is an Assistant Professor at the Public Policy and Global Affairs Program, Nanyang Technological University. He completed his PhD under the Joint Degree Program between National University of Singapore and King’s College, London. He works on relationships between Islam and the state, political Islam, and political parties and elections, with a special focus on Singapore and Malaysia. He has published in journals such as Democratization, International Political Science Review, Government and Opposition, Asian Survey, and Asian Studies Review, among others. Walid has been promoting political awareness amongst younger generations, having starting initiatives such as his Instagram Live series called Teh Tarik With Walid, where he has discussions with politicians, policymakers and influencers, in a bid to make politics more accessible.
Xiaodong Chen is President’s Chair Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, Professor of Physics and Applied Physics (by courtesy) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He is also the scientific director and principal scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) at A*STAR, Singapore. His research interests include mechanomaterials for flexible devices, sense digitalization and programmable materials for energy conversion. Recently, he has been leading efforts to create conformable sensors for communication with plants. So far, he has published over 330 high profiled scientific articles and serves as member of the editorial board of more than ten prestigious international journals. An internationally renowned and prolific scientist, he was awarded more than ten reputable awards and fellowships, including recently the Falling Walls 2021 award in Engineering and Technology.
Devi Sahny grew up in Antwerp, in Belgium & attended both French and American international school. She pursued a degree at Georgetown University in Philosophy and Economics. She was a Teaching Assistant for many courses. It was then that her passion for teaching started. She graduated with first class honors and spent the first three years post University at Goldman Sachs in Investment Banking. She realized she very much missed education, so decided to embrace an education venture in Singapore, where she started her company, Ascend Now. Devi is very passionate about involving students more in the process of learning by personalising their curriculum and giving them more autonomy. She is a Forbes30U30 recipient.
Dr Hakim Young is a medical doctor from Singapore who has organized public health, humanitarian and peace-building programs in Afghanistan for the past 18 years. He started the Afghan Peace Volunteers, an inter-ethnic group of young Afghans dedicated to building non-violent alternatives to war. He is the 2012 recipient of the International Pfeffer Peace Prize and the 2017 recipient of the Singapore Medical Association Merit Award for contributions in social service to communities. Witnessing the everyday struggles of ordinary Afghans, he realized how daily emotional healthcare was essential not only for his well-being, but crucial to help him and his friends pull through different crises together. He has since been applying the growing science of emotions to improve his health and work and encourages everyone to care for their emotional health every single day.
Andy Hau Yan Ho is a social scientist, educator, and psychologist. He holds a double Doctorate from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Nottingham, specializing in Thanatology and Lifelong Education. Andy’s research focuses on psychosocial gerontology, arts and creative ageing, end of life care, and community empowerment. Since joining NTU in 2015, Andy has successfully completed the first-ever Landscape Study on The Arts for Ageing Well in Asia, while founded several innovative and acclaimed psycho-socio-spiritual interventions . He is the first Asian recipient of the ADEC Academic Educator Award in 2018, while receiving the Nanyang Education Award in 2019, and conferred the Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Hong Kong in 2020. Andy’s social and scholarly contributions are recognized with distinction by academic, professional and government bodies around the world.
Annalisa Bruno is a Principal Scientist at the Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang Technological University (ERI@N) and at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). Her love for nature and passion for the sparkling and never-sleeping metropolis have always driven her curiosity: can sustainable forms of energy be real and efficient options for our beautiful planet? She believes that to respond to the worldwide energy needs without destroying the Earth, renewable energies must become the most efficient and cheapest available options. Annalisa’s research focuses on the development of innovative, versatile and sustainable, highly efficient solar cells. Her team recently developed scaled-up perovskite solar cells which have achieved the highest power conversion efficiency ever recorded .
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah is an Assistant Professor at the Public Policy and Global Affairs Program, Nanyang Technological University. He completed his PhD under the Joint Degree Program between National University of Singapore and King’s College, London. He works on relationships between Islam and the state, political Islam, and political parties and elections, with a special focus on Singapore and Malaysia. He has published in journals such as Democratization, International Political Science Review, Government and Opposition, Asian Survey, and Asian Studies Review, among others. Walid has been promoting political awareness amongst younger generations, having starting initiatives such as his Instagram Live series called Teh Tarik With Walid, where he has discussions with politicians, policymakers and influencers, in a bid to make politics more accessible.
