Meet the Day 1 Speakers

Isabela Sanchez

Youth STEM Summit Design Team

Isabela is a front-end developer and an advocate for the inclusion of Latinx underrepresented communities in STEM, music and politics. She is an adventurous woman, who loves to use storytelling to share cultures and stories. Isabela loves to identify as an ARTivist because she truly believes we need art’s creativity, diversity and freedom to develop impactful and inclusive technology. A member of the Youth STEM Summit Design Team, Isabela says “I’m looking forward to seeing you at the 2021 Youth STEM Summit and hearing your story!”

Mhairi McCann

Founder & CEO of Youth STEM 2030

Mhairi is Youth STEM 2030’s Founder & CEO. Based in Inverclyde, Scotland, she has a strong belief in the positive difference young people can make to our world through STEM. Mhairi was named one of the UK’s Top 50 Women in Sustainability in 2020 and is currently part of the Steering Group of SDG Network Scotland. When she’s not creating STEM opportunities for young people, she can usually be found volunteering.⁠

Jayathma Wickramanayake

UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth

Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake was appointed as the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in June 2017 at the age of 26. In this role, Jayathma works to expand the UN’s youth engagement and advocacy efforts across all four pillars of work – sustainable development, human rights, peace and security and humanitarian action – and serves as a representative of and advisor to the Secretary-General. Originally from Sri Lanka, Ms. Wickramanayake has worked extensively on youth development and participation, and has played a key role in transforming the youth development sector in her home country.

Image Credit: Eskinder Debebe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Charlette N’Guessan Desirée

Tech Entrepreneur/ Co-founder of BACE Group

Charlette is a tech Ivorian entrepreneur who collaborates with various organisations that strongly advocates for gender balance in the tech ecosystem and is the first woman to win the Africa prize of Engineering awarded by the Royal academy of engineering. She is a certified digital identity practitioner and co-author of The AI Book (published by Wiley in April 2020). Passionate about using technology to solve local challenges, Charlette began her entrepreneurial career in 2017, being the first French-speaking woman to be selected to join MEST in Ghana. Charlette is currently a co-founded and CEO of BACE Group, a tech startup that provides AI-powered facial recognition services for online identity verification and AI strategies on demand.

Illac Diaz

Social Entrepreneur, Global Founder and Executive Director of Liter of Light

Illac Diaz is a social entrepreneur working to empower communities in the Philippines and around the world through several pioneering programs in rammed earth, bamboo, and PET plastic bottle construction. Illac’s latest venture, Liter of Light (Isang Litrong Liwanag), is the world’s first grassroots green lighting program bringing low-cost, zero-carbon solar bottle bulbs to underprivileged communities worldwide. By empowering local entrepreneurs and marginalized groups like prison detainees and trash pickers, this initiative shows how simple solutions powered by human hands bring the green revolution to the bottom 99%. Since 2013, Liter of Light has empowered the lives of over one million people a year across 32 countries. Each of these hand-built solar lights reduces carbon emissions by 1000 kg and allows each of us to have a stake in creating a cleaner, greener future.

Abigail Sadowski

First Year General Science Student & Piezoelectricity Researcher

Abigail is passionate about making the world a better place by doing scientific research. She is working on finding an efficient way to use piezoelectricity as a renewable energy source for future generations. Abigail also has a passion for educating others, especially youth about science, and she gets the opportunity to educate through her employment with the Saskatchewan Science Centre!

Amna Habiba

Founder at Global Creative Hub

Talk Title: STEM & Lifelong Learning

Amna Habiba is a 15-year-old Pakistani, founder of Global Creative Hub, international speaker with more than 50K views, STEM enthusiast, and an advocate for girls' education and digital literacy. Recipient of Young Achiever Award & runnerup for Young Voices Award, featured by UN & Malala Fund, spoken at World Bank, UNESCO, IFC, and more; she is passionate about using digital for social good and the UN SDGs.

Thu Anh Nguyen

Sustainability Activist and Student Researcher

Talk Title: Restoring the Lost Connection: Garden-based learning and STEM education

Being a senior high school student, an aspiring scientist, and policymaker, Thu's focuses range from sustainable development, education, human rights, to applications of STEM in climate change. With her experience of managing a sustainable wellness start-up, Thu wishes to clarify the relationship between people and the environment. She believes in a circular economy, inclusivity, and climate justice to achieve sustainable goals. Recently, she represented youth at the Regional Session of UNEP Science Policy Business Forum for Asia and the Pacific.

