I am interested in the 1960s-70s prisoners' rights movement. In the past, I spent significant time researching the Attica Prison Uprising, the deadliest prison rebellion in the United States. Prison writing was a defining mobilizing force for the incarcerated people at Attica, and I am eager to delve into prison autobiographies in particular this summer as a progressive art form that has challenged literary expectations and engendered a collective voice of incarceration. Outside of research, I am heavily involved in advocacy and volunteering related to criminal justice.

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!

Hi everyone! My name is Phoebe Matthew, and I am a rising sophomore at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience & Behavior and possibly minoring in Computer Science. My research this summer in the Siegelbaum Lab at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute explores the role of the ventral CA1 excitatory neurons in the hippocampus, which are known to receive signals from the CA2 region that is heavily implicated in social memory, in valence associated social memory. This type of memory is not only the recognition of a familiar individual but also the memory of how that individual made you feel. Social memory is impaired in several neuropsychiatric disorders, and it is essential to understand how the mechanism behind it to inform possible therapeutics. Beyond the lab, I am a volunteer at a local memory care facility through Brain Exercise Initiative, a writer for Grey Matters (campus neuroscience journal), and involved in Columbia Synapse (traumatic brain injury advocacy group). I also recently got certified as an EMT. I am passionate about brain health advocacy/awareness, science communication, and service. In my free time, I enjoy painting, crafting, reading, and playing the ukulele. I would love to meet everyone, so please do not hesitate to reach out!   

Hello! I recently graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology Research from the University of Toronto. I’m passionate about youth mental health and how humour can be used to support resilience after adversity. My Summer 1 research project explored the relationship between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation — deepening my understanding of the psychological impacts of early trauma. In Summer 2, I led a Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I designed and facilitated a comedy-based mental health program for teens. That experience led me to found HaHaHelps — an organization that uses improv comedy to support youth mental health through accessible, community-led workshops. I am currently conducting a feasibility study of the program in South Africa as part of my master’s dissertation in Psychology at the University of Cape Town, with plans to expand to more communities globally. Please feel free to connect :) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younessrobert-tahiri Email: youness@hahahelps.org

Hi everyone! I'm a rising sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior. My research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Troy Lab investigates how retinal vein occlusion (RVO) — a leading vascular cause of vision loss and blindness — affects the lateral geniculate nucleus, the thalamic structure that relays visual information from the retina to the cortex. RVO is typically treated as a disease of the eye, but vision depends on the entire pathway, and damage at the retina may drive changes deeper in the brain that go unrecognized in current care. I'm interested in characterizing those downstream effects on the LGN and identifying neurological markers that could help explain why some patients lose vision permanently while others recover, ultimately informing earlier intervention before blindness becomes irreversible.  Outside the lab, I love singing a capella with Columbia Sur and exploring the city. I'm excited to meet everyone and please feel free to reach out!

Hi! My name is Celine and I'm an undergraduate at Columbia University studying Economics-Political Science and Hispanic Studies. In addition to these topics, I also enjoy learnings about China-Taiwan history and politics.  A big part of my interests and passions also lie in journalism. I work as a student journalist at the Columbia Daily Spectator, where reporting on university news. I love studying the things I do because the allow me to tell stories and learn about people from across the world, just as journalism allows me to do here at Columbia.  In my free time, I also love cooking, baking, running, listening to music–maybe occasionally singing some karaoke–and spending time with my friends. 

Hello! My name is Lauren Suh and I am a rising sophomore at Columbia University from San Diego, California. I am majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior on the pre-medical track and plan to minor in Music (I play the flute!). This summer, I will be working at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center under the supervision of Dr. Yousin Suh. My research project delves into ovarian aging, a critical marker of systemic body aging as one of the first organs to exhibit signs of aging. I will be researching whether DNA Helicase B, or HELB, delays or impacts ovarian aging.  I love yoga, running, thrifting, and baking! I am hoping to learn pottery this summer, so please reach out if you would like to join! 

