Hi everyone! I am Asper, a third-year law student at the University of York and a 2022 Laidlaw Scholar. My research project is about the legacy of British Imperialism on nationality law in post-colonial territories and Jordan specifically. Feel free to drop me a line if you'd like to chat 💭🥰

I was fortunate enough to conduct academic research under the supervision of Stephen Gethins, former MP and Professor of Practice in International Relations at the University of St Andrews. Stephen introduced me to a truly fascinating yet often overlooked area of International Relations: sub-state and regional actors and their place in global politics, with a focus on Scotland in particular. Through this, I have developed an interest in Scotland's place in the world as a nation without an independent foreign office, but as a nation with extensive international influence and a powerful global diaspora. This topic formed the basis of my Laidlaw project, my undergraduate dissertation, a forthcoming article,  and my future research.  In my second year of university, I founded The Drew, an online student publication based in St Andrews which publishes articles on Scottish politics and culture. There was an unfortunate lack of Scottish issues being discussed in St Andrews (despite bearing the name of Scotland's patron saint and being home to Scotland's most ancient university), and so The Drew was set up to help foster more discussion.  I take a keen interested in other academic fields such as politics, history, and philosophy. Although an International Relations student first and foremost, I had the opportunity of studying Ancient History and Classics alongside my degree for two years. If I were to ever win the lottery, you would find me endlessly cycling University, spending my remaining days studying Ancient History and Philosophy, Politics, Anthropology, Theology, Theoretical Physics and Maths, or whatever subject I develop an interest in down the line. I am always keen to discuss my own research area and learn about others'.

I'm a final year European Studies student, majoring in Spanish and minoring in German, in Trinity College Dublin. My research concerns the memory, experience, and discourse of gendered violence in the Irish and Spanish civil wars. For my LiA, I worked with Women Rights Initiative (WORI), a grassroots, Ugandan women-led women's rights organisation in Jinja, Uganda, focusing on resource mobilisation.

Hi! I am a 3rd year Nanoscience student at Trinity College Dublin. My research project deals with urban micrometeorites in Dublin.

I am an undergraduate Laidlaw scholar from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. I have lived most of my life in Dublin (apart from three years in Berlin - but no, I can't speak German). My main research area is political philosophy; my research interests in particular are in how human rights can be used as an approach to morality, and how we should consider and address 'structural injustices' in society. I also have interests in democratic theory, and heterodox approaches to economics. Outside academia, I am often involved in social/political activism. I'm a keen ultimate frisbee player, and I enjoy chess, table tennis, and hiking. I'm also (slowly) learning French and Polish.

A fourth-year student of Political Science and Economics at Trinity College Dublin, interested in European affairs, public policy and democratic promotion.  During my first summer with the Laidlaw programme, I completed a research project titled 'The Role of Saliency in Expatriate Voter Mobilisation'. My research  investigated the voting behaviours of expatriate voters in Poland, France and the Czech Republic. During my second summer, I completed a leadership placement with the Jerzy Regulski Foundation in Support of Local Democracy in Warsaw, where I worked in organising the first National Congress of Local Cooperation for civic society organisations and local government representatives. 

I'm a sociology and economics student from Donegal, Ireland. My research interests include the sociology of education, public health, and development economics

PPES student specialising in politics and economics. My research concerned the relationship between the Turkish government's usage of policy, specifically the Istanbul Convention, and its impact on rates of femicide in Turkey. I have recently completed my LiA at the Timothy Smith Network as an Administrative Support and Curriculum Intern. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to chat about any of my experiences!

Hello! My name is Eleanor Campbell, and I am a 2021 Laidlaw Scholar. I am a student at Columbia University in the City of New York, and I am originally from Raleigh, NC, USA. I major in Economics and am particularly interested in Behavioral Economics. During my first year with Laidlaw, I worked with Professor Hitendra Wadhwa of the Columbia Business School in developing a leadership fellowship for aspiring young changemakers. For my Leadership in Action project, I worked with World Vision on a menstrual hygiene management campaign in West Gonja, Ghana.

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.

I currently work as the Programme Manager of the Mentora Foundation's Campus Programme delivering MBA-style personal leadership training for emerging leaders in the US and UK. I'm responsible for end-to-end programme design and delivery, reporting directly to the Foundation's Director. I hold a Master's Degree from King's College London, specialising in National Security Strategy and Russian Foreign Policy. I'm an accomplished participant in leadership training programs like the Laidlaw Scholarship and Mentora Youth Changemaker Fellowship. I completed my Laidlaw Scholarship at the University of Leeds where I studied Ancient History and Philosophy. My research project was on what impact the UK's membership of the EU has had on the UK's foreign and defence policy.

Hi, everyone! My name is Sarina Zhou, a Class of 2024 student at Cornell University! I am major in Economics and minor in Law and Society. The aim of my research is to implement the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Barbados, bridge the gap in understanding between legislators and their constituents, and improve the lives of those in disadvantaged and marginalized communities. I always seek opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge in various subject areas, particularly in the fields of law and business. I hope to pursue a career in immigration or corporate law in the future. Also, fun fact: I am an artist specializing in acrylic landscape painting and graphite portrait drawing! Please don't hesitate to connect with me! :)

I'm an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto double majoring in Molecular Genetics & Microbiology and Immunology as well as minoring in Creative Expression & Society. 

Hi, I'm Maseng- A 3rd year Medical student in Trinity College Dublin, with a particular interest in Reproductive and Women's health. I have a previous undergraduate degree in Physiology, a masters degree in Biomedical Diagnostics and 4 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Outside of my academics, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, reading, listening to music and going for long drives. My research project for the summer is an exploratory study into  differential treatment towards ethnic minority pregnant women and new mothers in Irish Maternity Hospitals. 

Hello there! My name is Aly, and I am a British undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, currently doing an International Affairs Specialist, with a Minor in Sustainability. My research project is → Linking Political orientation and Environmentalism: An analysis of changing environmental attitudes and subsequent party support in Canada. In my project, I aim to analyze the changing link between environmental attitudes and party support/political orientation in Canada, using Canadian Election Studies data from 2015 and 2019, and comparing my results with results from a previous study which carried out similar analysis on data from the 2004 and 2006 elections. I also hope to inform my analysis with a discussion of provincial differences in these links, hoping to shine a light on possible avenues towards improving engagement with voters for provincial elections which may help Canada in its terrible track record on improving its environment. 

Economics and Politics student at the University of Leeds, from near Stuttgart, Germany. My research project aimed to create an effective mentoring approach that supports the development of self-esteem in shy children after their transition to secondary school. I was part of a team of four scholars who are working together with Durham University to research what makes a successful Multi-Academy Trust serving disadvantaged communities. In particular, we focused on the Laidlaw Schools Trust, which comprises seven schools in the North of England that predominantly serve disadvantaged pupils. Overall, this is part of the effort to reduce the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers. I recently completed my LiA project by volunteering for the Youth & Community Project with Think Pacific in Fiji. Currently, I am on a year-long exchange at the National University of Singapore (NUS). I would love to talk about international politics, history, football and your all-time favourite Netflix shows!

I am a 2021 Laidlaw Scholar from the University of York, focusing my research on the question:  How was the U.K. Labour Party changed their discourse and proposed to challenge domestic poverty and inequality since 2010? I have been involved in Politics at a local, grassroots level, including community campaigning, and previously worked for Rachel Reeves MP in her constituency office. As a Politics student, I am interested in all things political and anything related to International Relations, with particular interest on the European Union, Women in Politics and International Development.