Ginny Spicer

Master's Student of Information Security, Network Analyst

Talk Title: How the Interplanetary Internet will help Sustainable Development

Ginny Spicer is a master’s student studying information security at Royal Holloway University of London. Ginny is a member of the technical documentation working group of the Interplanetary Networking SIG where she contributes to the documentation of emerging technologies. She has been an advisor for the California Cyber Innovation Challenge and contributor to the DEF CON Aerospace Village for two years. Her areas of interest include new protocols, expansion of the Internet, and space communications.

Emmanuel Randle

Performance-Based Design Enthusiast and Multi-Hazard Resilient Structure Researcher

Talk Title: Performance-Based Design

Emmanuel Randle is a first-class graduate of Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Lagos. He has experience and interest in Structural Engineering. As he progressed in his professional experience, his interest was kindled by Performance-Based Structural Design, an aspect of structural engineering that aims to design structures - as economically as possible- to meet the uncertain demands of nature such as hazardous events like earthquake, heavy winds, fire etc. He is currently working on research projects to contribute to the solutions of the problems being faced in this regard.

Speaker announcement coming soon!

Eng. Seyyede Khamsa Asbaghian

Soil Chemistry Engineer, Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Researcher, Young Climate Leader, Environmentalist

There are no passengers on spaceship earth, We all are crew! Seyyede Khamsa Asbaghian is a well-known researcher with a remarkable scientific background who works in the field of soil pollution with heavy metals and its management and control strategies. She is very interested in working in the field of environment and natural resources sustainable management. Increasing the production of agricultural products and paying special attention to the production of healthy agricultural products to achieve food security are her main goals.

Chebet Lesan

Environmental Activist and an Advocate of Technology

Chebet Lesan is an environment enthusiast and an advocate for technology that uplifts underserved communities. She is the founder of BrightGreen Energy, a company producing cooking fuel blocks from upcycled farm-waste (biomass). BrightGreen is improving how vulnerable families cook, by reducing dependence on expensive and environmentally detrimental charcoal and firewood. Chebet was awarded the Queen’s Young Leader Award from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She has received the Australia Award Fellowship 2016, Clean Cooking Alliance Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018 and Cartier Women’s Fellowship in 2019. She was recently named Africa’s Business Hero 2020 by the Jack Ma Foundation. Chebet serves on the Advisory board of the Clean Cooking Alliance. She has a background in Leadership from the University of Cambridge, Product Design from the University of Nairobi, Supply Chain Management from Rutgers School of Business and a Business-Design Fellowship from Massachusetts Institute of Technology D-lab.

Sergio Sanchez

Environmental Defense Fund, Senior Policy Director for the Global Clean Air Initiative

Sergio Sánchez is the Senior Policy Director of Global Clean Air for EDF Health, working globally to implement air pollution abatement policies and climate change mitigation strategies. Previously, he served as México’s Vice Minister for Environmental Protection and the Director General for Air Quality Management within México’s Ministry of Environment, as well as Director General for Environmental Projects within the Mexico City Government. He also led the Clean Air Institute as the Executive Director, working all over Latin America for more than a decade.

Prof. Jason Leitch

National Clinical Director, Scottish Government

Jason is Scotland's National Clinical Director, he qualified as a dentist in 1991 and was a Consultant Oral Surgeon in Glasgow. He has a doctorate from the University of Glasgow, a Masters in Public Health from Harvard and is a fellow of the three UK surgical Royal Colleges. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, he has played a key role in public health communication and engagement. He regularly featured at Scottish Government press conferences as well as public engagement on regional and national television and radio. He received praise for his ability to translate complex scientific information to the public, providing calm and clear advice.

Brooke E. Mason

Engineering PhD Student

Brooke E. Mason is a civil engineering Ph.D. student. In the era of the self-driving car, her goal is to bring the same technologies to water systems. In her department, she serves as a peer mentor, a member of the Graduate Student Advisory Council, and a member of CEDAR, a student group working on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Outside of research, she spends her free trying new recipes and exploring the outdoors with her wife, Julia, and pup, Cammy.

Tochukwu Chukwure

EduTech Enthusiast and Communications Engineering Undergraduate

Tochukwu Chukwure is an aspiring Electrical and Electronic Engineer (Communication Engineering Major) at the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria with an interest in developing technologies. He is an ardent supporter of technology for education, trilled in the Extended Reality (Virtual/Augmented Reality) and Telecommunications Engineering industry. With a constant predilection for growth, he constantly seeks opportunities to grow and develop. In his free time, he enjoy playing chess, listening to music and watching movies.

