I am a first year medical student at the University of St. Andrews with an interest in community, maternal and global health. Growing up in a small rural town has fostered my interest in preventative health care and illustrated to me the importance of having a health system that works together, throughout all tiers and levels. When I'm not in Scotland or talking about medicine, you can find me at home in Canada with my friends and family; hiking, surfing or spending time outside!

I am an incoming MPhil candidate in Medieval History at the University of Oxford. Alongside my research specialism of late medieval religious and social history, other interests of mine include social and labour history in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, the history of medieval devotional objects, and nineteenth-century art. My research project was supervised by Drs Amy Blakeway and Jacqueline Rose. Titled 'History, religion and community in North East Fife', my project investigated the history of the village of Kingsbarns using archival material and interviews. My essay was a social history of the area, with a section on historical methodology. This was later supplemented with an oral account of the church in its current form by one of its contemporary administrators. In my second summer, I created and hosted a local history workshop in collaboration with the Boomerang Community Centre in Stobswell, Dundee. This combined archival research with an empowering leadership project, which encouraged participants to continue to investigate historical topics they are passionate about. The workshop was greatly successful, and feedback from the participants was wholly positive.

I'm a Scottish mathematician studying at St. Andrews University. I am inquisitive by nature and thus have split my degree into pure and applied maths modules to reflect this, in hopes to deepen my understanding of logic and reasoning, while also staying in touch with the reality. I especially enjoy pure mathematics which is useful in the real world, such as fractal geometry and number theory. In my spare time I like to do martial arts, having done Judo for several years and recently joined Ju Jitsu. I also enjoy reading Science fiction, playing piano, and learning more about politics, science & economics.

I am the founder of buddhistphilosophy.co.uk where I currently host podcasts with expert guests in Buddhist philosophical practice and theory. With this project, I am to contribute toward correcting the entrenched Eurocentric bias in philosophy by creating an inclusive space for learning about Buddhist philosophy. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I have researched on researched philosophy of time, Buddhist philosophy, and philosophy of language. My research output includes a paper entitled Meaning in Gibberish (forthcoming in Aporia). I have presented this paper and discussed related issues in talks and workshops at the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh. Language learning holds a high in priority in my studies and research. I have studied some Pali (OCBS levels 1 and 2) and I read French fluently. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any interest in the following: Buddhism, Buddhist philosophy, Ambedkar studies, women and Buddhist philosophy, cross-cultural philosophy, critical theory, French philosophy, Laruelle’s non-philosophy, non-Buddhism, philosophy of nonsense, philosophy of death.

I'm a 4th Year undergraduate geology student at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, UK. My Laidlaw research is focused primarily on understanding how early life interacted with its environment and how this environment may have in turn impacted upon lives evolution. In summer 2019, I undertook 2 weeks fieldwork in South Africa for my Laidlaw scholarship, collected samples and images. My research scope has adapted as I have continued my Laidlaw journey. I started off by looking at what 2.5 billion-year-old (Ga) rocks can tell us about the chemistry of ancient oceans, but after my fieldwork, I changed my focus to look at even older (3.47 Ga) rocks which contain evidence of some of the oldest life on Earth. I am spending summer 2020 investigating how the organisms preserved in these rocks may have biomineralised magnetic minerals and used these to navigate using Earth's magnetic field. I'm a classic crazy rock person, with a passion for the outdoors, rock music, and extreme sports like whitewater kayaking and mountain biking. I grew up in the Scottish Borders and have spent my life exploring the Scottish Mountains. Geology has taken me all over the world so far, from Greenland to the Alps and the U.A.E., and I'm certainly looking forward to more adventures to come!

I'm a third-year English student at the University of St Andrews! My primary research areas are Early Modern Literature and I am particularly interested in the intersection of religious beliefs and gender roles at that time. In my spare time, I'm a CV adviser with the University's careers centre and I manage the programming at St Andrews Radio - the only radio station in 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.

Laidlaw Scholar at the University of St Andrews. Studying for an MA in Philosophy and International Relations. Undertaking a leadership in Action Project for WORI (Women's Rights Initiative Uganda) researching de-colonialised methods for NGOs to develop international outreach. My research interests particularly surround political philosophy, critical theory and the construction of political identities. Current Editor in chief of 'Aporia' the St. Andrews undergraduate journal of Philosophy.

I am a fifth-year studying Theoretical Physics at the University of St Andrews. My research is about quantum thermodynamics, more specifically on how a two-level quantum dot behaves in a dissipative environment with memory. I am also the President of the Physics Society, where we aim to foster a strong community and host academic and careers focused events that help the students learn and network. I can usually be found knitting a scarf or two whilst enjoying a good cup of tea.

