Embracing the vibrant world of the Laidlaw Foundation, first as a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford University's Saïd Business School and now as the Community and Project Management Executive, has been an exciting journey. Nurturing our vast online community, working closely with partners, and supporting internal projects are just a few highlights of my role at the Foundation. Working at the Foundation and on my startup ConnectU is something that I cherish.
Off-duty, I'm often found at the piano🎹, mesmerized in a theatre🎭, or painting away the night with friends🎨. If our paths align in interests or work, why not connect? Ping me, and let's connect on LinkedIn.
My name is Alessia and I am going into my 3rd Year of Psychology at the University of York. I am currently researching action perception and how autism can impact it. In my free time, I like to delve deeper into the human-computer interaction and the future of AI, as well as topics in marketing and global competitiveness.
Joel McKeever
Student Employability Officer (Laidlaw Programme Coordinator), Trinity College Dublin
Joel is the Student Employability Officer with the Trinity Careers Service. He manages a range of co-curricular student development projects, including the Trinity Employability Awards and the Laidlaw Programme.
As the Laidlaw coordinator for Trinity he manages leadership development activities, student coaching, programme design, and the day-to-day support of the Laidlaw Scholars.
Prior to joining the Careers Service, he worked in Trinity's Academic Registry as a Team Manager (Communications and Human Resources) with a focus on developing modern and inclusive support services for students and staff. He has previously worked with Trinity's Office of Global Relations to develop the Global Room and Campus Visit initiatives for international students.
He is a founder and current Co-Chair of Trinity's LGBT+ Staff Network and is committed to Trinity's mission of fostering excellence by empowering accessibility and diversity in higher education. A graduate of Trinity, he holds a B.A. (Mod.) in English Studies, a Special Certificate in Academic Practice, and a nominal Master in Arts (Dubl.) from the university as well as a CIPD Diploma in Learning and Development (CIPD).
Hello, I’m Rachel and I am currently in Trinity College Dublin studying philosophy and religion. when I am not in college you will most likely find me on a basketball court. Playing, refereeing or coaching. I have been involved in sport for the majority of my life, from playing to coaching and refereeing in many different areas, including with the Special Olympics, Nationally and locally.
I am a qualified Healthcare Support Worker and have always had a passion for caring for the elderly in society. I have worked in nursing homes and enjoyed my time with the activities team!
Off the court I love to hike and swim. I have walked along the Camino de Santiago over the past years, returning every year to walk more and volunteer in hostels along the way. Meeting incredible people from all over the world was an incredible time in my life learning not only about myself but other cultures as well.
Hi I'm Orla! I am a medical student in Trinity and I'm from Dublin. I am doing my research on knowledge and awareness of Irish care home staff on Lewy Body Dementia. I'm really interested in dementia research and improving quality of care in nursing homes.
I try to keep a balance of study and fun by playing football and camogie, and I am currently training for a marathon!
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 💭🥰
Currently studying Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. I have a broad interest in the medical sciences and specific interests in metabolism, lifestyle medicine, and emerging therapeutics for diseases of modern civilisation.
Hello! I am part of the 2022 cohort of Laidlaw scholars. I am a first year undergraduate currently on the Mechanical Engineering (MEng) course at the University of Leeds. My project title is Development and Characterization of Biomimetric micropatterned surfaces.
My project looks at the educational outcomes of children on the Autistic Disorder Spectrum and their correlates.
My subjects are Mathematics and Economics within NatSci at Durham University, but I'm eager to engage with anything economics, mathematics and mental health more broadly.
Hi! I'm Laetisha, a medical student at UCL, currently studying global health for my intercalating year. In specific, I take interest in understanding how healthcare gets from labs to communities and what becomes the barrier between people and access to this care. Healthcare should be a human right shared by all, but, unfortunately, this isn't the case in many communities, whether it be in a developed country or a developing one. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved in the Kasiisi Project (KP) in Uganda this summer, which also helped me understand what it is that these communities need in order to establish a path towards healthcare.
Hi! I am a current second year Physics student in Trinity College Dublin. My research is on radio-astronomy of the Sun with particular interest in predicting potentially disruptive solar weather.
Apart from physics I'm interested in running, rugby, card games and snowsports. I enjoy being outside, exercising, film/TV and getting involved in the Student's Union. I am particularly interested in connecting with students from around the globe and broadening my horizons!
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 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 graduate of Cambridge University, Susanna’s professional experience includes over 15 years in senior leadership roles in international B2B and learning businesses. Susanna began her career at the Institute for International Research (IIR) where she first worked with Lord Laidlaw, rising to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). When IIR, which was the world’s largest organiser of commercial conferences, was acquired by Informa plc in 2005 Susanna was appointed CMO of the enlarged group and also led the public company’s investor relations programmes. She subsequently joined Emap Ltd as Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and CEO of Emap Networks, that group’s conferences business. Later she became CEO of the fashion industry forecaster WGSN and was latterly Group Content and Marketing Partner of the leading strategy consultancy Brunswick Group. A German-American raised and educated in the UK and a committed internationalist, Susanna has been involved in globally trading businesses throughout her career, directing activity in the Americas, across continental Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Susanna has been extensively involved with education and professional development over many years. She was Head of Group Training and led the commercial acquisition and integration of a portfolio of corporate training businesses whilst at IIR; and created learning academies at both Informa and Emap. She believes experiencing and appreciating different cultures promotes better global understanding, creativity and leadership. She is passionate about the power of education to transform lives; and believes that we need to develop a new generation of diverse leaders who are curious, bold and devoted to decency, truthfulness, and innovation. Susanna is committed to diversity not only as a societal imperative but as a critical component of commercial success. As an advisor to the trustees of the Foundation, Susanna first learnt about its purpose and programmes before becoming its Chief Executive responsible for the Laidlaw Schools Trust, the Laidlaw Scholars and its other education programmes. Susanna read English and Philosophy at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. She has five half blues in swimming and water polo; and played netball and rowed for Newnham.
Hello, my name is Emran Moustafa. I'm a third year engineering student at Trinity College Dublin. My research is concerned with investigating the use of FPGAs for object detection in highspeed autonomous navigation. I have a passion for robotics, AI and autonomous vehicles. I have plenty of fun projects to work on in these fields, so if you're interested don't hesitate to give me a shout!
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.
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.
Martha is a final year Law and Political Science student at Trinity College Dublin. Her Summer 1 research project concerned Russian Military Aggression towards Ukraine.
She is passionate about public speaking and debating, which informed her Leadership in Action Project working with the English-Speaking Union (ESU) in London. She has also achieved the following in university competitive debating:
Chair of World Universities Debating Council.
Champion of 15+ finals, including Edinburgh Open, Cardiff Open, and Oxford Women's Open.
Finalist of 30+ competitions, including the Irish Times Debate Competition (twice), LSE IV, and Glasgow Ancients.
Semifinalist of European Universities Debating Championships.