Hi, i'm a medical student from Imperial College London! My research project is on assessing the environmental footprint of aesthetic medical practice. As aesthetic procedures are becoming more accessible, I hope my work will help build the framework for the development of standardised auditing tools that will push for a more sustainable aesthetic industry.
If you would like to know more do drop a message, and I would love to hear about what you are working on!
Currently a third year medical student at the University of Cambridge intercalating pathology.
I have a passion for immunological and metabolic based disease and researching into the scientific basis of these.
My project was titled 'Exploring Autoimmune Features in Type 2 Diabetes: A study on Autoantibody Prevalence' and followed a wet and dry lab based project looking into the possibility of GLP1 autoantibodies in individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Big Group Hug is a children's charity providing material aid to vulnerable children and families across Victoria, Australia, regardless of circumstance or eligibility criteria. It makes sustainable use of second-hand donations of clothes, toys, books and hardware, alongside purchased essentials such as toiletries and baby formula, to support families facing a wide range of challenges.
Responsibilities & Ideal Background
Scholars can lead an independent project shaped around both their interests and the organisation's needs, for example designing and running research such as BGH's caseworker survey, analysing the results and presenting recommendations to senior leadership. Scholars are also expected to help with day-to-day volunteering at the main warehouse, including processing aid requests. The team is supportive, and project planning before arrival is well organised.
A good fit is someone willing to get involved in every part of a not-for-profit's work alongside their own project, with skills in research, data analysis, project management or community engagement. The BGH site is around 20km from Melbourne's city centre, roughly a 40-minute train journey and a 2km walk. Accommodation in Melbourne is expensive, so scholars should budget for this.
LiA Champions
Curious about this project but not sure where to start? Our LiA Champions can share candid insights from their placements in Melbourne, including running BGH's 2026 caseworker survey and helping with operations at the warehouse.
Elena Law ([University]) Contact via the Laidlaw Scholars Network: View profile
Melissa Brownbridge (Durham University) Email: mhwb29@durham.ac.uk View profile
Organisation Contact
Bernadene Voss, CEO Email: [EMAIL]
Founded in 2002, Bali Children's Foundation (BCF) works to break the cycle of poverty in Bali's most underserved communities through education. BCF identifies remote villages with under-resourced schools, provides scholarships to the most disadvantaged children and upgrades classrooms. It also delivers teaching in English, STEM, literacy and numeracy, trains local teachers and runs health check-ups for students. Its aim is to help children complete school, move into further education or employment and improve life in their communities.
Responsibilities & Ideal Background
Scholars can support BCF's education technology and youth empowerment programmes. Work may include building and improving data systems that track student progress, analysing programme data and working alongside local teachers on student and staff development. The role combines office-based technical work with visits to schools in rural villages.
A good fit is someone adaptable and patient, who is comfortable learning new technical skills on the job and listening before proposing solutions. Backgrounds in education, data, technology or community development are all useful. Scholars should be prepared for unreliable internet access and changing schedules, and should research health, food and water safety and local transport before arriving.
LiA Champion
Curious about this project but not sure where to start? Our LiA Champion can share candid insights from their placement in Bali, where they built a data system to track the progress of more than 1,300 students across 53 schools, which BCF now uses across other departments.
Harold Kwong (University College London) Email: haroldwskwong@gmail.com · Phone: +44 7808 430586 View profile
Organisation Contact
Kadek Suparma, EdTech and Youth Empowerment Lead Email: implementation@balichildrenfoundation.org
I am a 3-year BSc Natural Sciences student, majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. I am interested in pursuing a career in brain-imaging and neurotechnology. I want to participate in projects devoted to innovating new ways to support people who live with neural conditions, and help share their stories through documentary film-making. I believe that providing more and better ways to cultivate understanding for one another can bring more compassion and kindness to our world. I think these two elements are often overlooked and under-practiced, and yet have a profound impact when integrated into our work and our lives. With this idea, I really love to travel and get involved in new projects and experiences to learn more about myself and other humans and their stories.
Hello ! I am Mattheo, a 17 year old French mathematics student at EPFL. Besides doing maths, I love cooking (@grosporc77 on Instagram) and I play the electric guitar. Don't hesitate to contact me !
