EARLY BIRD TICKET ACCESS

Join Heather Zheng

Speaking at TEDxChicago 2025: The Future is Human

Friday, September 26th @ Harris Theater, Millennium Park

BUY EARLY BIRD TICKETS

Ethical AI

Protecting Our Privacy

Human Identity

Dr. Heather Zheng

COMPUTER SCIENTIST

“Invisible modifications to our digital content can shield us from AI exploitation while rebalancing power dynamics and creating incentives for ethical AI development, empowering individuals to shape technology’s future instead of being shaped by it.”

Dr. Heather Zheng is the Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago and co-director of the SAND Lab (Security, Algorithms, Networking and Data) alongside Prof. Ben Y. Zhao. She received her PhD from University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining UChicago in 2017, she spent six years in industry labs (Bell-Labs and Microsoft Research Asia) and 12 years as a faculty at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Zheng was one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in 2005, and her research on cognitive radios was featured by MIT Technology Review as one of the 10 Emerging Technologies in 2006. More recently, her work on protecting human creatives from unethical data exploration received the USENIX Internet Defense Prize, the Chicago Innovation Award, a special mention in TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023, and the Community Impact Award from the Concept Art Association in 2024. She is a Fellow of ACM and IEEE, and has served on editorial boards and steering committees for major journals and conferences. She is a board member of the University of Chicago Laboratory School.

Learn More

UChicago.edu

Friday, September 26th at Harris Theater, Millennium Park

Chicago’s stage for ideas + connection at the convergence of our culture, innovation, and democracy.

Our future feels uncertain, yet we are resoundingly called to what matters most: You and me. Us. Humanity, itself. At TEDxChicago 2025, we believe the most powerful force shaping tomorrow is our collective agency, imagination, desire for connection and laughter, dignity, and generosity. This year, our speakers and artists arrive on Chicago’s stage to share their ideas, showcasing their fierce commitment to unify science, technology, and sustainability with the essential principles of compassion, justice, and care. This is our love letter to Chicago.