Alicia Sanz Maestro

Student, University of York

Hi! I'm Alicia and I am a fourth year Chemistry student at the University of York. I'm especially interested in the development of new materials for biomedical applications but I'm always open to learn about different areas of research in Chemistry!
Abijuru Antoinette

Student , University of Rwanda

I'm chemist undergraduate student from UR-CST .Currently, I am conducting a research on how humic acid can be extracted from compost materials which are disposed at landfills .Humic acid is known to be used as soil amendment in soil with low organic matter but also to improve both quality of soil and production from agriculture sector.
Toni Andres

student, University of St Andrews

I am currently in my fourth year of an undergraduate degree in Classics/Comparative Literature at the University of St Andrews and am particularly interested in accessibility within academia through public engagement and community building. In my research project Queer Catullus, Catullan Queers, I looked at the history of queer adaptations of poems by the ancient Roman poet Catullus. Based on this research, I set up the collaborative arts project Catullan Identities which invited people to respond to the ancient poems creatively. During my Leadership-in-Action project I transformed this approach into a series of queer creative workshops which I ran in different parts of Scotland and that aimed at empowering queer communities in the face of rising transphobia and queerphobia across the UK. Please feel free to browse the gallery of Catullan Identities on my website and don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions.
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.
Isabella Stein

Pharmacy Student, Trinity College

Hi, I'm Isabella Stein and I am a pharmacy student at Trinity College. I am so excited to be part of the Laidlaw Scholars Network and am really looking forward to connecting with other members! Some of my current interests lie in pharmacy, drug development and the "greening" of the pharmaceutical industry. My research focuses on the development more effective, more efficient and more sustainable medicines through ionic liquid formulation approaches.
Mindy Duggan

Youth Transition Services Facilitator at Boston Center for Independent Living, Tufts University

Hi fellow scholars! My name is Mindy Duggan and I am recent Tufts alum. My Laidlaw research was on autism representation in the hit television show The Good Doctor.  During my free time, I love to volunteer with kids— especially children with disabilities. I also love escaping to nature, camping, and trying hole-in-the-wall food places :) Feel free to reach out if you ever want to connect!
Areesha Imaan Siddiqui

MSc Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Student | Laidlaw Alumni Scholar, Goldsmiths University

Hi everyone! My name is Areesha Imaan Siddiqui and I am a recent graduate of the University of Toronto. I've completed a double major in Psychology and Sociocultural Anthropology with a minor in French. I am now a student at Goldsmiths, University of London studying an MSc Marketing and Consumer Behaviour. My research examined homeless women in Toronto and the social and cultural processes as well as policies that affect how the women are re-integrated into society. Please feel free to message me to maybe talk about my research or anything else really!
Joshua Zhou

Laidlaw Scholar, UCL

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!
Sam Thurman

Student, University of York

University of York, Second-Year Philosophy, Politics & Economics Student.  Researching the impact of culture on politics and economics.
Michael Sutherland

Student, Saint Andrews University

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.
Sina Ahdoot

Student , Columbia University

Since Israel’s foundation in 1948, the Chief Rabbinate has solely overseen the matters of divorce, marriage, and inheritance for all Israeli Jews irrespective of their religiosity. According to Pew, a plurality of Israeli Jews, almost 40 percent, self-identifies as secular. Nonetheless, state-appointed religious authorities regulate some of the most intimate matters of this nonreligious plurality. My research will revolve around this duality. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I will explore how the secular segment of Israeli society has submitted to disproportionate power of the Rabbinate for the past 71 years. The conflict between secular and religious forces sparks my intellectual curiosity as I myself experienced it growing up in a secular family in Iran. Contrary to Israel, Iran is a repressive theocracy with rogue elections and a totalitarian government. These factors enable religion to suppress secularism. In every contest, religion defeats secularism. However, Israel and Iran have two radically different systems of government. Unlike Iran, Israel is a parliamentary republic with free, contested elections. Theoretically, the largest portion of the populace, the 40-percent secular segment, should wield the most power. But that is not the case. For 72 years, the Rabbinate has exerted a profound influence on the daily lives of both 40-percent secular and the rest of Israeli Jewry. Yes, one can say, similar to Iran, religion defeats secularism in Israel as well. But it makes sense that a theocracy, Iran, would prefer religion to win. What is incredibly perplexing, and intellectually provocative, is why and how a liberal democracy, Israel, with a secular plurality, would allow religion to prevail. The causes behind and the future of the Rabbinate’s disproportionate power in democratic Israel greatly entice my intellectual curiosity. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I am seeking to examine this religious-secular conundrum in Israel.
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.
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.
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.
Giammarco Di Gregorio

Upcoming MRes Candidate, Durham University

I think that happiness is about being committed to something that helps and supports others, and this is why I am so fascinated by research and leadership. They give us the opportunity and responsibility to support and protect our people, especially the most vulnerable. I began my journey in children's homes back in Rome, in Italy. Since then I have been volunteering with children and young people trying to facilitate resilience and recovery from early adversities as my main focus point. My Laidlaw Scholarship research project is all about the effect of alternative care on academic motivation, and along the way I founded two volunteering organisations: Learn With Us Summer Camp, and Towards My Future. If you have any questions about my projects, if you think that your endeavours and mine somehow overlap, or if you just want to chat, please drop me a message! :)
Janina Knörzer

Student, Trinity College Dublin

Currently studying History at Undergraduate level at Trinity College Dublin. Outside of college, I spend my time with music and ballet, catching up on reading ‘old classics’, some amateur photography, and trying to gain a little bit of an understanding of biology and medicine. For the duration of this programme, my research aims to prove a connection between environmental “end time” scenarios and their instrumentalization for the development of social movements. Through a historical perspective, I first want to identify patterns and then in a second step relate them back to universal reasons that make people susceptible to “political agitation”. Finally, I plan to develop recommendations for political education that help promote critical thinking in the context of political and social movements.
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!
Isaac Bateman

Student, St Andrews

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.