I am a psychology & child study and human development student at Tufts University, passionate about mental health awareness, psychology research, and clinical interventions development. As a research assistant in Dr. Kredlow's Translational Emotion and Memory (TEAM) Lab and Dr. Mueller's Pets and Well-Being (PAW) Lab, I conduct research on emotional processing, adaptive coping, and factors contributing to social anxiety and peer stress. Aside from research, I am interested in how children's media and philosophical discussions can be used for promoting children's social and emotional learning and critical thinking.
My research focuses on interrogating anti-immigrant rhetoric in Italian politics, especially since 2015 and especially that which centers around economic concerns. I'm also interested in policies that support child migrants and refugees, particularly unaccompanied minors.
Research at the Columbia University Sabin Center for Climate Change Law in summer 2023. Studying American political history and economics.
Hi! My name is Hayden Chernow and I am from Boston, Massachusetts. I am a rising junior at Barnard College majoring in Urban Studies with a focus on the Middle East and Education.
My Laidlaw Scholars Research topic will examine how Jordan's growing refugee population impacts access to trauma-informed education.
Barnard College aims to provide the highest-quality liberal arts education to promising and high-achieving young women, offering the unparalleled advantages of an outstanding residential college in partnership with a major research university. With a dedicated faculty of scholars distinguished in their respective fields, Barnard is a community of accessible teachers and engaged students who participate together in intellectual risk-taking and discovery. Barnard students develop the intellectual resources to take advantage of opportunities as new fields, new ideas, and new technologies emerge. They graduate prepared to lead lives that are professionally satisfying and successful, personally fulfilling, and enriched by a love of learning.
As a college for women, Barnard embraces its responsibility to address issues of gender in all of their complexity and urgency and to help students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives. Located in the cosmopolitan environment of New York City and committed to diversity in its student body, faculty, and staff, Barnard prepares its graduates to flourish in different cultural surroundings in an increasingly interconnected world.
The Barnard community thrives on high expectations. By setting rigorous academic standards and giving students the support they need to meet those standards, Barnard enables them to discover their own capabilities. Living and learning in this unique environment, Barnard students become agile, resilient, responsible, and creative, prepared to lead and serve their society.
Hi! I'm Kritvi, currently a rising sophomore at Barnard College of Columbia University intending to major in Economics and Mathematics. Having experienced educational and economic systems in India, the UK, and the United States, I've become fascinated by the factors that drive economic development. My interests lie in development economics, particularly how technology can address inequality and support sustainable growth in developing countries. I enjoy exploring questions at the intersection of economics, data, and social impact.
Hello! I'm Kate Morton, a rising Junior at Barnard College from Baltimore, Maryland, USA, pursuing a combined major in Environment & Sustainability and Human Rights with a minor in Dance. My Laidlaw Research combines land rights, history, ecology, and environmental justice to explore how eminent domain reshaped socio-ecological conditions in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area along the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Hello! My name is Abril Rodriguez Calle, and I am a student at Columbia University studying Medical Humanities with the goal of eventually becoming a doctor. My interests lie in the intersection between medicine, the healthcare system, and ethics, especially in understanding how healthcare decisions and policies affect both patients and communities.
This summer, I will be working with Dr. Sandra Lee on an NIH-funded research project exploring the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of global genomics research partnerships. The project examines how institutions and communities negotiate issues such as data ownership, privacy, benefit-sharing, and decision-making in genomics research, with the goal of creating a practical “negotiation playbook” to support more meaningful and equitable collaboration. As part of the research team, I will help analyze policies and institutional practices while gaining experience in qualitative research, bioethics, and global health policy.
Hi! My name is Chloe Lee and I am a incoming sophomore at Barnard College of Columbia University studying Political Science and Human Rights with aspirations to eventually go to law school. I am interested in voting rights, international human rights, intersectional feminist theory, and the intersection between law and business!
This summer I will be conducting research on Asian American voter behavior and the barriers that shape civic engagement for the Asian American community in Queens, Texas, and Georgia. With the supervision of my mentor Professor Chen, I look forward to learning about the lived experiences and geographic comparisons that will help me understand how barriers influence eligible voters.