30 Under 30

Stories from our revolutionary ideas issue.

At 18, Eric Udorie's written about gender rights-related topics for major publications including the Guardian, New Statesman, Fusion.

"Being an academic requires the courage to stand behind good ideas despite opposition," says Zhang, who is on our list of the top 30 thinkers under 30.

Tasche's work directly challenges a lot of the reductionist narratives that swirl around politics and, by extension, the media that covers it.

"I honestly think that it will take a person with autism to find the 'cure' to autism, so that the world understands that autism doesn't need to be cured," Toliver says.

If the world is a global marketplace, Shi's research tries to help make it more efficient and equitable by applying mathematics to assess and improve the way we make decisions.

When asked whether he feels people doubt him more because he's young, Slat says, "Yes, but I never felt youth to be a disadvantage."

"We have a gaping hole, a desperate need for young women in government," says Schrode, who is on this year's list of the top 30 thinkers under 30.

Safford is committed to applying her talents and work ethic to a noble and necessary goal: using policy to change the way we think about human existence.

The 26-year-old's social entrepreneurship centers around jackfruit, a large, green, studded fruit native to Southeast Asia.

Rosman co-founded BallotReady, a non-partisan online voter guide with a mission to make it easier for voters to make informed choices throughout an entire ballot, not just the top-ballot race that gets the most media coverage.

Rodríguez-Roldán's efforts center on engaging with policymakers throughout Congress and various government agencies to help promote policies that will benefit the trans community.

"Education can help harness veterans' patriotic energy in ways that improve our nation," says Reising, who is on our list of the top 30 thinkers under 30.

Pressler founded the Armed Services Arts Partnership, a non-profit that provides free arts programming for veterans and their families to express their experiences.

As a Ph.D. at Princeton University, 28-year-old Patton studies arms control and disarmament issues with a particular focus on the role of virtual reality.

Peysakhovich's interdisciplinary work is driven by his deep interest in understanding decision-making—both human and machine.

"One of the philosophies I live by is embracing chaos—or the idea that chaos is just tragedy plus opportunity," says Oliver, who is on our list of the top 30 thinkers under the age of 30.

Initially focusing on Lebanon, where her parents are from, Minkara worked with children who had been overlooked by society owing to their visual impairments.

Lim's non-profit, Women SPEAK, cultivates mentorship among young women over subjects like positive body image, healthy relationships, media literacy, and leadership.

Even while rubbing shoulders with Nobel laureates—and standing next to Neil deGrasse Tyson—Li maintains a youthful wonder and humility that will serve him well.

Today, Karutz creates and designs direct-media experiences—using both virtual reality and augmented reality—that tell stories concerning the environment and science.

"I'm focused on getting resources to the citizens that I represent to improve the quality of life for my neighbors, and my colleagues' neighbors across the State of Michigan," Jones says.

Gyasi's debut novel took seven years to finish. By the time it was done, the manuscript had sparked a bidding contest among 10 publishers.

Garcia is the founder of CoderDojo NYC, which teaches young people aged seven to 17 coding skills.