Economics scholar researching my own alternative to GDP!

Environmental Science student

Hey! I do research in applied econometrics, human capital formation, and the economics of innovation. I develop and use causal inference methods to improve our understanding of early childhood skill development and how key actors, such as parents and teachers, influence its processes. I am driven to explore pathways whereby policies can reduce early disadvantages from the accident of birth. Another challenge to efficient labor markets is skill mismatches. Artificial intelligence has the potential to significantly transform production, employment, and labor markets as a general-purpose technology. I work on estimating labor market impacts from technological change, labor market trends, and identifying "skills of the future".

A motivated, results-driven and adaptable University of Leeds Laidlaw scholar alumni pursuing a career in finance in London. At university, I engaged in a variety of activities ranging from rowing to setting up a start up - Leeds Finsights. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help with anything or if you would like to know more about the opportunities I have been fortunate enough to engage with.

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

Alexandra Watson is a co-founder and executive editor of Apogee Journal, a national publication dedicated to highlighting marginalized voices in literature and the arts, where she has secured grant funding for community writing workshops through the New York State Council of the Arts and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She has taught in Columbia's Undergraduate Writing program and at the nonprofit college access program Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America, where she served as Assistant Director of Writing Instruction. She worked as an adjunct writing consultant in both Columbia and Baruch College's writing programs. She began teaching at Barnard in 2015. Her fiction, poetry, and interviews have appeared in Nat. Brut., Redivider, PANK, Lit Hub, the James Franco Review, and Apogee. She is the recipient of the 2019 PEN/Nora Magid Prize for Literary Magazine editing. She's working on her debut novel.

Alex was the Programme Director of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme from September 2021 - May 2024.  Prior to joining the Laidlaw Foundation Alex spent over a decade at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, where he most recently managed the university’s Laidlaw Scholars Programme. In addition, Alex taught leadership courses and guest-lectured internationally on the subjects of strategy and leadership. A bilingual speaker, dual national and keen traveller, Alex has lived, visited and worked in several countries around the world. During this time, he has had a unique opportunity to encounter and explore different cultures and working environments, experiencing first-hand what good leadership can achieve. His passion for this topic is driven by these experiences and a desire to challenge people to unlock their full leadership potential. Alex holds an MBA from the Open University and a Master of Research in Management from the University of St Andrews. He has also obtained Associate Fellow status with the Higher Education Academy. In his spare time, Alex is an avid skier and volunteers with a local guide dog organisation.

I'm a student of the Infection, Immunology and Translational Medicine PhD program at the University of Oxford, funded by the Wellcome Trust. My research is focused on the activation of the human immune system, specifically on how T cell coreceptors CD4 and CD8 contribute to lymphocyte activation by integrating signaling through the TCR. Although CD4 and CD8 are responsible for the extraordinary sensitivity of T cells to antigen, the molecular mechanisms by which they function are unclear. I am investigating the relative organization and dynamics of coreceptors as they accumulate at the immunological synapse through super-resolution imaging, spectroscopy, and biochemical analysis. This project is a collaborative effort with Prof. Simon Davis (Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine) with whom I undertook both my Masters’ project and a Laidlaw Scholarship.

Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholar. Fourth year undergraduate student at Durham university, studying for a Master's in physics and chemistry. The research has two strands. Firstly, to model the physical interactions between two membrane-bound organelles which are separated by a droplet (a droplet is defined as a membrane-less organelle herein). Secondly, to model the formation of droplets on flexible membranes. A joint approach of mathematical theory and computational modelling is being applied. The computational model is coded using the Python programming language. It is anticipated that the first research strand will determine whether membrane-bound organelles can be glued together by droplets, thereby providing a non-specific membrane adhesion mechanism. Comprehension of this mechanism is crucial for understanding how cells organise and function. A report on this strand (carried out in summer 2019) has not been published as this research has not yet obtained results. However, this work will be continued by a PhD student starting autumn 2020. The second strand will investigate the feasibility of droplet formation on intracellular surfaces, thereby challenging the current paradigm that droplet formation is not a surface phenomenon. This work will be further developed by a Masters student starting autumn 2020. This research will provide a quantitative insight into cellular organisation and function, which may have important consequences in better understanding how to treat diseases of the brain due to ageing, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of my studies I enjoy board-games, hill-walking and science outreach.