Reuben Morris-Dyer

Art History and Film Undergraduate, University of St Andrews

Hello! I'm Reuben, an Art History and Film student researching 'The Sonic Body: Technology, Embodiment, Gender' with the University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. I am also a student filmmaker and illustrator, and host 'The Theory of Everything Podcast' for StAR Radio.
Edgar Roberts (he/him)

Student, Durham University

Graduate in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) from Durham University. Have conducted research on climate security in the Israeli-Palestinian context. Experience in public speaking in an academic context, journalism, and journalistic editing.
Iñaki Iriarte is a Laidlaw Scholar working with UCL's Institute of the Americas on researching political representation in Brazil.
Alexandra Zhirnova

PhD Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic , University of Cambridge (Trinity College)

I work in the field of feminist theology, and my main interest is the history of modesty in Christian thought. 
Yip Wing Lam

Student, University of Oxford

Agoston Horanyi

Researcher & Sustainability Advisor, Studio Olafur Eliasson

Hullo! I'm postgrad student in St Andrews reading Sustainable Development with a focus on urban planning. My bachelor's degree at Durham centred around Chinese & French language, culture, and literature, which I'm still involved with on the side, along with photography and Continental & Eastern philosophy.
Inkindi Mutoni Sabine

STEM Subject Lead, University of Rwanda

I am a graduate of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Rwanda. I am also the STEM Subject Lead. My Laidlaw research project is about bringing a system that could help minimize the number of high-school and primary students who bring cell phones to school since it's one of the major sources of distraction. I did my Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University Africa, majoring in Cybersecurity and Data Science.
Hillary Yip

Student, The University of Hong Kong

Hi! I am Hillary from The University of Hong Kong majoring in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. My research aims to create a compound that specifically targets a cancer-related protein, and to investigate its mechanism and efficacy.
Zuzanna Ewa Kosobudzka

Student Researcher, UCL

Yibin Liu

Undergraduate schorlar, University College London

I graduated from UCL (BSc Economics) and LSE (MSc Economic History Research) and now a PhD student in economic and financial history at Queen’s Business School at Queen's University Belfast, funded by the Centre for Economics, Policy and History. My research focused on the financial crisis and institutions in Asian economies. I'm also interested in industrialization and inequality.
Sieun Lee

Student, UCL

Cath Brislane

2020-2021 Scholar, University of York (Alum)

I am an alumni of the University of York where I received a BA (Hons) degree in English Literature and Linguistics. I was the Arts and Humanities Subject Lead on the Laidlaw Scholar's Network and the 2020-22 Arts and Humanities Undergraduate rep at the University of York.  After graduating from York I went to the University of Oxford to read for an MPhil in Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics. After 2 years of study at Oxford I work full time in a school and also work on the HEnabled podcast, which aims to showcase the experiences of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions within the British Higher Education system. If you study or have studied at a British University and have a disability or long term-health condition, then I would love to have you on as a guest! Email henabled@gmail.com to get in touch. 
James R. Harrison

Laidlaw Alum, incoming MA-PhD student, Durham University

Final-year Durham student studying Politics; President of Durham Laidlaw Scholars' Organisation; Incoming ESRC-funded MA-PhD student in NINE DTP. My research so far has covered ideological identity in left-wing student activism, examining the interplay of social movement theory and the philosophy of identity, and my general research interests include citizenship education, democratic theory and the occasional bit of political anthropology. Outside of my studies it's mainly twentieth-century literature, cocktails and cooking!
This prestigious programme at UCL makes available 25 generous bursaries as part of its package of training and research opportunities. The Laidlaw Research and Leadership Programme aims to create the leaders of the future. It is open to ambitious high-performing first year undergraduate students in any discipline who have a desire to undertake research at a high level.
Giammarco Di Gregorio

PhD Student (Neuroscience), Durham University

I’m a proud care-experienced Neuroscientist. My research focuses on how serotonin and psychedelics shape neuroplasticity in brain regions greatly affected by early-life adversity. In my experiments, I measure how well brain cells can talk to each other during natural serotonin release and following the administration of classic psychedelics (e.g., magic mushrooms). Care-experienced young people represent one of the largest untapped STEM talent pools in the UK. They have all the potential required to succeed and yet, they are still eight times less likely to enrol in university and choose a STEM subject. Care-experienced young people don’t lack talent, they lack the opportunities to unlock it. In my early 20s, I migrated to the UK in search of a brighter future, when I still couldn't speak the language. During my time in care, I struggled at school and didn’t do well academically. But the Foundation Programme at Durham University gave me the chance to catch up and build the confidence I needed. Four years later, I graduated at Durham as the top student in my cohort - with an average mark of over 80%. Only when potential meets opportunity talent can thrive. Driven by this belief, I founded WISHFULICIOUS to give children in care and care-experienced young people the opportunity to see that STEM isn’t just for “someone else” - it’s for them too. To start-up this initiative, I’ve baked and sold cookies, run a small online fundraising campaign, and am now part of the The CareLeaders Fellowship where I’m working to lay the foundation for delivering our first STEM programme. If you share this mission or simply want to help open doors for care-experienced people, I’d love to connect and hear from you!
Chiara Maurino

student, Durham

I am passionate about literature and foreign languages. I love creative writing and hope to pursue a career in an artistic field. A lot of my research involved finding out about the horrific military dictatorships in Argentina and Uruguay towards the end of the 20th century. For this reason, I have become really interested in the notion of emotional trauma, how it can leave invisible scars on a population, and how it can haunt a nation. I'm also a huge fan of podcasts and hope to start my own one day! I'm in love with The Poetry Exchange podcast and the BBC Arts and Ideas!
Emma Franck-Gwinnell

Associate (Dispute Resolution), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

Hello! I'm Emma, a 2017 Undergraduate Leadership & Research Programme alumna and one of the Founding Co-Presidents of the Laidlaw Alumni Society. My 2017 Undergraduate Research project focused on UK legislation which requires certain organisations to publish an annual statement about the efforts they are making to stop modern slavery in their supply chains. In particular, I looked at whether this legislation was really making a difference in the fight against modern slavery in supply chains. At the time, I concluded that the legislation was largely ineffective - however, you'll be pleased to know that, just a few years later, topics such as modern slavery in supply chains have risen much further up the corporate agenda (for various reasons largely unrelated to the UK legislation). These days, I work as a lawyer. For the first few years of my career, I advised corporate clients on ESG disputes and regulation (including matters relating to modern slavery statements!). I am about to start a new, exciting chapter of my legal career, working to develop two nuclear projects which will help the UK to achieve net zero by 2050 and ensure that its energy supply is secure.