Hi! My name is Lizzie and I am in the 2023 Laidlaw Scholar cohort.   I am an International History and Politics student at the University of Leeds. Throughout my first year of studies, I have found myself gravitating towards the field of East Asian History and Politics. In particular the politics of South Korea, especially the leadership of the 21st Century and the corruption that is rife in the government.    I have chosen to complete a self-defined project which will focus on how the actions of the South Korean government has affected the youth. I will be largely discussing the Sewol Ferry Tragedy and the Itaewon Crowd Crush disaster. I will be investigating the influence of chaebols and top-down culture and the roles they played in the aforementioned events. I shall also be analysing the roles of both Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk-yeol in both disaster, respectively.  As my project is self-defined, I have a lot of leeway in what I choose to include, therefore I may touch on other topics such as the rise of anti-Feminism, particularly in young South Korean men.   In addition to my core studies, I have a passion for language learning (especially wrongly labelled 'dead' languages) and for Islamic history, particularly the role of women in Islam.  Linked are articles and videos that are related to my research which give a general overview of both tragedies.  https://youtu.be/5_A8dq2fA5o Documentary about the sinking of the Sewol Ferry  https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/11/16/seoul-crowd-crush-itaewon-victims/ Washington Post article regarding circumstances of Itaewon Crowd Crush  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/31/seoul-halloween-crowd-crush-young-victims/ Washington Post article which shares the names and stories of some of the victims of the Crowd Crush  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/world/asia/south-korea-sewol-ferry-grief.html NYT article about the ongoing pain of the families following the Sewol sinking

Hi, my name is Grace and I'm a second-year Sociology student. I was given the opportunity by the Laidlaw Foundation to conduct research on the student-led project: 'Thinking Inside the Box'.  In order to fully understand the project three other Laidlaw scholars (including myself) conducted interviews with the students, staff and stakeholders involved in the project. My focus for the research project is on the pedagogic approach to 'Thinking Inside the Box' and how it allowed students to practice ownership and autonomy in designing their own authentic learning experiences and skills-development. My LiA is with CraftHER by Swara and focuses on amplifying the voices of women artisans and avocating for change.

I'm currently a first-year student at the University of Leeds, studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering.  My research project is on Electric Vehicle charging point infrastructure planning, addressing a critical aspect of the transition to sustainable transportation. It seeks to optimize the design of EV charging infrastructure in public spaces. Through the evaluation of diverse charging configurations and the application of local/regional datasets, I will generate optimal location and capacity guidelines. These findings will aid local government authorities in establishing efficient and equitable public EV charging infrastructure.

Laidlaw Scholar Alumna at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, I'm often found at the piano🎹, mesmerized in a theatre🎭, or painting away the night with friends🎨.  If our paths align in interests or work, why not connect? Ping me, and let's connect on LinkedIn.

I am the leadership developer for the University of Leeds. I am passionate about learning and ways in which we can all bring more of our true selves to work. I am keen to open dialogues about how leadership can be both effective and human in the 21st Century. My influences include a quote I learnt whilst studying to be a teacher at university "there is no liberating influence than the knowledge that things have not always been as they are and need not remain so." (Simon. B.) So, you can see that as leaders of the future Laidlaw Scholars can bring about positive and lasting change - and how great that is! My qualifications include: BEd Hons,, MSc, CIPD Dip, ILM L5 Coaching & Mentoring, PG Cert Counselling, FHEA. I am accredited to run Quintax personality profile, PPA, TMSDI Team Profile, EQi 2.0 Emotional Intelligence.

Hello all! I did my Laidlaw Programme at Durham University between 2019-2021. My research project focused on evaluating the immigration and asylum system of the EU through a case study of the 2015 immigration crisis. Following the completion of my undergraduate LLB degree I moved to London to pursue my postgraduate LLM study at Queen Mary University of London.

Hello there! My name is Aly, and I am a British undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, currently doing an International Affairs Specialist, with a Minor in Sustainability. My research project is → Linking Political orientation and Environmentalism: An analysis of changing environmental attitudes and subsequent party support in Canada. In my project, I aim to analyze the changing link between environmental attitudes and party support/political orientation in Canada, using Canadian Election Studies data from 2015 and 2019, and comparing my results with results from a previous study which carried out similar analysis on data from the 2004 and 2006 elections. I also hope to inform my analysis with a discussion of provincial differences in these links, hoping to shine a light on possible avenues towards improving engagement with voters for provincial elections which may help Canada in its terrible track record on improving its environment. 

