About Matt Fry
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!
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Mindy Duggan
Youth Transition Services Facilitator at Boston Center for Independent Living, Tufts University
Areesha Imaan Siddiqui
MSc Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Student | Laidlaw Alumni Scholar, Goldsmiths University
Popular Content
Kitchen-Top Chemistry
A brief recount of the project I undertook for the Leadership in Action portion of Laidlaw. There were plenty of ups and downs over the course of the past few weeks, but overall it's been great fun. Developing chemistry experiments that young people can do at home isn't as simple as it sounds...
My Laidlaw Experience: a retrospective
I reflect on the unpredictable events that lead me to Laidlaw, and how my experience on the programme has been coloured by equally unforseeable circumstances. We're in quarantine anyway right, why not give it a look?
Recent Comments
Kitchen-Top Chemistry is gonna take Fife by storm! Loved the photos and of course the Mark Miodownik fandom made me smile. Awesome job Alice, absolutely smashed it.
I think people need to keep their eyes peeled for the new scientific communicator on the block...
Really insightful, Gwen. I enjoyed reading it, especially your take on perceived authenticity when leading in the real world rather than from an ivory tower. Lots to think about... We need a catch up soon!
Enjoyed reading it, Peter! Especially the dungeons and dragons link haha sounds like you had a cool Summer
Matt, I enjoyed reading your leadership reflection and look forward to my next year with Laidlaw (I'm in the 2021 cohort)!
I resonated with what you said about how trying to be "like" the next MLK Jr is not necessarily the best goal to set your sights on. I think that when we say that X is my role model we should be saying that they are our role model because we want to learn more about what makes them so impactful to us - their manner of speaking, their ability to make everyone in the team feel included, their willingness to take calculated risks. This would better help us grow and learn from these individuals because we've set a "goal" in our mind about who we want to be (well, more like we've done the first step of goal-setting which is to identify what you want to gain).
Hi Fatima, thanks for your kind words, and I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your Laidlaw journey!
You've completely hit the nail on the head with your interpretation of what I've written about role models. I think lots of people try to imitate impactful leaders, which is certainly one way to go, but when there are so many examples of good leaders out there, why would anybody restrict themselves to being similar to just one individual, when you can cherry-pick the best bits from a whole bunch?
Surrounding yourself with people who employ different leadership styles and come from different backgrounds is a really great way to widen your repertoire as a leader and help you hone your own leadership style too. If you want to talk anymore about this stuff, or Laidlaw in general, just let me know!
Wonderfully written! I really enjoyed reading this :D
Thanks Gwen! I look forward to reading yours, when is publishing day?
That photo is so aesthetic hahaha