I am a 3rd year Midwifery student at Trinity College Dublin. For my research project, I am investigating women's views on the need for birth reflection clinics/services for women who have experienced a traumatic event during childbirth within the Irish maternity services.
Joel McKeever
Equality Officer (Laidlaw Programme Coordinator 2018-2024), Trinity College Dublin
Joel was the Laidlaw Programme Coordinator for Trinity (2018 - 2024). In this role he managed leadership development activities, student coaching, programme design, and the day-to-day support of the Laidlaw Scholars. He is currently the Equality Officer for Trinity, and works to promote equity, belonging, and non-discrimination for Trinity staff, students, and the wider Trinity community, in all areas of university life and with particular regard to the protected grounds in equality legislation. He has previously worked in a range of higher education development roles including student services and global engagement.
In 2026 he is a supervisor for a Laidlaw Scholar research project entitled 'A Class Education: How does Trinity engage with class and socioeconomic status in 2026?'.
He is a founder and current Co-Chair of Trinity's LGBTIQ+ Staff Network and is committed to Trinity's mission of fostering excellence and creating social good by championing an accessible, diverse higher education environment. A graduate of Trinity, he holds a B.A. (Mod.) in English Studies, and further qualifications in Learning, Development and Coaching (CIPD), EDI Policy and People; Teaching, Learning and Assessment for Academic Practice (TCD), and as a Certified Student Affairs Educator (HECSAC).
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.
Gráinne Sexton
Graduate of English Literature and History, School of English, Trinity College Dublin
Graduate of English Literature and History at Trinity College Dublin. Alumnus of the Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Programme (2019).
My Laidlaw research explored the nature of borders and boundaries in the literature of Native American communities, with a particular focus on the work of contemporary author Leslie Marmon Silko. The project involved collaboration with leading scholars of Native American studies from across the United Kingdom and United States. I additionally wrote a final-year dissertation on Indigenous strategies of resistance to environmental injustice in the work of Silko.
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.
I am an alumni of the undergraduate research and leadership programme (2020). I've got a degree in Zoology from Trinity College, Dublin and I'm currently studying for a Master of Public Administration (Urban Policy) at UCL.
My research project aimed to determine the most abundant plant species in Dublin City and analyse their functional traits to make inferences about these species' suitability for use as nature-based solutions, which is a newly proposed concept for simultaneously regreening cities through the use of nature to combat socio-environmental and climate-related problems.
Currently I'm working alongside other Laidlaw Scholars to develop a community kindergarten and evacuation centre in Dreketi Settlement, Fiji. We're always looking for ways to collaborate with other scholars and groups on this project so if you're interested – let's chat!
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.
Shane Coleman Macken
Laidlaw Scholar @ Trinity College Dublin, School of English, Trinity College Dublin
I am a third year English Literature and History student in Trinity College Dublin. My research under the Laidlaw Programme focuses on Tony Kushner's 1991 play Angels in America, and its role in deconstructing the homogenous queer identity. During my first summer, I will carried out close textual analysis of the play, consulted criticism of Kushner's work, and applied leading queer literary theorists' work to Angels in America. In Summer 2021, I will be working with the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival to produce an anthology of plays by Irish based queer playwrights as well as online productions during Dublin Pride. (he/him)
Hello! I am a multidisciplinary designer and have been with the Laidlaw Foundation for over five years, working to strengthen our global Scholar community and amplify the impact of our programmes.
My work lives somewhere between design, education, and anthropology, usually with sticky notes involved. I studied Human Sciences as an undergrad and recently finished a Master’s in Anthropology, both at UCL.
I am your go-to person for questions regarding alumni engagement and the Laidlaw Scholars Advisory Board.
Born and raised in Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 Outside of work? Probably in the ceramics studio or a yoga class. Big fan of nature and very small bugs.
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.