Hi, my names Victoria Lynn and I'm currently in my final year studying LLB Law at the University of Leeds! My research focuses on the perceptions of school staff of autistic girls in secondary education, a topic which is heavily under-represented in the wider Autism literature due to the misconception of Autism being a 'male' condition, largely due to difference in presentation, and a higher number of autistic girls masking their Autistic traits. This topic is one which is also close to home, having had many of my own concerns throughout education regarding Dyslexia, which was often dismissed as I was not deemed to be "struggling enough." Both my own experience and my knowledge learned through researching this topic has inspired me to write my final year legal dissertation on the "right to inclusive education" (Article 24 of the United Nations Convention of Persons with Disabilities) of Autistic pupils in secondary education in England.

Currently, I am in my second year studying Geography BA with Quantitative Methods at the University of Leeds. 

Hi! I am studying chemistry at The University of Leeds, I am an Undergraduate Scholar doing a research project titled 'The Upper Atmosphere of Mars'.

Hello! My name is Eleanor Campbell, and I am a 2021 Laidlaw Scholar. I am a student at Columbia University in the City of New York, and I am originally from Raleigh, NC, USA. I major in Economics and am particularly interested in Behavioral Economics. During my first year with Laidlaw, I worked with Professor Hitendra Wadhwa of the Columbia Business School in developing a leadership fellowship for aspiring young changemakers. For my Leadership in Action project, I worked with World Vision on a menstrual hygiene management campaign in West Gonja, Ghana.

Hey! I am Izzy and I am part of the 2022 cohort of Laidlaw Scholars at the University of Leeds. I study BSc Economics and I am interested in mental health, health economics and health policy. I am excited to have a career that allows me to explore my interests further and I am always open to chat! My research project involves undertaking a literature review and analysing responses to surveys completed by students on their sense of belonging and engagement at university. I hope my research can help students settle into university better so that they can reach their potential :)

Hi! I'm Yasmin and I am a part of the 2022 cohort of Laidlaw Scholars. I am currently in my final year of study of the Neuroscience course at the University of Leeds! My research project is on Microglia Activation in Ageing and Neurodegenerative Diseases. 

Hi there! I'm Oran, a final year student of International History and Politics. With the Laidlaw Foundation, I completed an independent research project on the history of an early international voluntary organisation in the summer of 2021. Also with the programme, I took part in the 'Youth and Community' project with ThinkPacific in the Fiji Islands in the summer of 2022.  All of this has enhanced my capacity for leadership in a globalising world. Please have a look through my profile to learn more about me and my work as a Laidlaw Leadership and Research Scholar. 

I am currently a third year studying Physics at the University of Leeds. My research intertwines my knowledge of physics, my love for fashion and my desire to implement sustainability. My self proposal involves investigating all cellulose composites as possible green composite materials to combat the textile waste produced at the hands of fast fashion.

Hello! I am a second year student English Literature student and a 2021 Laidlaw scholar at the University of York. My research focuses on young adult and coming-of-age literature and my aim is to design an undergraduate module on this genre that could potentially be taught as part of a literature degree.

I'm a microbiology graduate interested in healthcare, conservation and medicine. My first year research project looked at soft corals and the shifts in their communities due to climate change across the Indo-Pacific. For my LIA I got to travel to remote Fiji with ThinkPacific were I discovered my love for community engagement and saw an entire new culture. Apart from academic interests I love cooking, going to the gym, doing art and learning :)

I am currently a fifth year student studying for an MMath Mathematics at the University of St Andrews. During the summer of 2021, I undertook a research project into Algebraic Constraint Geometry and Graph Rigidity. In the summer of 2022, I undertook a Leadership in Action Project in Fiji with Think Pacific. Alongside maths, I also really enjoy playing around with computers! At the moment, I am learning how to use HTML and Ruby so that I can host and maintain my own website. I also hope to take a course on machine learning soon. Outside of academia, I am a big fan of the outdoors. For the past two years I have been learning to kayak and have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore Scotland whilst doing so.

Hello! I was Laidlaw scholar in 2019, and I studied national, regional, and local identity in northern Tajikistan through the lens of women's fashion.  For a year after graduating, I worked for the UN Mine Action Service which removes landmines from conflict and post-conflict regions. I then worked for the Laidlaw Foundation 2021-22 and completed a Master's Degree in Anthropology and Development Management at the London School of Economics. Now I'm working with the UN on innovative finance for biodiversity conservation, focusing on marine ecosystems. Please feel free to reach out on the network, on LinkedIn, or by email. I'm always happy to meet new people and chat.