Hi! I'm Humna, a third-year Geology student at Imperial College London. I'm originally from Pakistan and moved to London for university. After three years exploring everything from volcanoes to critical minerals, I'm now starting my master's, specialising in Mining Engineering and Design. For my first-year research project, I looked at whether we could store large amounts of carbon dioxide in saline aquifers beneath the North Sea. It brought together geology, sustainability, policy, economics, and infrastructure planning to explore one big question: how can we safely lock away the carbon we've already emitted? As we work towards net zero, reducing emissions is only part of the solution—we also need ways to deal with the CO₂ that's already in the atmosphere. This summer, I'll be heading to the Pilbara region of Western Australia for my Leadership-in-Action project, where I'll be working with Indigenous communities and researchers at ANU's Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials. I'll be diving into Native Title and UNDRIP, helping facilitate community workshops, and co-producing a short documentary to support research that's genuinely informed by First Nations voices as demand for critical minerals continues to grow. It's a mix of mining, policy, storytelling, and spending a lot of time listening (which is probably the most important part). Outside of geology, I'm always up for conversations about climate, science communication, widening participation, the Laidlaw experience—or anything you're passionate about. One of my favourite things about this community is getting to meet people with completely different interests and backgrounds, so if you'd like to chat, collaborate, or just say hello, I'd love to hear from you!

Hello! I'm Melissa (she/her), an incoming third-year undergraduate student at Durham University studying BSc Natural Sciences. I am passionate about multi-disciplinary learning, and my range of degree modules across the departments of Biology, Geography and Anthropology allow me to explore my interests across both the sciences and social sciences. I love all things human, and am especially interested in the fields of human biology, equitable healthcare, and public health.  Last summer, I thoroughly enjoyed commencing my journey as a Laidlaw Scholar with my research project focussing on the development of vision in human fetuses, including focussing on how maternal mental health impacts upon this. This summer, I am so excited to travel to Melbourne, Australia, to complete my LiA with the children's charity Big Group Hug! In my free time, I love to spend time with friends and family, bake, go for walks, and play with my cocker spaniel! I am also passionate about volunteering, various sports, reading, and music! Feel free to get in touch! 

Chemist and active volunteer. I love embarking new projects, learning new things, and meeting new people!

Hello everyone!  My name is Abi and I am a second year Geology student at Imperial College.  As someone who is passionate about sustainable energy and the preservation of our environment, my research project centres on how to make decarbonisation solutions economically viable - so that clean energy can be attained by all. I believe that money should never be a restriction - especially towards climate action, so I aim for my research to make decarbonisation a feasible target for everyone!  My hobbies include all things outdoors - hiking, travelling and climbing to mention a few - as well as crafty activities such as crochet and knitting!  I would like my Leadership in Action project to focus on my hobbies - using craft activities to help rebuild and give independence to a local community abroad, with an emphasis on sustainability. Perhaps using locally sourced material to produce goods which can be sold to help with living costs? If any of this sounds interesting, or if you’d simply like to chat, please feel free to reach out and connect! :)  

Hi! I’m Zach — a fifth-year medical student at Imperial College London, and an Honorary Clinical Research Fellow at the Royal Brompton Hospital, one of the world’s leading cardiothoracic centres. My work sits at the intersection of critical care medicine, health-services evaluation, and data-driven translational science. Through my Laidlaw project, EQUALISE, I built geospatial and temporal analyses of national ECMO referrals to investigate equity of access to extracorporeal life support across the UK — working alongside clinicians, NHS England commissioners, and regional networks to turn data into evidence that shapes service planning. The analytical pipelines were subsequently adopted by the National ECLS Service Evaluation. For my Leadership-in-Action project, I’m working as a Clinical & Scientific Fellow with the Africa Clinical Research Network (ACRN), helping design a federated, African-led real-world evidence platform.  Back in the lab, my current research investigates gas-phase metabolomic signatures during cardiopulmonary bypass, working toward novel non-invasive diagnostics. Outside research, you’ll find me at bachata and salsa socials across London!

Hello, I'm a Chemist at Imperial College London, born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 My research explores ionic liquid-based biomass fractionation in the Hallett research group as a joint study between my home department and the department of Chemical Engineering.  My academic interests are not particularly confined to a particular discipline within chemistry (organic, inorganic etc.) since they're very interconnected and interdependent in the grand pursuit of technologies to sustain people and the planet. I'm interested in chemical applications driving sustainable practices in chemical manufacturing, materials, energy, agriculture and automotive sectors. Happy to discuss ideas and collaborate! 

Hey everyone! I'm an Electronic and Information Engineering student at Imperial College London who is deeply invested in harnessing technology to drive real-world impact. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I am exploring how solar energy, powered by machine learning and geospatial data, can power off-grid, rural villages in South Asia. By mapping solar irradiation and calculating infrastructure needs, I hope to prove the viability of using this technology for clean energy access and water purification. More broadly speaking, I am also interested in machine learning, Quantum Computing and startups. Feel free to connect and have a chat about any of these topics!