Hello! I'm Hannah Smith, a senior at Columbia University studying Film and Media Studies and East Asian Languages and Cultures. My first summer research focused on the portrayal of Chinese-American immigrants in Golden Age Hollywood films. For my second summer project, I am working with Playback Magazine in Toronto to publish articles highlighting diverse creatives and initiatives in the Canadian screen industry. 

Hey everyone! My name is Rinaz Jamal, and I'm a rising sophomore at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience & Behavior. I am passionate about helping individuals with mental health and neurodegenerative disorders feel seen, heard, and supported. This summer, I will be doing research at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute under the supervision of Dr. Franck Polleux. My project aims to understand the activity-dependent regulation of mitochondrial protein expression in parvalbumin-positive interneurons, which are among the first neurons to fail in Alzheimer's disease (AD). I am excited to add to the scholarly conversation around Alzheimer's research by identifying the molecular pathways that would be most valuable to target for drug development in the future. Because PV-INs are among the first neurons to fail in AD, understanding these metabolic pathways and restoring levels of mitochondrial proteins has the potential to improve clinical outcomes much earlier in AD progression than current methods. At Columbia, I am involved as a Scientific Review Editor for Grey Matters, our undergraduate neuroscience journal; Blog Editor for the Journal of Global Health; Conference Committee member and Peer Buddy for Columbia Synapse, which advocates for patients with acquired brain injury; and volunteer with Brain Exercise Initiative, where I visit patients with Alzheimer's disease and dementia at a local assisted living home. I also play flute and piccolo in the Columbia University Orchestra. In my free time, I love to read and explore New York City. Please feel free to reach out; I would love to get to know you all!

I am an undergraduate at Columbia University studying Sustainable Development and Political Science, with interests in energy policy, circular economy, and enviornmental diplomacy. My background combines advocacy, policy, and scholarship, and my research builds on this by examining nationwide legislative frameworks central to the AI revolution and the rapid expansion of data centers. 

Hi there! My name is Lydia, and I'm an incoming sophomore at Columbia University studying Human Rights and Public Health. I'm originally from Tanzania. In my free time, I like reading, drawing, hanging out with my friends, and trying out new restaurants in New York City! 

Hi, I'm Anushka, a junior at Duke University studying chemistry, medical sociology, and health policy. I'm passionate about leveraging scientific techniques in order to advance health equity, especially for rural and underserved populations. My Laidlaw research is at the University of Leeds' Department for Nuclear and Chemical Engineering addressing the public health challenge of fluoride-contaminated drinking water in Tanzania by developing a novel, sustainable ion-exchange model to selectively remove fluoride from groundwater. 

Hello! My name is Bhadra, and I am a third-year Law and Business student at Trinity College Dublin. I am part of the 2025 cohort of Laidlaw Scholars. My Summer 1 research topic was 'Motherhood on Trial: A Comparative Analysis of the Miscarriage of Justice in Infanticide Cases', and I took an inter-jurisdictional perspective in examining three notable cases - those of Joanne Hayes, Sally Clarke and Kathleen Folbigg. I look forward to spending this summer working on Makesense Americas' Central LiA in Mexico City with Genera Territorios AC. The organisation works on financial empowerment, social inclusion and gender equity, and I am excited to support their aims. Through my work, my overarching goal is to highlight how women exist and are perceived within inherently oppressive social systems. If you have any questions or would like to reach out, please feel free to do so!

Hi! My name is Ashley, and I am currently a second-year student at Duke University studying Public Policy and Global Health with an interest in a Health Policy Certificate. I am passionate about advancing ethical, evidence-based solutions at the intersection of health, environment, and social equity. I also find interest in conducting research focused on ethical decision-making and inclusive research practices that better serve underrepresented communities. My experiences across public health, communications, and community engagement have shaped my interest in using policy to promote social responsibility and health equity.

