Hi, I'm a Durham University undergraduate studying Economics and Politics. My Laidlaw Scholarship independent research project focuses on 'Youth Employment Experiences in the Informal-Formal Nexus of the Indian Labour Market’ and explores the employment aspirations of India’s youth in an economic environment that is characterised by increasing job precariousness. I am a published author, and my recently-released book ‘Why People Give’ (Sage Publications), which discusses the motivations that drive philanthropy. I am also a NextGen leader at the Aspen Institute and discuss how the potential of artificial intelligence can be realised in an ethical manner with other thinkers. Currently spending my days reading, sketching and watching a lot of Netflix in between planning my next projects!

Hello! I'm Riccardo, Laidlaw Scholar of the 2019 cohort. I'm passionate about technology and how it can aid our transition to a more ethical and sustainable society. My Undergraduate Scholarship research focused on the  theoretical side of quantum computing: the physics of open dissipative quantum systems. These days, I work as R&D analyst, quantifying financial risk and developing models, tools and processes to extract information from insurance data.

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 4th-year Theoretical Physics student at Trinity College Dublin. For my research project, I will analyse data from the Zwicky Transient Factory to establish a relation between supernova explosions and their host galaxies and determine a subsample of Type Ia Supernovae that will help us constrain the origin of dark energy.

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.

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.

Hi, I'm Yung-Hsuan from the beautiful Formosa Taiwan! I'm a political science student double majoring in economics, learning 3 languages (French, Stata, and R), and aiming to become an international politics analyst. Drop me an email anytime!

My Laidlaw Research is set to explore World Cave art as an emotional and educational vehicle to decolonizing practices through the use of new technologies. Starting with a documentary pilot, I only hope to help shed more light onto conversations that are today more vital than ever, in such a beautiful yet maddening world unquestionably still lost in the dark. Currently chasing my childhood's 'American dream' with an enduring will, I am currently studying for a BA of Archaeology & Heritage at the University of York with the aim of pursuing a career in Museums in the United States. I previously worked professionally in the international film and television industry in Australia and France, including film productions as an independent filmmaker where I have focused on Australia’s colonial history. My ambition is to unite my creative side to a career in Heritage Archaeology to explore decolonizing practices in global context, and help blaze new trails towards a more inclusive future.

I am currently an undergraduate at Columbia University, studying biophysics. My research interests fall in the intersection of biophysics and neuroscience.

Visit my website https://arvomm.com/

I have spent the last 10 years working on the concept of mental fitness, as counter to the old stigmatized concept of mental health. I am hugely interested in how people can develop resilience and endurance. This has led me to studying applied psychology. My Laidlaw scholarship research project has been looking into the effects of emotion on the performance of Ultramarathon runners at distances of both 60 miles and 110 miles. This is the first sports psychology study that has attempted to measure this actually within-race rather than just pre and post race. Since suffering a nervous breakdown in 2009, and finally admitting to himself his own mental health and alcohol problems. A period of his life that is now looked upon as the positive beginning of a new chapter. Paul has gone on to build an awarding social enterprise BCT Aspire CIC, completed numerous high-profile endurance challenges and applied his learning to helping others and now supporting his academic journey as a mature student. BCT Aspire CIC has over the last decade delivered thousands of successful youth sessions and activity programmes for local children & young people on Teesside. Currently BCT Aspire delivers five youth sessions every week in Billingham including; Youth clubs, fitness sessions, music lessons, Duke of Edinburgh Awards and community events all with a voluntary team. A former talented Rugby player who represented England North at his peak, Paul’s attempt to get to grips with his problems led him to begin walking. This resulted in a 3000 miles adventure spanning the length of Europe, from the Southern Tip of Italy to the edge of the Orkney Islands, also passing through France, England & Scotland. All completed without support and relying on the human kindness of strangers. This has been followed up by running single stage ultramarathons up to 160 miles and last year completed the Wainwrights Coast to Coast completely barefoot to raise funds for his work and supporting his belief in positive thinking. Paul’s first two EBooks from the “Jumping the Cliff” series have topped the Amazon EBook charts for both Depression, Anxiety & Mental Health sections, with his next book from his six-week journey across Italy now out in paperback. Paul started his speaking career talking to pupils at a school with children who had behavioural problems, a place where Paul gained the courage to talk about his own way of trying to reset his own learnt behaviours. Since then he has given talks to a cross section of people including business people, professional sportsmen, youth groups, colleges & universities. Paul has also won numerous Business & Community Awards for his diverse range of work including; Entrepreneurs Forum Emerging Talent 2012; Evening Gazette’s Community Champion for Children & Young People 2012; Gazette Community Awards Finalist twice (Ambassador & Fundraising), Teesside Philanthropic Charity – Teesside Hero Paul is a qualified outdoor leader with BCT Aspire CIC who enjoys sharing these skills with people aiming to build confidence and also relaxing on the hills with his dog Molly and now his young son Pavel. Paul currently mixes his role as Managing Director of BCT Aspire, with speaking work, and studying applied psychology at Durham University. This also includes holding a prestigious Laidlaw scholarship for emerging global research talent, currently researching the mental approaches of endurance athletes. Furthermore, a trustee of Catalyst Stockton on Tees the VCSE infrastructure body for the area.

I am passionate about literature and foreign languages. I love creative writing and hope to pursue a career in an artistic field. A lot of my research involved finding out about the horrific military dictatorships in Argentina and Uruguay towards the end of the 20th century. For this reason, I have become really interested in the notion of emotional trauma, how it can leave invisible scars on a population, and how it can haunt a nation. I'm also a huge fan of podcasts and hope to start my own one day! I'm in love with The Poetry Exchange podcast and the BBC Arts and Ideas!

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!

Recently graduated Geology student @ the University of St Andrews. Am now working towards an MSc (Research) in Earth Sciences @ the University of St Andrews. I am interested in early Earth, early life, and the mechanics of magma systems.

I am a Year 3 student at The University of Hong Kong and I am pursuing Biomedical Science as my major and Genetics as my minor. I like to keep up with the latest innovations and research in the biomedical field and aspire to be a researcher in the near future myself. As a Laidlaw Scholar, my research project will be focusing on developing a new cancer therapy delivery system by synthesizing and employing use of photosensitive, drug-carrying nanoparticles which can be triggered by light irradiation to accumulate in the esophageal tumor cells and release cancer drugs such as docetaxel. Prior to this project, I have had experience in working in a Neuromodulation Laboratory where I was part of a projecting testing the effects of hippocampal Deep Brain Stimulation and methionine drug administration on depression, anxiety and memory using animal models.