Olubayo Adekanmbi

Iza Ding

Shuwei Fang

Jeremy Gilbert

Ellen Harvey

Suhani Jalota

Dean Karlan

Nour Kteily

Nataliya Kosmyna

Nataliya Kosmyna, PhD, is a research scientist in the MIT Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group and a visiting faculty researcher at Google. With more than sixteen years of experience in brain-computer interface (BCI) design, her work bridges AI, neuroscience, and human-computer interaction to explore new forms of collaboration between human cognition and machine systems. Kosmyna’s research includes brain-to-image decoding, cognitive engagement measurement, and assistive technologies that support communication and independence for people with neurological conditions. Her projects have been deployed across educational, clinical, and aerospace environments, including initiatives focused on neurotechnology ethics and child-centered design. She has advised UNESCO on the ethics of neurotechnology and served on UNICEF’s Expert Advisory Group on Neurotechnology and Children. Kosmyna’s work has received international recognition, including the L’Oréal–UNESCO Women in Science award.

Bing Liu

Bing Liu is a China-born, Illinois-raised filmmaker best known for directing the feature documentary Minding the Gap, which was nominated for an Academy Award, an Independent Spirit Award, an Emmy, and received a Sundance Special Jury Award and a Peabody Award. He was a segment director on America to Me, which premiered on Starz and earned a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Limited Documentary Series. Liu co-directed his second feature documentary, All These Sons, with Josh Altman; the film won Best Cinematography at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and the Maysles Award at the Denver International Film Festival. His short documentary What the Hands Do premiered at the 2023 Camden International Film Festival. His latest project, Preparation for the Next Life, is a narrative feature based on the acclaimed novel and produced by Plan B and Pastel for Orion Pictures. Liu was a member of the International Cinematographers Guild.

Vanessa Nakate

Vanessa Nakate is a Ugandan climate activist, environmentalist, and Project Dandelion strategist for Global South Narrative & Policy. She is the author of A Bigger Picture, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and a board member of the Malala Fund and Global Witness. Nakate began advocating for climate justice in 2019 with weekly protests in Kampala, Uganda, becoming a prominent voice in the global youth climate movement. She has since founded the Rise Up Movement to amplify African climate activists and led initiatives supporting renewable energy access in rural Ugandan schools. Nakate has addressed world leaders at international climate summits, appeared on the cover of Time in 2021, and continues to advocate for inclusive climate action centered on communities most affected by climate change.

Omar Offendum

Omar Offendum is a Syrian-American rapper, spoken word poet, and theatrical storyteller known for his signature blend of hip-hop and Arabic poetry. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has been named a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow and an Arab America Foundation “40 Under 40” honoree, touring internationally to promote his music while supporting humanitarian relief efforts. His recent work in theater includes the off-Broadway production Little Syria, which led to his selection for The Public Theater’s New York Voices commissioning program and sold-out performances at venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, HERE Arts Center in New York, and Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater.

Zafer Tawil

Zafer Tawil is a Palestinian musician based in New York City and a virtuoso performer on oud, violin, and qanun, as well as a master of Arabic percussion. He has collaborated with artists ranging from pop musician Sting and avant-garde composer Elliott Sharp to leading figures in Arabic music, including Simon Shaheen, Cheb Mami, Bassam Saba, and George Ziadeh. Tawil has composed music for numerous film soundtracks, including Jonathan Demme’s My Favorite American (forthcoming), Rachel Getting Married, and the documentary Until When. He has led workshops on Arabic music at universities across the United States and contributed to recordings such as Shusmo’s Mumtastic, Gaida Hinawi’s Levantine Indulgence, and Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers projects, including Two Rivers Musicians and Enaana.

David Wallace-Wells

David Wallace-Wells is a writer for The New York Times Opinion, a columnist for The New York Times Magazine, and the author of the international bestseller The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, which The Guardian called “an epoch-defining book” and The Washington Post described as “the Silent Spring of our time.” A science writer and essayist, his work examines climate change, technology, and the future of the planet. Wallace-Wells previously served as deputy editor of New York magazine, where his reporting on climate and the environment gained international recognition. His writing has also appeared in The Guardian, and he was named a 2019 National Fellow at New America.

Qing Wang

Qing Wang is an award-winning independent journalist from China whose reporting spans global political and economic issues through a cross-border, human-centered lens. She is the co-founder and co-host of The Weirdo Podcast, one of China’s most-subscribed independent podcasts, which amplifies progressive and nonconformist voices. Wang previously served as chief international correspondent for Jiemian News, and her work has appeared on the BBC, Caixin Media, and Initium Media, among other outlets. Wang is currently a fellow at Asia Society, where she examines the cultural and emotional transformations shaping contemporary China in a global context.

Allison Yang

Allison Yang is the founder of Reality Reload, a game studio and research lab that develops narrative-driven games examining power, technology, and social systems—from immigration regimes to disinformation economies. An award-winning game designer and veteran journalist, her work sits at the intersection of investigative reporting, interactive storytelling, and critical play. Before founding Reality Reload, Yang worked in international journalism, reporting across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Her projects have reached global media, academic, policy, and museum audiences. Yang is a Ford Global Fellow and a Maynard Fellow, and her current work explores how games can help societies imagine futures beyond inherited systems.