Michael Sutherland

Student, Saint Andrews University
Joseph Edwards

Student, University of St Andrews

I am currently a fifth year student studying for an MMath Mathematics at the University of St Andrews. During the summer of 2021, I undertook a research project into Algebraic Constraint Geometry and Graph Rigidity. In the summer of 2022, I undertook a Leadership in Action Project in Fiji with Think Pacific. Alongside maths, I also really enjoy playing around with computers! At the moment, I am learning how to use HTML and Ruby so that I can host and maintain my own website. I also hope to take a course on machine learning soon. Outside of academia, I am a big fan of the outdoors. For the past two years I have been learning to kayak and have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore Scotland whilst doing so.
Ania Bajerska

Laidlaw Undergraduate Research Scholar, St Andrews

I am a second-year student at the University of St Andrews, pursuing a Joint Honours Degree in Economics and Sustainable Development. My vision is to enable more sustainability-oriented initiatives through financial tools and market-based solutions. One of my other interests is literature, that is why my summer research project is an attempt to understand the representation of nature in current children’s environmental literature and define the relationships between “nature literacy”, education, sustainability and social transition. Outside of my studies I enjoy staying active (water sports are my favourite) and baking.
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
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.
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!
Gwendoline

Student, St Andrews

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!
Alice Martin

Student, University of St Andrews

I am a first year chemistry PhD student at the University of St Andrews, interested in many fields of chemistry, but particularly areas within inorganic and physical chemistry. My research project is supervised by Dr. Petr Kilian focusing on the synthesis and characterisation of peri-substituted aromatic systems. These previously un characterised compounds have many applications within green chemistry, particularly within catalysis.
Emma Porter

Student, University of St Andrews

I'm an Ancient History and Archaeology graduate from St Andrews University, and Oxford University. My laidlaw research was in Medieval Heresy and Inquisition, combining practical GIS and mapping skills commonly used in archaeology, textual analysis, and data analysis, to experiment with alternative ways of presenting historical research. However, my current interests lie in studying craft networks and technological exchange in the Ancient Aegean, as well as the influence of marginalised people in the historical record on them.
I am a tertian undergraduate student of Physics and Mathematics, University of St Andrews, Scotland. With a background in biology, my interests lie in rewilding, quantum biology, and integrated ecological restoration (think a mixture of art history, mathematical modelling, biodiverisity surveying, &c.&c.). I am an avid hiker; some of my fondest memories are of climbing Mt Chimborazo while volunteering in Ecuador, running wild in the bush in my home country, New Zealand, and exploring the French Pyrenees. When not tackling differential equations or mountains, I indulge in painting and writing poetry.
Caitlin Gough

Student, University of Leeds

Hi! I am studying chemistry at The University of Leeds, I am an Undergraduate Scholar doing a research project titled 'The Upper Atmosphere of Mars'.
Marika Schenkels

Student, University of St. Andrews

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!
James Samuel

Student, University of Oxford

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.
Lucia Guercio

Student, University of St. Andrews

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.