Hello there! I'm a history major at Columbia University. I spent 14 years as a border-crossing student, living in mainland China and commuting to Hong Kong every day. I  spent my high school years in Houston, Texas. My primary focus is transnational Asian history, though I am also broadly interested in philosophy, IR, and political theory.  I spent my freshman year at Rice and transferred to Columbia as a sophomore. I'm currently a rising junior.  I speak English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. I am currently unsuccessfully acquiring Japanese and French.

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! 

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.

I am currently a junior at Barnard College of Columbia University studying Computational Biology with a minor in Economics. Through my coursework and research experiences, I have developed a strong foundation in data analysis, quantitative modeling, and computational approaches to complex biological and social systems. My background in economics has further shaped how I think about resource allocation, structural inequality, and policy impacts at scale. I am particularly interested in applying data science and computational methods to questions in public health, migration, environmental justice, and global health systems. Much of my work focuses on how large-scale systems, whether healthcare infrastructure, environmental conditions, or social policy, shape health outcomes for marginalized populations. I am especially drawn to research involving spatial analysis, longitudinal datasets, and health data infrastructure, as well as projects that bridge technical analysis with real-world policy and community impact.

Hi everyone! My name is Ariadna (Arina) and I'm a rising sophomore at Georgetown University. I currently research and study Neurobiology, which stems from my interest in understanding and targeting the biological mechanisms underlying substance addiction (particularly opioid abuse). My Laidlaw project investigates the role of KCC2, a potassium-chloride cotransporter protein, in morphine addiction. I hope to ultimately integrate wet-lab addiction research with both biotherapeutic and public policy fields to create sustainable treatment and prevention strategies for addiction in the US.  Outside of research, I love creative writing (particularly poetry) and I'm hoping to double major in English. I also enjoy dancing – I'm on hiphop and bhangra teams at Georgetown – as well as playing piano, exploring new cuisines, and reading. Feel free to reach out here or at am4981@georgetown.edu!

Hi, I'm in the Columbia College Class of 2029, interested in exploring the intersections of neurobiology and storytelling, particularly the stories behind the science. My Laidlaw research project delves into the molecular and behavioral signatures of pain and stress in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in mice. 

Hello! My name is Claire and I'm an incoming sophomore at Columbia University from Los Angeles, California. I am a prospective Medical Humanities major with a special concentration in Public Health. This summer, I look forward to conducting chemistry education research to help learners regain agency in guiding their own problem solving. In my free time, I love ballet, running, reading, and trying new cuisines around New York. 

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. 

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! My name is Eleanor Cao, and I am a rising sophomore at Columbia University (Columbia College). I am interested in the intersection between political theory and intellectual history, with a special focus on modern Chinese thought and Taiwanese politics. In my first summer as a Laidlaw scholar, I will be probing Chinese political scientist Yan Jiaqi's theory of democracy in the long 1980s (1978-1992). Please chat with me about art & literature, cats, corvids, crochet, figure skating, and more!!

Hello! My name is Tomás Sanabria and I am a rising sophomore at Columbia University from Cali, Colombia. I am majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior on the premedical track and have a strong interest in public health and patient care. This summer, I will be working on The Future of Bioethics, a project led by Dr. Sandra Soo-Jin Lee and her national-multi university team. I am very excited to learn under her direction and contribute to the fight for a future where health sciences research remains ethical and centered on human dignity. At Columbia, I am a member of the Admissions - Global Recruitment Committee, the Neuroscience Society and will be a volunteer at the Gay Health Advocacy Project this upcoming year. I am also involved in the Columbia Ballet Collaborative and CoLab, two awesome contemporary dance clubs that have allowed me to keep exploring my passion for dance, movement, and its capacity to bring people together. Outside the classroom, I love running, reading, and exploring the best restaurants in the city with my friends. I am so excited to be a part of The Laidlaw Scholars Program and learn from my peers! If anyone is interested in talking, collaborating or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at ts3766@columbia.edu. 

Hello! My name is Van Muller and I am a sophomore in Columbia College from Atlanta, Georgia. I intend on majoring in both Classics and Political Science on the Reception and American Politics/Theory tracks respectively. My project this summer analyzes the debates that formed the United States Constitution through the lens of Classical allusion and aims to evaluate the extent to which those allusions informed the founders about methods of good government.