By becoming a Laidlaw Scholar, you are joining a vibrant community of passionate, diverse, and moral leaders who are eager to make our world a better place for everyone. All our scholars are ambitious, brave, curious, determined, extraordinary, fast, and good next generation leaders eager to embrace the power of research and moral leadership to solve the world’s most intractable problems.

The Laidlaw Scholars Network is our online platform that we created for everyone in the global Laidlaw community - current scholars, alumni, faculty, and our partner organisations. The Network encourages you to reinvest your skills, knowledge and experience to help others succeed by connecting with each other, sharing your research & leadership journeys, and staying active contributors of the Laidlaw community especially after you graduate.

So, here are 3 ways you can use the Network to excel as a Laidlaw Scholar.

Number 1: Putting Yourself Out There 

It is a place for you to dazzle, to stand out, and to impress others. It is where employers will come to search for the next generation leaders with smart ideas and a proven track record, and where your peers will look for connections.  

The most important thing for you as a new scholar is to take these 3 simple steps:

1. First of all, register as soon as possible. This is done by clicking on the link that your university sent you.
2. Fill out your profile completely. By completely I mean - upload a profile photo, write a short biography about yourself, and specify your contact details. This is how others will see you and be able to get in touch with you, so the more information about yourself you provide, the better.
3. Get uploading. Now that you have been accepted to the programme, publish your research proposal to get everyone excited about your upcoming research and the final report.  

And after your research is complete, you’re not going to let it collect dust on your desktop, are you? No, you’re going to take your research further and upload it into one of the research channels on the Network. Now that it is online, all you have to do is copy that link and paste it in a CV, or a grant application, or your portfolio. It’s not going to go anywhere, you’re not going to lose it, and it will add so much credibility to all the hard work & effort that you have put in. 

But the Network is not just a place where you post your research and never come back…

Number 2: Networking And Collaborating

Think bigger. You’ve filled out your profile, published your research, now what? By doing all those things, you are establishing yourself, your research interests, your passions, and these can now be discovered by someone else. Someone who is looking for like-minded peers, a potential hire, a mentor, or even a co-founder.

You can use the directories and the search function on the Network to find scholars who are doing research in a similar area, or who just have similar interests to you. This is an expert network, not just a general one - finding exceptional minds is easier than ever. You can be certain that everyone on this network already has something in common - it is your drive to innovate, to grow, to lead, to take action, and to make a change. And to do it by collaborating with each other to create something greater that you could have achieved on your own.

But it’s a two-way street. You have to make an effort, you have to spend 5 minutes uploading a picture, writing a short bio, and including your contact details. You have to put yourself out there and open up yourself to opportunities. By doing this, you will enter a pool of exceptional individuals who can come together in one place, connect with each other and make a change.

Number 3: Helping Yourself And Influencing Others 

You can also use the Network for personal and professional development. There are already hundreds of research papers, resources about leadership such as our very own podcast, The Good Leader, and in the News & Events channel you will be able to find the latest announcements and opportunities. And it’s only going to get better. At the moment we are working on delivering the most stimulating and useful content to you such as webinars and courses.

The Network is also where you can share your own thoughts, document your journey, and publish your reflections on a regular basis. That is the purpose of the Scholars Stories channel. 

We all know that self-reflection is a power tool of development, so write about how your research is going, and share takeaways from a conference or experiences from an expedition. Not only is it good for your own self-development, but your posts will allow others to grow as well.

If you have any questions, comment below or get in touch using the contact details on my profile. You can also message me using the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of the site! 

P.S. If you are looking to master the technical aspects of the site, we have a brief course where you can learn now to upload a document, set up video panels, etc. 

You can also use the Network Guide to find out more.