Joshua Butcher

LLM Candidate in International Comercial Law, Newcastle University | Incoming Associate at PwC
Aaron Koay

PhD Researcher in Global Health, University College London

I am a PhD researcher in Global Health at University College London. I am also a qualified pharmacist (MPharm and BSc Pharm) with an MSc degree in sociology. My research interests include global health, health inequity, health policy, politics and systems and gender. More details are available here.
Michael Jelly

Analyst/Founder, Deloitte/Ethi

My Laidlaw project was in Political Psychology, and investigated how a citizen's level of political knowledge affected their political engagement, satisfaction and self-efficacy within politics. I'm a cofounder at Ethi, a technology startup where we're helping users to understand and control the personal data that companies like Facebook and Google have collected about them. I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and have since learnt to code - the most empowering decision of my life so far. I'd recommend freecodecamp.org to anyone that wants to do the same.
William Davis

Student, University of York

My Laidlaw project focused on detecting components of underarm body odour in clothing through GCMS, but I have a broad range of interests in biology. I have recently been awarded a Sainsbury undergraduate studentship in plant science, which will support an 8 week research project at the John Innes Centre. During this project, I will investigate regulatory interactions between novel P-type cyclins and bHLH transcription factors required for iron stress responses in plants. My other interests include developmental biology and transcriptomics. I'm always happy to discuss ideas and answer questions!
Tierney Holloway

Supporter Relations Officer, University of York

Susan Kane

Head of People and Organoisational Development , University of York

Penny Foster

Development Partner - Laidlaw Scholars, University of York

Michalina Lesinska

3rd year Economics student, University of York

Despite being an Economics student - and I do like Economics - my research project looked into right-wing market resistance, particularly boycotts. Having conducted an exploratory study of the phenomena in my first research period, I later worked on developing a scale that could be used to measure consumers' propensity to boycott. Thanks to the Laidlaw Scholarship I learnt that I love doing research so much that I would like it to become a basis of my career.
Michaela Kadlecová

Student, University of York

I am passionate about all things education! My long-term mission is to see schools full of energised and elevated students, who are ready to lead happy and successful lives. My research project looks at to what extent is there a competency gap between vocational student graduates and employer needs within the labour markets of the Czech Republic and Finland. The findings of my project will hopefully ensure that every graduate is ready to enter the ever-evolving workplace motivated and prepared.
Jasmine Onstad

Student, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

I am a postgraduate philosophy student at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain and my research brings together psychology, philosophy and politics. I aim for my work to be as interdisciplinary as possible, encompassing theoretical explorations as well as empirical research. In my first period of Laidlaw research, I reviewed the psychological literature on cognitive biases and developped a model for understanding the internal and environmental factors which lead to polarization. In my second research period, I applied this knowledge directly to politics, focusing on the role of flawed individuals in a democracy. With the rise of populism and the current breakdown of democratic processes globally, it is not a stretch to say that many modern democracies are failing. How much does this have to do with the irrational tendencies of individuals and how much is down to failures in the democratic institutions themselves? My research applies the findings of cognitive bias research to the political sphere and uses it as a jumping-off point to explore the ways that democracy must be adapted to combat new challenges posed by technology and our evolving understanding of human nature.
Igors Dubanevics

Masters Student, University of York

Emil Chi

Undergraduate Chemist, University of York

Nikol Chen

Design and Development Manager, Laidlaw Foundation

Hello! I am a multidisciplinary designer and have been with the Laidlaw Foundation for over five years, working to strengthen our global Scholar community and amplify the impact of our programmes. My work lives somewhere between design, education, and anthropology, usually with sticky notes involved. I studied Human Sciences as an undergrad and am currently doing a Master’s in Anthropology at UCL. Degrees I struggle to explain at parties. Born and raised in Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 Outside of work? Probably in the ceramics studio, wandering aimlessly with a podcast in my ears, attempting a handstand, or watching far too much TV. Big fan of nature and very small bugs.
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.
Elif True

Researcher , University of York

Since 2015, I have been passionate about ending poverty in the UK. I began my journey as a campaigner against poverty in my local area with Poverty Ends Now, a young person lead group ran by Children North East. Since then, I have represented the UK in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and other positions of influence with poverty as my main focus point. My Laidlaw Scholarship research project is all about the relationship between language, meaning and poverty. By understanding and changing unhelpful public discourse about poverty, we can start to shift power.
Evelyn Greeves

Laidlaw Scholar, University of York

I am studying a potential new species of testate amoeba from Cors Fochno, a sphagnum peat bog in North Wales.
Martha Gillberg

Research Assistant, Business Plan for Peace

I am a Politics, Philosophy and Economics graduate who is greatly interested in peace-building and its direct impact on immigration policy. I have always had a strong strong passion and motivation to make a positive social impact, for my Laidlaw Research Project I was researching alternative and cost-effective education system that could be embedded in the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) to guarantee refugees’ educational rights. This required me to conduct extensive research, economic modelling and to think outside the traditional norms of education to find a solution. This is a project I am still working to develop further- if you have any interest in this, reach out and let's have a virtual coffee. I am currently spending my gap year working for Business Plan for Peace to encourage disinvestment in the industry of war, and instead pushing for private funding in initiatives that make peace profitable for the investors. If you are a part of a private company that would like who would like to expand their philanthropic commitment while being an active part of making peace-building a profitable industry- please do reach out!
Raphael Peralta

Student , University of York

Passionate biologist venturing into the wonderful world of applied science. LaidLaw Project: Developing a novel natural technology for combating algal growth in fish tanks. Research includes: 1. Characterised the microbial community in a fish tank experiencing a severe algae bloom. 2. Used microcosm experiments to test algal interactions with other microorganisms. 3. Developing a way to apply the promising results from my previous work to the aquarium ecosystem.
Janice Caldwell

Student, University of York

Organic geochemistry, analytical chemistry
It is only fitting that a leading university offers a prestigious course in leadership. The Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Scholarship at the University of York equips self-motivated and ambitious undergraduate students with the knowledge, skills and experience to become leaders in their chosen fields.