Jahnavi Giridhar

STEAM Enthusiast, Women's Rights Activist and High School Student

Talk Title: Periods and Society: The Stigma That Makes Millions Suffer Every Day

Jahnavi Giridhar is a high school student, based in London, who has a big interest in STEAM and women's rights. She also participates in many extra-curricular activities like Bharatanatyam dance, Carnatic singing, Swimming and learns how to play the guitar. In her free time, Jahnavi loves listening to music, watching YouTube, learning about the world and working on art & design projects.

Jordan Prawira

Sustainable Energy Activist and High School Student

Talk Title: Spira Mirabilis

Jordan has been passionate about developing clean and renewable energy sources for the past five years, and wants to help make alternative energy no longer alternative. He’s primarily been developing wind turbines, including turbines inspired by hurricane formation concepts. He has recently used these in reverse for an efficient fan design to conserve energy consumption from fossil fuels. In his free time, Jordan enjoys speedcubing, coding, and reading.

Jonibek Shermatov

Student at Tashkent State University of Economics

Talk Title: Carbon Markets and Inequality

Jonibek Shermatov is 20 years old student. His major is World Economy and International Economic relations. He is born in Samarkand. He is curious man and always tries to learn new things.

Dr Nader Ebrahim

Neuroscience Enthusiast & Student Doctor

Talk Title: Mental Health in Adolescents

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.”

Ghislaine Fandel

Science Communication Lead at ClimateScience

Ghislaine is Science Communication Lead at ClimateScience, an educational charity with a focus on climate solutions and youth empowerment. Following the 2018 climate strikes, Ghislaine became increasingly involved in climate education and sustainability projects in her local community. Having graduated from McGill University with a degree in economics, environment, and international development, Ghislaine is now looking to help bring climate education to people all over the world and empower and amplify the voices of those most affected by climate change.

Prof Mona Minkara

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University

Mona Samer Minkara is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University, where she uses computer simulations to obtain a better understanding of the chemical interactions that occur at the air-water interface inside the lungs. Mona’s goal is to use this research to engineer better treatments and methods of drug delivery. Mona was always interested in science, and says “the goal of my academic career is to carve a path for future blind scientists so that the unique skills and perspectives of the blind community are embraced by the scientific world".

Karime Guillen Libien

COO & Co-founder BIOVATEC

Karime Guillen is a Biotechnology degree student, Co-founder of BIOVATEC, Winner of the State Youth Award 2021, Ambassador of One Young World 2021, AudiScholar, Ambassador of UN Change the world Academy, UNITE 2030 Changemaker, Ambassador of YOUNGO, and NewGlobalShapers, especially a citizen who seeks to generate a high-impact change in the world. Using entrepreneurship to make a difference, she is currently the director of operations and co-founder of the BIOVATEC company that she runs together with Patricia Carbajal and Marco Alemán; where they develop innovative projects to solve environmental and industrial problems. Karime’s work has been recognised among the best projects nationally and internationally in various competitions such as CANACINTRA 2019, CLEAN ENERGY CHALLENGE 2019, HULTPRIZE 2019, YOUTH INNOVATION CHALLENGE 2020, CORONA CHALLENGE 2020, TECREVIEW 2020 among others, allowing us to generate the impact we seek to reach all people and initiate the change of consciousness with science and entrepreneurship through biotechnology.

Namya Joshi

Minecraft Mentor Young Change Maker

Namya is a Grade IX student at Sat Paul Mittal School, India. She is 14 years old and a Minecraft Mentor student. Inspired by her own motto #EachOneTeachTen, she has spent the last four years designing and delivering free of cost coding workshops for more than 10,000 teachers, young people, especially girls, in India and all over the world, as well as empowering other young people to run their own coding clubs. She has raised awareness about the social issues using game based learning with STEM to provide solutions for the problems humanity faces. The coveted Pradhanmantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020 is bestowed to her, as well as the Diana Award 2021. She is honoured to be the winner of the UNESCO World Youth Multimedia Competition, TeachSDGss Ambassador, Rex Karamaveer Bronze Medal Awardee, Global E-Innovation Award Winner, Youngest Global Juror, and TeachSDGs Ambassador India. She is a dynamic speaker who has presented about the potential of STEM and game-based learning at events such as KEOS2019 Finland, EduDays Microsoft, UNESCO, ISTE, CONVOKE, Asia Berlin Summit, EdChatInteractive, Azure Conference and Adobe Education Summit.

Poppy Fairbairn

Youth STEM Summit Design Team