Brandon Yu

Medicine & Health Subject Lead, University of Toronto
Kristen DSouza

Student Researcher, Cornell University

Hi! I am a sophomore at Cornell University studying industrial and labor relations and pursuing a minor in inequality studies. My research focuses on intercultural communication in the workplace, analyzing the communication styles of first-generation Indian-American business professionals. I've always been interested in capturing people's stories, and hope to translate that to an informed research report on today's multicultural business landscape.  In my free time, I enjoy reading books (anything Toni Morrison or James Baldwin!) and trying in vain to accomplish a sub-20-second finish in the New York Times mini crossword. 
Yang Pan

Student, UCL

Hi I’m Yang, currently a second year Biomedical Sciences—Control Systems student.  As a interest I’m reading Japanese literature (mostly Dazai Osamu, Mishima Yukio, and Natsume Souseki), please talk to me if you’re interested as well! I’m very interested in Japanese culture too, if possible I’ll try conduct Leadership in Action in Japan this summer. 
Ashley Mutasa

Student, University of Toronto

I am an aspiring physician-scientist at the University of Toronto. I am interested in using big data to solve some of the intractable problems I see in health care delivery in developing countries. I hope to combine my love for people, numbers, and scientific research to affect change in my native, Zimbabwe. As a researcher, I have conducted research for the University of Toronto's various administrative departments, Brandon University, and the Martin Pain Lab. I have also undertaken numerous independent research projects that were made possible through the generosity of the University of Toronto and the Laidlaw Foundation. Many of my research interests are multidisciplinary; economics, social science and STEM. While I have a keen interest in laboratory research, I am also interested in research that takes a person focused approach.
Ellen Lavender

Scholar, University of York

I'm a final year psychology MSci student specialising in developmental disorders. My project focuses around the development attention in infants and if certain maternal strategies scaffold joint attention and how this varies cross culturally in the UK and Uganda. I'm hoping to pursue a PhD in the future!
Sophie Brandon

Student/ Laidlaw Scholar, University of York

Emily Shepherdson (she/they)

Student , University of York

Hi! I'm originally from Hull, East Yorkshire but I'm currently a second year undergraduate student studying for a BA in Linguistics and ab initio Italian at the University of York. Alongside my studies, I am also the current blog coordinator for the University Feminist Society. Being a Laidlaw Scholar allows me to research the success of speech and language therapies in my project entitled 'Hidden behind a smile: acquisition and societal perception of speech sounds in children with cleft lip and palate.'!  My pronouns are she/they, please feel free to use either! 
Melanie Marshall

Student, Cornell

Melanie Marshall, of Indianapolis, Indiana is studying food science and minoring in biological engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, class of 2024 at Cornell University. Melanie is a Laidlaw Leadership and Scholarship Fellow. As a research fellow at Fallen Tree, her interests are in the cultural and religious imagination of insects particularly in the development of the human connection with insects and entomophagy. Melanie enjoys swimming, yoga, weight-lifting, brewing kombucha, and preparing vegan dishes. 
Aoife Donohoe

Chemistry Student, Trinity College Dublin

Hello! I'm Aoife and I'm a 3rd year Chemistry student at Trinity College Dublin with an interest in material chemistry and climate action. My research project investigated the development of natural, sustainable materials to be used in CO2 capture.
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! 
Krinal Thakkar

Cornell University Undergraduate student , Cornell University

Eleanor Campbell

Student, Columbia University

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.
Jiayi Xin

Undergraduate student , The University of Hong Kong

Hello, nice to meet you! I am Raina, an undergraduate student studying Applied Artificial Intelligence in the University of Hong Kong. My research topic is using artificial intelligence (AI) to turn a mobile smartphone into a stethoscope. What we want to do in this project is to build an AI-assisted mobile application on smartphones to perform cardiovascular disease early screening.
Holly Palmer (she/her)

Pharmacology student , University of Leeds

Hi everyone, I am a third year Laidlaw scholar studying Pharmacology at the University of Leeds. I am currently in the process of completing my placement year as regulatory strategist, developing innovative new therapies to transform the lives of patients with rare conditions at Pfizer. My research project focuses on the UN’s SDGs and the opportunity that students around the world have to collaborate with other universities to implement these goals into their final year capstone projects in attempt to combat educational inequality. I had the opportunity to travel to Fiji for my leadership in action. I stayed in an incredible village called Toga and lived with a family while the team built a health centre for the village and facilitated sessions around the importance of climate change with the Fijian youth. If you would like to hear more about my research, LIA or placement- please drop me a message!
Vedika Jha

Student, University of Toronto

Hello!! My name is Vedika Jha (Vay-dih-ka), my pronouns are she/her, and I am going into 2nd year at University of Toronto! My first research project focused on the genetic factors contributing to cerebral palsy, a common disorder. My second research project explored patient perspectives on privacy and trust in digital genomic tools. However I am more broadly interested in Molecular Genetics, Evolutionary Biology, and Climate Change! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just to talk :)
Aya Hammad

Medical student, University of York

I'm a medical student at the University of York interested in immunology, public health, as well as education and leadership within health care! My research project is about understanding how mutations in immune cells impact a certain group of rare bone marrow disorders (MPNs) that can lead to cancer.
Amnah

Law Student , Durham University

Hello! My name is Amnah & I'm a law student at Durham University. I'm very passionate about human rights & aspire to be make a positive impact on those in pursuit of justice. My research is aimed at discussing the legitimacy of the ECtHRs decision in upholding the veil ban. Throughout my high-school years, I have initiated and been a part of many women empowerment projects aimed at uplifting the socio-economic status of underprivileged women in Pakistan, this is something I plan on working in the future as well. Other than being a an ardent feminist & humanitarian, I really enjoy travelling, hiking & baking. I am always excited about meeting new people and nurturing meaningful relationships, while I have a very lame sense of humour, I still like to think myself as super fun because no one beats my unwavering love for people, commitment to good food, adventure & exploring the world that is still unknown to us.  
Salma Ragheb

Undergraduate Researcher, University of Toronto

I'm an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto double majoring in Neuroscience and Visual Arts. For my Laidlaw research project, I joined the Iscove lab in the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to characterize the cell surface antigens on leukemic stem cells in a HOXB4-transgene-dependent leukemia model maintained in mice.  In the future, I am interested in working on research projects that combine neurobiology and immunology.
William Charles

Undergraduate, Laidlaw Scholar, University of York

Cherry Sylge

Chemistry Student, University of York

Hello! I am a third year student studying chemistry at the University of York.  For my research project, I'm interested in ring expansion cascade reactions and how we can effectively synthesise their starting materials.  I'm looking forward to becoming an effective leader who can make a positive impact in whatever industry I end up in, and inspire more women to pursue careers in STEM subjects.   I also love yoga, reading and art history.
Penelope Milner

Student, University of Leeds

Currently, I am in my second year studying Geography BA with Quantitative Methods at the University of Leeds.