I'm an Ethnicity and Race Studies/Political Science double major at Columbia! I'm interested in immigration studies, interdisciplinary political science research, and community organizing work. 

The University of Toronto joined the Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Program in 2018 with the first group of scholars beginning their research in 2019. Funded by Lord Laidlaw and driven by his passion for student development, the scholarship at the University of Toronto aims to help students develop key skills as they aspire to be leaders in their field.

Lord Laidlaw is a committed philanthropist, serial entrepreneur, and accomplished sportsman. A graduate of Leeds University and Columbia Business School, Lord Laidlaw founded the Institute for International Research Ltd (IIR) which became the world’s largest conference and training company. He sold it in 2005 for $1.4bn to Informa Plc. He has since gone on to build a large property company and invest extensively in sustainable energy, including the Veja Mate Offshore Wind Farm where he was the majority owner. His most recent project is building a renewable power resource in Rwanda. Lord Laidlaw was one of the very earliest business leaders to see diversity in his management team as an important strength. His leadership team had a majority of women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Lord Laidlaw believes passionately that performance should be rewarded and was a pioneer in sharing profits with his employees. A committed internationalist, he considers it vital for the next generation of leaders to have and understand global connections. His generous philanthropy, funding academies and scholarships, centres on two core beliefs; firstly that inspirational education can break the cycle of poverty, and secondly the need for a new generation of diverse, passionate and adaptive leaders with a world view. The Women in Business movement that Lord Laidlaw funds, both helps to build a more diverse future leadership and pays tribute to the many women who helped make IIR so successful.

Hi everyone, I'm Alex. I come from Northern Ireland, and am currently reading French and Philosophy at the University of St Andrews. I'm interested in politics, philosophy, journalism, and new ideas - I find the old ones quite stale!  Previously, I've worked in hospitality, as appears to be the trodden path for British students. Additionally, I have worked in logistics - a real eye-opener, given Brexit and its ramifications in Northern Ireland - and have done some adhoc Diversity and Inclusion for a legal firm in my hometown. My research project for the summer of 2022 will be entitled "The Viability of Novel Identities in Response to Separatist Tensions: A Comparison of French Algeria and Northern Ireland."

Hello! I'm from Edinburgh, and am currently an Actuarial Trainee at Hymans Robertson. Prior to that, I studied Astrophysics at the University of St Andrews, where I was particularly interested in computational aspects of the field (handling and analysing observational data, and simulations). Away from academics, I enjoy playing a variety of sports, exploring the Scottish hills, and am a keen musician. My research project in summer 2023 focused on mapping a region of the sky known to be star-forming, around the Monoceros constellation, with the hope of using analytical techniques to attempt to find new star clusters. My LiA in summer 2024 was with the Timothy Smith Network in Boston, Massachusetts, teaching coding and microelectronics as part of the Elevating Agriculture Technology (EAT) course.

Hi, I'm Ele, a University of St Andrews Scholar. Primarily, my studies are in psychology but I am undertaking research in biochemistry and biophotonics. The aim of my project is to understand the effect of alpha-synuclein aggregates on astrocyte Calcium signaling in neurodegeneration (more precisely Parkinson's disease). This research has not been conducted before and the aim is to understand astrocytic calcium waves with the hopes of finding an aid to therapeutic targets for Parkinson's. My future research and ambitious lie in clinical and forensic psychology as well as gender psychology. I am also a mental health advocate and I am extremely passionate about raising awareness about mental illness.  Outside of my academic pursuits I enjoy music (especially drums), writing, any and all forms of art, being with my family and friends. and most of all traveling. I am also a die hard football fan and avid watcher.  I also love most things to do with Spanish and Latin American cultures as I am from Madrid myself. If you would like to chat about practically anything, I would be very excited if you sent me a message! I would love to connect and understand your project and personal interests! Have a great day!

Hi there! My name is Finn Smyth and I am a final year student in Modern History at the University of St Andrews. For the Laidlaw programme my research focused on how Left political organisations across Scotland have performed, organizationally and ideologically, since devolution. I am also interested in modern political economy, and the emergence of modern political communications strategies and how they have been used in political campaigns since the 1980s.  My dissertation this year focuses on the modernisation of the Labour Party in the 1980s, and among recent projects I have been awarded grant funding to research the rise of populism in Europe alongside colleagues at Charles University, Prague.  

Hello! I'm Ami, a fourth year English and Art History student from Upstate New York. My research interests include contemporary British and American drama, creative writing, Anglo Saxon, Older Scots, medieval folklore, Renaissance painting and the Dutch Golden Age. For my research project, I examined uses of anthropomorphism, or nonhuman voices, in Old and Middle English dream poetry. In my Leadership in Action project, I am now a Summer Teaching Fellow at the Los Angeles chapter of the nonprofit organization 826, which provides free writing workshops, tutoring and other educational opportunities for kids ages 6-18 around the US. I am assisting with teaching the 2024 Summer Writer's Workshops, as well as working individually with students on their creative writing pursuits.

Hello! I'm Noura, a University of St Andrews student heading into third year. I study International Relations and Modern History, and I particularly am interested in migrant rights and decolonial histories. My project aims to examine the experiences of children in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, pinpointing the uniqueness of those experiences and utilizing both data and autobiographies of enslaved people in order to come to new conclusions regarding our understandings of the slave trade.  Outside of my studies and project I love the outdoors, baking/cooking for my friends, art in all forms, and cultural exploration!  If you want to chat send me a message! I would love to connect with you about your project or interests, or if you have any knowledge that could contribute to my work!

I am currently at the University of St Andrews studying towards a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Neuroscience. I am committed to increasing my knowledge of the brain and its function, with a particular interest in neurodegenerative disease research. As such, my Laidlaw research project will explore the potential of neurochondrin as a therapeutic target for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and other Motor Neurone Diseases.