Hey there! I'm Miki, a 2025 scholar pursuing a combined degree in Persian, Arabic and International Relations at the University of St Andrews. I care deeply about refugee issues - particularly in the Middle East, owing to my personal experiences with refugees in Jordan and Iran. My research project explores how the  Jordanian and Lebanese governments' differing policies toward Syrian refugees have influenced their integration into their host societies.

Hi! I'm Eve and I'm studying Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures (with German and Turkish) at Trinity College Dublin. My research project focussed on the challenges facing Vergangenheitsbewältigung in modern Germany, including rising antisemitism, the 2015 migratory wave, subsequent refugee integration and developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict. I investigated how to tackle this issue in a way that appropriately condemns antisemitism and safeguards the wellbeing and integration of Germany's Muslim community. In addition, I considered wider questions surrounding migrant assimilation and national identity.  In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my friends, sea-swimming, hiking and reading. I also love to travel and am very interested in learning languages and connecting with people from across the world, so please feel free to reach out - I would love to chat about anything project (or otherwise) related!

Hi! I'm Leo and I study Civil Engineering at University College London. My research project focused on integrating location-based datasets - one of the best ways to understand spatial matters and, thus, develop better decisions and policies. This is crucial to creating smarter and more sustainable cities, a topic I'm really interested in. I am passionate about improving infrastructure and addressing inequality, particularly social-environmental sustainability in urbanism and transportation. I aim to continue working in this field and collaborating with NGOs, so feel free to reach out if our interests align!

Hey :) I'm Niamh (she/her), I study Classical literature and Italian at the University of Leeds. My research focuses on mapping out the circulation of Italian literature between the eighteenth and nineteenth century in Leeds. During the research period I'll be collaborating with Leeds library, helping them catalogue the remainder of their Italian collection into their database. 

I am a fourth-year student studying Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures with Hebrew at Trinity College Dublin. I spent my third year studying abroad at the Universidad de Granada and Charles University Prague. I am very interested in Holocaust Studies and my summer research project concerned the study of the influence of Holocaust fiction on public memory. I am currently pursuing this research further as part of my undergraduate dissertation. In the summer of 2024, I joined SOS Children's Villages Switzerland and Nepal for the central LiA "Making Impact Visible" and got an insight into SOS's important work while fostering my videography and photography skills. If you are from the 2024 cohort and have any questions in this regard, send me a message!  In my free time, I fence Épée.

Martha graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2024 with a First Class Honours in Law and Political Science. 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 also won the 2024 European Universities Debating Championships, becoming the first Irish woman to ever do so.

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.

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!

Hi I'm Peter, I'm a third year engineering student with a passion for electricity and lighting things on fire (with electricity). My research project focuses on using microwaves (The same EM waves that heat your food, yes!) for breast cancer detection. Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide, and early detection and diagnosis is highlighted by the World Health Organization as a key priority. Currently the only way to detect and diagnose breast cancer is with X-Ray mammography, which is incredibly costly and isn't suitable for younger women due to high radiation exposure. In contrast, microwave-based breast imaging systems can be operated in local clinics and doctors’ surgeries worldwide, improving access to potentially life-saving breast cancer screening for women of all ages world-wide. I hope to contribute to this area of research by modelling different microwave antenna arrays to find optimum configurations that can provide clinical grade images for doctors to quickly diagnose breast cancer.

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.

PPES student specialising in politics and economics. My research concerned the relationship between the Turkish government's usage of policy, specifically the Istanbul Convention, and its impact on rates of femicide in Turkey. I have recently completed my LiA at the Timothy Smith Network as an Administrative Support and Curriculum Intern. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to chat about any of my experiences!

Joel was the Laidlaw Programme Coordinator for Trinity (2018 - 2024). In this role he managed leadership development activities, student coaching, programme design, and the day-to-day support of the Laidlaw Scholars. He is currently the Equality Officer (Acting) for Trinity.  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). 

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.

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. 

Medical student studying at Trinity College Dublin