Victoria Ayodele is a Duke University undergraduate pursuing a self-designed “Neurological Development and Nutrition” curriculum, integrating neuroscience, biochemistry, pharmacology, and global health from Atlanta, Georgia. Her interdisciplinary work investigates how societal nutrition consumption and health disparities contribute to neurological impairment and influence the future of healthcare systems. As a Laidlaw Scholar and aspiring physician-leader, she is dedicated to advancing neurological health equity in international communities. A passionate advocate for community-based health solutions, Victoria led public health initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa through Leadership Initiatives in partnership with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and Georgetown University, collaborating with health professionals and Bauchi State officials to directly combat nutritional anemia and marasmus internationally. Her efforts include developing culturally sensitive workshops and clinical diagnostic kits for first-time mothers over two years. Victoria collaborates with community leaders in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, the UK, and Germany. As Executive Director of the Duke Research Scholars Program, she researches how nutritional access and pharmacokinetics affect fetal development, cognitive growth, and immune health. Her work includes conference presentations at Brown University, the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. In her local communities, she assists North Carolina and Georgia patients as a medical and dietary assistant, addressing conditions such as Type II diabetes, obesity, and preeclampsia. In her free time, Victoria enjoys playing sports, reading novels, and meeting new people. She is excited to participate more in the Laidlaw Scholars Program and meet students from around the world. If anyone would like to strike up a conversation with Victoria, her email is vta2@duke.edu.

I'm a rising sophomore at Columbia University studying Linguistics, Cognitive Science (with a specialization in Neuroeconomics), and East Asian Languages & Cultures. I'm interested in how language shapes society, the translation and transmittance of language, behavioral economics, and how language shapes perception, which in turn shapes decision-making. I am the coordinator for an EFL program near Columbia. My current research interests revolve around how to make language education more effective and accessible, and how to utilize community resources to make the economics of free language programs feasible. My research interests include literary histories, the linguistics of poetry, sociolinguistics, the economics of language, and how governments shape linguistic communities. Outside of academia, I spend my time reading a lot of fiction (especially in translation), playing Stardew Valley & Papa's games, and cooking (and eating) my heart out :) I'd love to connect with you all!

Hello! I am a first year English Literature student studying at the University of Leeds. My research is about the glamourisation and romanticisation of True Crime. 

I am an undergraduate at Columbia University, currently studying Chemistry & Human Rights.

Hello everyone! I'm Aisha Adamu, a Lester B. Pearson Scholar studying psychology and neuroscience at the University of Toronto. My interests lie in mental health advocacy, educational equity, and empowering marginalized communities. I founded a nonprofit at 15 to support education and youth empowerment, particularly for young women and internally displaced youth in Nigeria. Currently, through the Laidlaw Scholars Program, I'm researching the psychological impact of the Almajiri educational system in Nigeria, aiming to develop culturally sensitive interventions informed by comparative models from Senegal and Ghana. Outside of academics, I enjoy swimming, running track, and exploring new recipes through cooking. I'm passionate about making meaningful connections and creating positive social change.

Hi! I’m Kamtoya Okeke (she/her). I’m a sophomore at Columbia University planning to study Cognitive Science, focusing on Economics and Human Behaviour. My research is focused on destruction myths, stories which depict the end of the world, and I explore how these myths reflect societal values and fears, as well as how they showcase the power of storytelling. Feel free to reach out if you're interested in literature research and/or narrative forms, or just want to chat!

Hello! I’m Trisha, a graduate of Cornell University from Texas, USA. I majored in Environment and Sustainability with a dual focus on food systems and wildlife conservation, and minored in International Relations. My interests in combining my enduring passions for writing and wildlife conservation have driven me to explore multiple perspectives on highly-controversial issues such as trophy hunting, retaliatory animal killings, and illegal wildlife crime. Thus, during my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar and as a member of the Morally Contested Conservation team, I wrote a literature review on the interconnectedness of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts in East and southern Africa. In June and July 2024, I furthered this research by traveling to the University of Oxford and to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania, and returned to Oxford and Burunge in June and July 2025 to report my results.  As an aspiring environmental policymaker and journalist, I am passionate about making technical scientific information more accessible to the general public. I speak Marathi, Spanish, and Swahili at varying levels of fluency and plan to continue to grow my language skills to communicate environmental issues across continents and cultures.  The Laidlaw Scholars Program was an invaluable component of my undergraduate experience. The friendships I made, as well as the research and language skills I began to develop, encouraged me to continue to ask and seek answers to complicated questions about global affairs and environmental science. If anyone has questions or feedback about the Laidlaw Program, is interested in collaborating, or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at trisha.bhujle@gmail.com!