Bridges & Brains:
Neuroscience & the Future of the Mind
Ten talks. Seven themes. One waterfront stage.
Multidisciplinary thinker with graduate degrees in science and a PMP — founded TEDxHarbourfront to give Toronto's brain-research ecosystem the public stage it has been missing.
Ina Shehi · Finance & Accounting professional pursuing her ACCA — ensures every dollar of TEDxHarbourfront serves the ideas, not the overhead.
Lurio Neli · Operations lead with calm precision under pressure — runs venue logistics, vendor coordination, and day-of execution.
Jurgena Thercaj · Digital marketing & content lead — makes sure the ideas coming off the stage travel far beyond the room.
Ten extraordinary speakers. Seven themes. One waterfront stage. Ideas worth spreading about the human brain — and the mind that runs on it.
Set at George Brown College's Waterfront Campus, on the same shoreline that anchors one of the most concentrated brain-research ecosystems in North America — Krembil, Tanz, CAMH, Sunnybrook, Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute, SickKids Neurology, and the Vector Institute — this is the public stage Toronto's neuroscience community has been missing.
The theme — Bridges & Brains — is literal. We bridge the lab and the clinic, the scanner and the startup, the research paper and the dinner-table conversation. From cellular mechanisms to consciousness, from neural implants to mental health, from imaging the brain to engineering it — this is one room, one day, one continuous conversation about what we now understand about the mind, and what comes next.
From rigorous research to lived practice — researchers, clinicians, technologists, and everyday-mind teachers all welcome. First-time speakers as welcome as veterans.
Nominate a topic across any of our seven themes — and the person you'd like to hear speak on it.
Derek Sivers' "How to Start a Movement" — three minutes that explain why TEDx rooms are where momentum is born. You'll think about it for weeks.
Professional ($75): All Student inclusions plus afternoon refreshments, priority networking session, and speaker Q&A access.
VIP ($150): All Professional inclusions plus reserved front-section seating, private speaker meet & greet, exclusive cocktail reception, TEDxHarbourfront gift pack, first access to recordings, and invitation to the Speaker Dinner.
The people behind
the ideas.
TEDxHarbourfront is built by a small, committed team who believe that the right ideas about the brain — shared in the right room, with the right people — genuinely change what happens next.
Valentin is the founder and organizer of TEDxHarbourfront 2026. A multidisciplinary project leader and community builder based in Toronto, he holds graduate degrees in science and a PMP designation with a decade of operational leadership across complex initiatives. He created TEDxHarbourfront with one conviction: that Toronto's waterfront communities deserve a stage as powerful as their ideas.
TED Profile ↗Ina brings three years of professional experience in accountancy, financial reporting, and strategic planning to the TEDxHarbourfront team. A Finance and Accounting graduate currently pursuing her ACCA designation at Toronto School of Management, she ensures the event's financial integrity and operational accountability — making certain every dollar serves the ideas.
LinkedIn ↗Lurio oversees the operational backbone of TEDxHarbourfront 2026 — from venue logistics and vendor coordination to day-of execution. He brings a sharp operational mindset, calm precision under pressure, and a genuine passion for building community. He is also an active voice in conversations around AI adoption and business operations.
LinkedIn ↗Jurgena leads the digital presence and marketing strategy for TEDxHarbourfront 2026. With a background in content creation, social media, and digital marketing, she ensures that the ideas coming off the TEDxHarbourfront stage travel far beyond the room — reaching the people who need to hear them most.
LinkedIn ↗