Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa has captured a special place in contemporary fiction, writing stories that are equally inspired by neuroscience and the human spirit.
Max Tegmark : Cosmic Explorer
A native of Stockholm, Tegmark left Sweden in 1990 after receiving his B.Sc. in Physics from the Royal Institute of Technology (he’d earned a B.A. in Economics the previous year at the Stockholm School of Economics). His first academic venture beyond Scandinavia brought him to California, where he studied physics at the University of California, Berkeley, earning his M.A. in 1992, and Ph.D. in 1994.
Lior Zoref : Crowdsourcing
Whether we need to make better business decisions, find innovative solutions to big challenges, or transform our lives, collective intelligence is the key to making quicker, wiser, more objective decisions. And when it comes to collective intelligence, Dr. Lior Zoref is the authority to turn to. Dr. Zoref is a researcher, advisor, TED speaker, and author of the best-selling book, Mindsharing: The Art of Crowdsourcing Everything.
Yanis Varoufakis : Economist and Professor
Yanis Varoufakis describes himself as a “libertarian Marxist,” although, he says, “It is not something that I volunteer to talk about much, because the very mention of Marx switches audiences off.” He teaches economic theory at the University of Athens, where he challenges mainstream notions — arguing that after the financial crash of 2008 we need a radically new way of thinking about the economy, finance and capitalism.
Janine Shepherd : Aerobatics Pilot and Former Skier
Janine Shepherd’s story reads like the plot of a Hollywood movie. An Australian national champion skier in training for the upcoming Olympics, she was hit by a truck on a bike ride, suffering multiple life-threatening injuries.
Parag Khanna : Global Strategist
Parag Khanna: a global strategist, CNN Contributor, managing partner of Hybrid Reality, a boutique geo-strategic advisory firm, and Co-Founder of a leading content branding agency.
Keren Elazari : Security Expert
Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, Keren Elazari is a security expert, an international sought speaker and a key member of the Israeli Cyber Security industry. For the past 14 years, Keren has worked with leading Israeli security groups, government organizations, Big 4 firms and Fortune 500 companies, such as the IDF, AT&T, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Verint Systems. In 2012, Keren held the position of Teaching Fellow for Security with Singularity University, a private think tank, founded by acclaimed futurist Dr. Ray Kurzweil and supported by Google & NASA amongst other organizations.