Dr. Brené Brown studies courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy.

Tammy Lally helps others master their finances.

Stuart Brown's research shows play is not just joyful and energizing -- it's deeply involved with human development and intelligence. Through the National Institute for Play, he's working to better understand its significance.

David Byrne builds an idiosyncratic world of music, art, writing and film.

Brian Greene is perhaps the best-known proponent of superstring theory, the idea that minuscule strands of energy vibrating in a higher dimensional space-time create every particle and force in the universe.

Marcus Byrne is fascinated by the way insects, particularly the intrepid dung beetle, have hardwired solutions to the challenges posed by their environments. Could they help humans solve problems?

Once known for entertaining millions by creating special effects for Hollywood, theme parks and Broadway, Applied Minds cofounder Bran Ferren now solves impossible tech challenges with previously unimaginable inventions.

Novelist, writer, culture critic and playwright Monica Byrne thinks that there's an infinite number of stories to tell, and she intends to tell as many as she can.

Cambridge research professor Brian Little analyzes and redefines the threads of our personalities -- and suggests ways we can transform ourselves.

Nora Brown sings ballads and plays traditional old-time music with a heavy interest in eastern Kentucky banjo playing.

Sergey Brin is half of the team that founded Google.

Bruno Maisonnier founded Aldebaran Robotics, maker of the tiny, compelling humanoid Nao.

Artist Brian Dettmer digs into a good book (literally, with a knife) to create beautifully intricate forms that reflect how we see old information in a modern world.

David Baron writes about science in books, magazines, newspapers and for public radio. He formerly served as science correspondent for NPR and science editor for PRI’s The World.

Bernie Dunlap is a true polymath, whose talents span poetry, opera, ballet, literature and administration. He is the president of South Carolina’s Wofford College.

An engineer with Google (he helped build Google Earth), Bruno Bowden is also an enthusiastic folder of paper.

Brian Skerry is a photojournalist who captures images that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea but also bring attention to the pressing issue which endanger our oceans.

Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music -- and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics.

A key player in the "Boston miracle" that lowered the rate of youth crime and gang violence, Rev. Jeffrey Brown is a Baptist minister.

TED Resident tobacco brown is a social artist working at the public intersection of environmental art and restorative justice.

Deanna Van Buren is an architect who designs spaces for peacemaking, inside and out.

Physicist Brian Cox has two jobs: working with the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and explaining big science to the general public. He's a professor at the University of Manchester.

Tim Brown is the CEO of the "innovation and design" firm IDEO -- taking an approach to design that digs deeper than the surface.

Britain's former prime minister Gordon Brown played a key role in shaping the G20 nations' response to the world's financial crisis, and was a powerful advocate for a coordinated global response to problems such as climate change, poverty and social justice.

Brian Goldman is an emergency-room physician in Toronto, and the host of CBC Radio’s "White Coat, Black Art."

Casey Brown wants people to be paid well for their excellence.

Bryn Freedman helps those who want to give the "talk of their lives" in a clear, passionate and authentic way.

With beguiling feats of mind reading and suggestion, Derren Brown explores psychological manipulation and its implications for the human experience.

Bernie Krause's legendary soundscapes uncover nature’s rich sonic tapestry -- along with some unexpected results.

Journalist and photographer Bruno Torturra is the face of Media Ninja, a Brazilian digital collective making headlines for its ability to cover big news as it happens.