Beverly Genockey

Zoology Student, Trinity College Dublin
William Banner

Economics Student, Durham University

I am an Economics student at Durham University. My foremost interests are Development Economics and Environmental Economics. This is reflected in my research project which explored Demographic Economics, titled "The Shifting Distribution of the Global Population in the Twenty-First Century: an Econometric Analysis of the Projected Fortunes of Nigeria and Japan, with Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Development". I have experience working in economic consulting, specialising in competition economics, and am also a Zumba instructor. During my time on the Laidlaw Programme I have also served as a Laidlaw Schools Trust Mentor for Excelsior Academy in Newcastle. In 2023, I completed a six-week international ‘Leadership in Action’ project in partnership with Think Pacific for my Laidlaw Scholarship. For this, I participated in a multi-faceted programme, comprising the building of a health centre, collaborations with Diabetes Fiji and Youth Champs 4 Mental Health, and a Fijian Culture Course. The project ended with a Think Tank where we planned how we would sustain progress. In my sub-group’s case, we are working on a new project to build a multi-purpose building to act as a kindergarten and evacuation centre, for which we are currently fundraising. We have had multiple meetings with the Laidlaw Foundation CEO and the Laidlaw Schools Trust, and we are presenting at the Conversations Conference in Dublin in October 2023. Our project took place in Vunimaqo and Waisava, Dreketi Settlement, Nalawa district, Ra province, Vita Levu island, Fiji. I attended the Impact 2022 conference at the LSE and will be attending, and presenting, at the Conversations 2023 conference at Trinity College Dublin.
Think Pacific is a UK social enterprise and registered Fijian charity. We work with the Fijian government and a network of local charities to achieve the aims of the Fiji National Development Plan with a focus upon empowering rural communities. Upcoming projects for Laidlaw Scholars in 2023 can be found here: https://thinkpacific.com/laidlaw2023
Adam Ó Ceallaigh

Student, Trinity College Dublin

Adam is a student of Political Science and Geography at Trinity College Dublin and, is a Senior Volunteer with Scouting Ireland.
Mairéad Butler

Student, Trinity College Dublin

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.
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.
Julie Dory (she/her)

Student, Trinity College Dublin

Hi there! My name is Julie and I am a Third Year student of English Literature & German at Trinity College Dublin. On a day-to-day basis, I serve as the Liaison Officer for Trinity Q Soc and as the Student Union Class Rep for Third Year students in Joint Honors English Literature. My primary interests lie in contemporary literature and its thematic relevance to current events. My research project will look at internal misogyny in the works of Margaret Atwood. I look forward to getting to connect with you and getting involved with the programme! 
Mairead Maguire

Undergraduate Intern, Trinity College Dublin Disability Service

I am a History and Political Science graduate of Trinity College Dublin. My research project looked at how class dynamics are presented and in literature set in education, exploring themes of identity, power and the concept of becoming "educated". For my LiA, I joined a democratic education organisation in London, where I focused on increasing political participation among young people and facilitated dialogue between students and politicians.
Jessica Mahon

Human Genetics undergraduate student , Trinity College Dublin

Hi, I'm Jessica Mahon, and I am interested in genetics, both from a conservation and a human standpoint. I'm in 3rd year of Human Genetics at Trinity College Dublin. I'm from Ireland and speak both English and Irish. I spend my spare time taking part in yoga, meditating and enjoying the outdoors.  My Laidlaw research project is based on the genetic susceptibility of amphibians to chytridiomycosis disease to find a new conservation method for susceptible amphibian species. I'd love to chat with others who are interested in genetics and science!
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.
Maggie Larson

Mathematics student, Trinity College Dublin

Michael Officer

Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant, Trinity College Dublin

Hello, my name is Michael and I'm a recent Zoology graduate from Trinity College Dublin. My Laidlaw research investigated factors contributing to the transmission of avian influenza to farmed poultry. And I completed my Leadership in Action project with Think Pacific on the Environment & Sustainability programme in Rarabasaga, Fiji. I'm delighted to remain a part of the Laidlaw community and am as excited as ever to get to know many of you! My current research interests are in freshwater ecosystem responses to multiple stressor effects. But really anything!
Georgia Dillon (she/her)

Law Student, Trinity College Dublin

I am a second year law student at Trinity College Dublin, conducting a research project on period poverty and how it impacts participation in education in Ireland. I currently work as a Policy and Advocacy Advisor at The Pad Project, and am especially interested in in social justice, access to education, gender equality, sustainability and human rights.
Rucha Benare (she/her)

Biomedical engineering research student, Trinity College Dublin

I am interested in fields of mechanobiology, biohybrid prosthetics, biophysics, psychology, and philosophy. Recently in association with Laidlaw; In Cornell University (N.Y, U.S.A.) I worked on curating an art book on biomechanics for charity to raise awareness in this field of science. And in Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), we worked on developing a microphysiological model of the osteocytic network in the bone that can be used to better understand the (patho)physiology of bone using Direct Laser Writing technology using MLO-Y4 cell culture.  On the side; In ETH Zürich (Switzerland), I was working on understanding bio-hybrid muscle actuators using C2C12 cell culture literature review. At DogPatch Labs's Patch (Dublin, Ireland) I was experimenting with creating a start-up company to help amputees get affordable prosthetics.  On the (other) side; I like to dance, write, and read anything I get my hands on; be it music, poetry, or even shampoo bottles. Please feel free to contact me here or on LinkedIn for any discussions regarding the aforementioned topics!
Trinity College Dublin joined the Laidlaw Network in 2018. The Laidlaw Programme offers undergraduate students at Trinity the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, and experience to become active global citizens and future leaders. Laidlaw Scholars work with an academic supervisor on a self-directed, independent research project and take part in a suite of integrated leadership development activities which culminate in a challenging applied leadership experience. Laidlaw Scholars join a community of learning, driven by curiosity and collaboration, which enables diverse voices to make a meaningful impact. The Laidlaw Programme at Trinity is open to undergraduates in the second year of a four year programme or the second/third year of a five year undergraduate/integrated masters programme.
Lam Lok To Cherry

Student, The University of Hong Kong

Hi there! I am studying the Bachelor of Science in both Molecular Biology & Biotechnology and Food & Nutritional Science. Doing and learning from research are of interest to me for better understanding of the world and unprecedented benefits to humanity of all kinds. Feel free to exchange knowledge and ideas with me!
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)
Stefan Elekes

Medical Student , Trinity College Dublin

I am a 3rd year medical student at Trinity College Dublin interested in infectious disease at the level of an individual through immunology and microbiology but also at a population level through public health studies. In light of how infections can get out of control in epidemic and pandemics, the need for research in infectious disease agents and cellular immunotherapies has only become more urgent. This, along with the complexity of pathogen-host interactions is what drives my interest to the field.
Mia Sherry

Student, Trinity College Dublin

I'm a SF English and Film Studies student in Trinity College, Dublin. I'm an avid writer and film critic for the Trinity Film Review, along with Trinity News and TN2. When I'm not watching films or doing school work, I love to run, read and attempt to learm ancient languages.
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!
Michael Mitchell

Student, Trinity College Dublin