The Tales of Other Journeys Serve as Milestones For My Own: A Reflection
After months of anticipation, my Laidlaw journey has finally begun. On Monday, I attended the Welcome and Celebration Event, wherein incoming 2026 Research and Leadership scholars from Durham University were given the opportunity to hear the stories of graduating 2024 scholars, followed by an hour of networking (and free food!).
Sitting in a lecture hall, quietly listening to strangers give speech after speech, was somewhat reminiscent of prize-giving ceremonies at my old secondary school, so I was more than thankful that the contents of these speeches were both interesting and personally relevant.
In particular, one graduating scholar recounted their experience of researching disability in UK cathedral choirs via interviews, only to be met with a seemingly endless span of closed doors. The insular nature of these institutions meant they were reluctant to speak to an ‘outsider’. While the research design of my project this summer means I am unlikely to encounter this same issue, the resilience of the scholar and how they learned to navigate these obstacles will act as an example to think back on when I face setbacks of my own. Moreover, as a psychology and anthropology student, it is likely that my future research pursuits will step into the social research territory, at which time it will be even more prudent to recall this story.
At the networking event, there were research posters from former scholars dotted around the room (as well as the aforementioned free food!). However, I was naturally eager to meet my fellow 2026 scholars, and quickly found a few I could talk with for hours, so much so that I didn’t have the chance to read through any poster in detail. I imagine they'll be posted on this network somewhere, so I will have to make sure I find and read through the ones which struck me when I have the time.
I connected with more than just my cohort, too – I also met a graduating scholar, the Community Engagement Lead for the Laidlaw Foundation, and reunited with my research supervisor.
Speaking with my supervisor reminded me exactly why I am so grateful to be working with her: she is still embroiled in data collection leading up to my project, very willing to further discuss details with another meeting, and even offered me a key to a hot-desking space to do my work! The next day, when looking over my reading lists for next year, I discovered my research supervisor will be teaching one of my modules. Even better, much of the reading for that particular module is extremely relevant to my research project, so I’ve made a headstart on it. In particular, I found a paper about STRANGE samples – elucidating the ways in which animal behavioural research samples are often biased, and how we can evaluate that bias – fascinating, and I will be sure to include the STRANGE framework in the limitations section of my research report.
Overall, I am very excited to be starting my Laidlaw journey, and I hope to reflect on it often so that when I look back in the future, I can (hopefully) see how far I’ve come.
Hello! I’m Astra, a student at Durham University studying BSc Psychology and Anthropology, and part of the 2026 cohort of Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholars.
My research project this summer will seek to compare social tolerance behaviours in children and vervet monkeys. I will be creating a quantitative dataset by applying an ethogram to 17.5 hours of experimental footage, and subsequently analysing it in R. At the end, I hope to deliver both a research paper and research poster with my findings.
Through this research and in my future career, I hope to investigate the overlap between psychology and anthropology in order to apply the different approaches for a more holistic understanding of how people work.
If you have any questions or would just like to chat, please feel free to reach out!
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Thank you for sharing your reflections, Astra. I really enjoyed reading them, particularly because your enthusiasm for research shines through so clearly. It is wonderful to see how quickly you are already making connections between the experiences you've had, the literature you're reading and your own research project. Your discussion of the STRANGE framework is a great example of this—you are already thinking critically about how you can strengthen your own work, which is an excellent habit to develop early in your research journey.
I also appreciated your reflections on the graduating scholars' presentations. Your observation about resilience in research was particularly insightful. Every research project presents its own challenges, whether they are methodological, practical or unexpected, and recognising that resilience is part of the research process will undoubtedly serve you well over the summer.
It was also lovely to read about the conversations you had during the networking session. One of the real strengths of the Laidlaw programme is the community it creates, and it sounds as though you have already begun building relationships with fellow scholars, alumni and your supervisor. Those conversations often become just as valuable as the formal sessions themselves.
As you continue your reflections over the coming weeks, I'd encourage you to think not only about your development as a researcher, but also about your development as a leader. Some of the ideas explored during the Global Induction and our leadership sessions—whether around values, communication, collaboration or learning from different perspectives—can sometimes reveal their significance over time, particularly once you begin applying them in your research and while working with others. It will be interesting to see how your thoughts on these develop as your Laidlaw journey progresses.
Thank you again for sharing your reflections. Your curiosity, analytical thinking and willingness to engage deeply with your research are already evident, and I look forward to seeing how both your research and leadership perspectives continue to grow over the course of the programme.