I am graduated in Business Administration from University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), with a double degree at the Kedge Business School (France). I had experience at Grameen Bank (Bangladesh), was ambassador of the Brazil Conference at Harvard & MIT 2016, Hansen Summer Institute Fellow 2017, Yunus & Youth Fellow 2018, finalist for the Folha de S. Paulo 2019 Social Entrepreneur Award (Grain Trophy category), One Young World ambassador 2021 and now LaidLaw scholar (2022-2023)! In 2015, I co-founded the Sao Paulo team of Litro de Luz, which brings solar lighting to communities without adequate access to electricity, and in 2016 assumed the presidency of the organisation in Brazil. My passion is to generate positive impact through social entrepreneurship!

I am a Lecturer at the School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews, UK. My research involves the multi-wavelength -- ultraviolet, optical and infrared -- study of accreting compact objects, such as white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes and more recently of super-massive black holes. I am currently the PI of a Key Project at the Las Cumbres Observatory to perform reverberation mapping experiments of Active Galactic Nuclei. This project employs a world-wide network of telescopes to observe, throughout the optical part of the spectrum, variability of the material plunging into the supermassive black hole. I'm also interested in transient astronomy and instrumentation, being part of the science team behind OPTICam, a new multi-band camera for the Mexican National Observatory.

I was fortunate enough to conduct academic research under the supervision of Stephen Gethins,  Professor of Practice in International Relations at the University of St Andrews and now a sitting MP. Stephen introduced me to a truly fascinating yet often overlooked area of International Relations: sub-state and regional actors and their place in global politics, with a focus on Scotland in particular. Through this, I have developed an interest in Scotland's place in the world as a nation without an independent foreign office, but as a nation with extensive international influence and a powerful global diaspora. This topic formed the basis of my Laidlaw project, my undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation, and my PhD. I take a keen interested in other academic fields such as politics, history, and philosophy. Although an International Relations and Sociology student first and foremost, I had the opportunity of studying Ancient History and Classics alongside my degree for two years. If I were to ever win the lottery, you would find me endlessly cycling University, spending my remaining days studying Ancient History and Philosophy, Politics, Anthropology, Theology, Theoretical Physics and Maths, or whatever subject I develop an interest in down the line. Since leaving the University of St Andrews and the Laidlaw Programme, I completed an MRes degree at the University of Glasgow in Sociology and Research Methods. I received a scholarship for a PhD in Sociology at the University of Glasgow which I am completing part-time in addition to my role as Research Officer at Carers Trust Scotland - a charity supporting unpaid carers which I had previously volunteered for. My PhD is a continuation of my Scottish diaspora studies, seeking to reconcile the notion of 'civic Scottishness' with the Scottish identity of the lived diaspora.  

I study International Relations and Russian at the University of St Andrews', and have a specific interest in the history, cultures and politics of the everyday. I am particularly interested in identity and security in the post-Soviet space, especially Central Asia. I'm looking to take these interests into practice and policy. This summer, I've been researching the interplay between regional foreign policy and how interacts with the development of state identities, by conducting research and then fieldwork in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  I'm also an adventure cycling obsessive and love being outdoors (even in the Scottish weather). 

An aspiring Clinical Psychologist, currently an undergraduate studying Psychology (Integrated MSci) at the University of York. I see a future in which mental healthcare is adaptive to an individual's cultural and personal needs. I am also interested in alternative/ complimentary therapies for treatment resistant mood disorders such as deep brain stimulation and psilocybin therapy. My current research involves working with a Prosopagnosic (face blind) individual to better understand how we both learn and recognise faces.  For my Leadership in Action programme, I am working with "MakeSense", an organisation based in Mexico City. I am developing a social empowerment project supporting rural communities in Mexico.  

Hi, my name is Tina. 😄 I am from University of York, studying Interactive Media. My project is to explore how the VR technology can help people to better understand about dyslexia.  My passion in gaming, storytelling and content design motivate me to look into ways these can be applied to impact public awareness about disabilities in a positive way. Please feel free to contact with me on chat, email or instagram. I am looking forward to have a chat with you ;)