I'm a third-year student at St Andrews studying English! My research is into spoken word poetry and its connection to politics, particularly in Edinburgh (it's a bit niche but I love it). I am also part of the feminist society and a public face of Nightline. I love to meet new people and bake what is objectively too much shortbread at odd hours.

The Laidlaw Scholarship Programme in Research and Leadership is sponsored by a generous donation from The Rt Hon Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay, an honorary graduate of the University. This exciting programme equips students with the skills and values to become the leaders of tomorrow in their chosen discipline and beyond University. Over two years Scholars complete a bespoke, intensive leadership training programme. In addition, they participate in two periods of research during which they work on designing, pursuing and reporting a research question in collaboration with an academic in their chosen School. This programme is open to undergraduate students in their penultimate year of study. Please see the Laidlaw website for more information at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/go/laidlaw

Hi everyone, I am Joshua, currently serving as the Alumni Society president. I was selected for Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholarship in 2020 at UCL. I am doing my MSc Management degree now at Imperial College London. I have experience with Entrepreneurship, Fashion, Marketing, and Data Science. Feel free to reach out to me if I can help!

I am a passionate and enterprising individual about to start her Honours career in Art History at the University of St. Andrews. My main interests are art, literature and public affairs, which I am trying to pursue both at university and in my research "Artistic translations of Dante's Inferno". I am deeply committed to connect my own Italian educational background with the experiences I am making abroad, as it emerges also from my research topic: I advocate for a better understanding of my culture but also a wider integration in a globalised academic environment. I am always looking for opportunities in the art world, with focus on the art market and investment sector, and I am also open to any kind of entrepreneurial programme for young women, since I see my faculty of choice as just a starting point for my future career, rather than a closed sector.

I am a current undergraduate student at St. Andrews University and am part of the 2020/2021 Laidlaw cohort. I am a history and international relations joint honours student at the university. I am extremely passionate about historical research, especially early modern gender studies and intellectual history. My interest in international relations lies in decolonial studies and activism, as well as the burgeoning field of feminist research. My research project for the summer of 2020 is a study of the representation of the wives of Henry VIII in popular media. I hope to explicate both the modern influence in these representations, as well as tracing the historical mythos surrounding these women by examining similarities to much older popular media about these Queens.

Hi! My name is Charlie I’m born and raised in Australia but am currently doing my bachelor’s degree in the UK at the University of St Andrews studying International Relations and Psychology. During my time at university, I have also studied Arabic and Italian and in the future, I would love to work in political psychology helping to develop human rights, and climate action policy and campaigns. My research project is, therefore, looking at social identity and climate change reform as I aim to investigate how environmentalism is represented and the extent to which it encourages or marginalises groups from collective action. So if you are also working on something like this or know an expert in the field please get in touch, I would love to hear from you! I'm a diligent worker and have worked in a variety of positions in hospitality, environmentalism, and communications. This includes being a public speaking and debating coach, a legal administrative assistant and a research assistant at Licella, a renewable energies firm. I am passionate about the environment and protecting our planet and love spending time in the outdoors. In my free time, I enjoy cooking and inventing new recipes! My friends describe me as a bit of an amateur chef but otherwise, I love being active and sail competitively for my University team as well as surfing when I'm at home. I would describe myself as adventurous, extroverted, pro-active and open-minded. Having done a fair amount of solo travelling in the past I am capable of being independent and self-sufficient, however, I thrive in groups and love learning from other people’s experiences and expertise.

I'm a chemist at the University of St Andrews, but in my time here I've dabbled in several different subject areas: Spanish, Italian, Maths and Computer Science as well as Chemistry. Although these seem quite different fields, they share a commonality, in that there is some formal grammar underpinning each of them. If you understand the rules, you can manipulate these tools to accomplish a certain goal - be that synthesising a particular molecule or having a conversation. I'm a keen linguist, having spent time teaching English in one of the top private schools in Spain, and regularly attend evening Italian classes. I enjoy most areas of Chemistry, particularly organic mechanism and fluorescence - hence the focus of my project. I'm always looking for new opportunties inside or outside the lab, and would like to explore the field of patent law as I think it fuses my interests quite nicely. It'd be great to meet any like minded people, so feel free to send me a message!

I'm a Philosophy and German student at St Andrews with interests in intersectionality, theory and community-oriented work. Presently, I am interested in colonialism in German public memory, Orientalism in literature and epistemic (in)justice. I would love to talk about ice hockey, ballet and gardening!