TEDxHochschuleBremerhaven

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Alexis Papathanassis

  Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Alexis Papathanassis, born and raised on the island Rhodes, Greece, has been teaching and researching on tourism for over two decades and currently serves as Rector of the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. He holds a BSc. from Bath University, an MSc. from the London School of Economics and a PhD from the Leibniz Universität Hannover. His affinity and passion for tourism stems from his childhood experiences, growing up in a family of tourism professionals and entrepreneurs. Alexis’ areas of expertise include Cruise Tourism, Crime and Corruption in Tourism, as well as e-Tourism. His extensive professional background includes various managerial positions within TUI, one of the world’s largest tourism corporations. Alexis is a prolific and highly-cited author, who has published several books, book chapters and articles in scientific journals. His work is featured in several scientific rankings and he is also the Chair of the Cruise Research Society.

• Bhargav Bhalara

  I am Bhargav Bhalara, a Master’s student in Process Engineering & Energy Technology at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences and a research intern at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. Originally from India, I work on next-generation MXene-based catalysts for green hydrogen production, combining advanced electrochemistry and synchrotron-based characterization. With roots in industrial process optimization and a passion for bridging engineering precision with scientific imagination, I strive to make energy cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable.

• Christian Hamm-Dubischar

  Dr. Christian Hamm heads the Bionic Lightweight Construction division at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI). He studied marine biology, botany, geology/paleontology, and ecology in Tübingen, Miami, and Bremen. He completed his doctoral work at AWI, the University of Tromsø, and the Technical University of Munich. As a postdoctoral researcher, he studied the biomechanics of diatoms, and founded the Virtual Helmholtz Institute PlanktonTech and the Department of Marine Structures and Nanotechnology at the Institute of Marine Resources GmbH. He is also co-founder of the software company Synera GmbH. With his AWI team, he is working on technology transfer for aerospace, shipbuilding, the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, and medical technology. Architecture, design, aesthetics, and culture play an increasingly important role in his current projects. Hamm cooperates as a lecturer, supervisor, or adjunct professor with universities in Germany, France, and Finland.

• Daniel Siegel

  Daniel Siegel is the co-founder and managing director of Synera, a company reimagining how engineers create by helping them to build digital co-workers that think and collaborate like humans. With more than twenty years of experience in software development and engineering, he has helped some of the world’s leading companies in automotive, aerospace, and consumer goods rethink how products are designed and built. Having studied across six countries, Daniel brings a global perspective to technology, creativity, and innovation. Holding a Master’s in Business & Engineering and a Nanodegree in Deep Learning, he combines technical expertise with entrepreneurial vision — driven by one mission: to empower every engineer to shape the future.

• Deborah Wenk

  I am an internationally trained educator and researcher with a background in food chemistry and analytical chemistry, currently teaching at the Hochschule Bremerhaven. While obtaining my degree in food chemistry at the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen, I specialized in the analysis of proteins via mass spectrometry. With this technique, one can investigate proteins from many different sources, including food, cultured cells, and biofluids like blood. This enabled me to work in various research fields, from food chemistry to pharmacology and oncology. After working in cancer research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto for three years, I returned to my food chemistry roots at the Hochschule Bremerhaven, where my research focuses on food quality and authenticity.

• Emil Drud

  Emil Drud is an interdisciplinary creative, designer, and entrepreneur exploring the intersections of art, technology, and business. With the sensitivity of an artist, the curiosity of a philosopher, and the mindset of a maker, his work spans audio engineering, music production, writing, agile methodologies, and workshop facilitation—connecting ideas across disciplines and bringing them to life with clarity and impact. A lifelong learner, Emil thrives in complexity. Currently studying Business Creation, Innovation, and Leadership at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, he explores how creativity thrives in uncertain and complex environments. As host of the Creative Odyssey podcast and author of the upcoming Navigating the Creative Odyssey, Emil explores creativity as a way of seeing, thinking, and being in the world—inviting others to embrace curiosity, make peace with chaos, and create with courage.

• Mar Fernández Méndez

  Prof. Dr. Mar Fernández Méndez is a distinguished biological oceanographer and algal ecology expert at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and the University of Bremen. Her research focuses on phytoplankton and seaweed ecology and their applications to mitigate climate change. She has extensive experience leading expeditions both in polar and in subtropical regions. In 2023, she founded the startup MacroCarbon S.L. As CEO, she is pioneering innovative approaches to cultivate floating seaweed in the open ocean. MacroCarbon's mission is to transform this biomass into valuable products, contributing to a sustainable bioeconomy while capturing significant amounts of CO2. This venture translates her fundamental research into a tangible solution for the climate crisis, positioning her at the forefront of science-based entrepreneurship.

• Sarah Louise Barnes

  Sarah is a particle physicist from the United Kingdom and currently leads the Methods and Processing group at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures. She earned her master’s degree in physics at the University of Sheffield before pursuing a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics at the University of Manchester, where she contributed to the ATLAS experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. Over the past eight years, her research interests have expanded to include the collection, processing, and analysis of data from a variety of sensor systems for maritime applications. At the same time, she has continued to build on her expertise in particle physics, with a particular focus on Muon Tomography—an innovative technique that uses cosmic radiation from outer space to image and investigate enclosed structures on Earth.

• Simone Blaschka

  Dr. Simone Blaschka ist he director of the German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven since 2006. The museum won the "European Museum of the Year Award" in 2007. Under Simone Blaschka's leadership, the German Emigration Center was expanded with a new building dedicated to 300 years of immigration history to Germany. In 2021, Simone Blaschka co-founded the Academy of Comparative Migration Studies (ACOMIS), a research and educational institute at the German Emigration Center. She is the editor of edition dah. Since 2006, the museum has presented over 30 special exhibitions on various migration topics. Till January 7th 2026: The Lure of Space. Migrating to the Moon, Mars and Venus?

• Stephanie Birkner

  Stephanie Birkner (Prof. Dr. ) believes in the magic that happens when people dare to grow together beyond themselves. As Professor of entrepreneurship Education at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences and Associate Researcher at ZUKUNFT.unternehmen gGmbH – an affiliated institute of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg – she combines cutting-edge research with innovation methods and entrepreneurship facilitation tools. Passionate about creating learning spaces where curiosity turns into courage and ideas into impact, she loves to empower people to unfold their unique potential – in all its diversity – to co-create a future that fosters regenerative human and planetary flourishing.

• Sven Gastauer

  Dr. Sven Gastauer is an expert in underwater acoustics with over 15 years of experience. His work has taken him across a wide range of marine environments and conditions, using scientific platforms ranging from some of the largest research or commercial vessels in to small boats, autonomous underwater robots, and moored instruments. He is currently a senior scientist at the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries and a visiting scholar at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Dr. Gastauer also serves as chair of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Working Group on Fisheries Acoustics, Science and Technology.