Hello! I'm Hannah, a first-year Geography student at Durham University. I am delighted to have been accepted on to the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme as part of the 2025 cohort. My research for this summer focusses on weight discrimination and weight discrimination training among fitness professionals. The project evaluates the nature and extent of weight discrimination within the UK fitness industry, with a specific focus on fitness professionals' roles in perpetuating or challenging such biases. The opportunity to conduct this research enthuses me as I am passionate about promoting an inclusive fitness environment so that the holistic benefits of sports participation can be realised. Through both playing and coaching sports in deprived inner-city areas, I have directly experienced the physical, mental and social benefits of sports and fitness on individuals and communities so am passionate about reducing the barriers that prevent individuals from engaging in fitness environments. Furthermore, I have witnessed the negative impact of weight discrimination on young athletes, which motivates my interest in potentially creating a successful weight discrimination training programme for fitness professionals. Outside of Laidlaw, I am part of Durham University Hockey and Netball Clubs and Collingwood College Boat Club. I also love to play the Piano and Cello, as well as being involved in Durham University Concert Band on the Oboe. 

First-year Natural Sciences undergraduate at Durham University studying Chemistry and Physics. Interested in materials science, aerospace, and sustainable development

I am an American working at Durham University in the Leadership Framework, serving as an Assistant Manager. In my role, I manage Emerging Leadership and Sport Leadership Programmes. I am the programme manager for the Durham University Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme. I am passionate about creating an inclusive sense of belonging for students, leadership development, harm reduction, and helping students identify their version of success.  I have worked in higher education for the last eight years in different functional areas, including identity-based advocacy, orientation, transition and retention, fraternity and sorority life, and leadership development. I have a B.A. from Willamette University in American Ethnic Studies and History and a M.S. in Educational Administration with an emphasis in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Texas A&M University (Gig 'em!).  I spend my free time fly-fishing, hiking, watching anything in the Star Wars universe, reading, browsing record stores, going to concerts, and searching for the best flat white in NE England!

Hello! I’m a Philosophy and Psychology student at Durham University, with academic interests in applied ethics, decision-making, and political philosophy. My broader aim is to use interdisciplinary research to drive measurable, socially meaningful change. My current research explores barriers to public transport adoption, with a view toward long-term policy implementation. This project brings together behavioural science, psychology, urban planning, and economics to contribute to more sustainable and inclusive transport policies. Professionally, I’m drawn to fields like consulting, public policy, and tech ethics - all spaces where rigorous thinking and real-world impact intersect. Whether through research or leadership, I hope to influence systems that improve people's lives. Outside of academics, I enjoy music, concerts, and learning languages, and occasionally (but unfortunately) philosophising.

Hello! I’m Trisha, a fourth-year student at Cornell University from Texas, USA. I’m majoring in Environment and Sustainability with a dual focus on food systems and wildlife conservation, and minoring in International Relations. My interests in combining my enduring passions for writing and wildlife conservation have driven me to explore multiple perspectives on highly-controversial issues such as trophy hunting, retaliatory animal killings, and illegal wildlife crime. Thus, during my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar and as a member of the Morally Contested Conservation team, I wrote a literature review on the interconnectedness of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts in East and southern Africa. In June and July 2024, I furthered this research by traveling to the University of Oxford and to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania. I will be returning to Oxford and Burunge in June and July 2025 to report my results.  As an aspiring environmental policymaker and journalist, I am passionate about making technical scientific information more accessible to the general public. At Cornell, I am an Institute of Politics and Global Affairs Scholar, through which I interact with policymakers monthly to discuss pervasive issues in international politics. I also speak Marathi, Spanish, and Swahili at varying levels of fluency and plan to continue to grow my language skills to communicate environmental issues across continents and cultures.  For fun, I love to turn even the most mundane materials into recycled art, spend hours on end working through jigsaw puzzles, and go for runs while listening to podcasts. And as a diehard foodie who loves to travel, I’m always looking for recommendations of places to visit or new recipes to try!  The Laidlaw Scholars Program has been an invaluable component of my undergraduate experience. The friendships I’ve made, as well as the research and language skills I’ve begun to develop, have encouraged me to continue to ask and seek answers to complicated questions about global affairs and environmental science. If anyone has questions or feedback about the Laidlaw Program, is interested in collaborating, or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at trb238@cornell.edu. I hope we can meet in person someday!

Hello! My name is Rowena, I am an undergraduate at UCL studying Sustainable Built Environment, Energy and Resources. It is an honour to study at the QS ranking’s #1 university in the UK for sustainability and the Bartlett School which is the #1 faculty in the world for built environment studies. I am passionate about sustainability and strive to combine academic research with real-world impact through quantitative and qualitative analysis, policy evaluations and environmental advocacy. My Laidlaw research builds on my previous work on Biodiversity Net Gain and its impact on sustainable housing of which a summary was published in the Harmony Journal in 2024. I am keen to pursue a meaningful career in sustainable finance consultancy. In school I was recognised for my academic achievements with the International Gold Medal at Ireland’s Young Economist of the Year competition, a certificate of commendation from Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge in their economics essay competition and a feature on BBC Radio and ITV News at Reading Schools’ Model UN COP27.  Beyond academics, I am an active leader and environmental advocate. At UCL, I serve as a Green Impact Strategy Ambassador and Academic Representative, attending conferences, forums and committee meetings on a regular basis to ensure my peers’ voices are heard. I also love the performing arts, having directed and acted in multiple theatre productions as House Captain at school and playing the organ and singing in my church choir. I thrive in dynamic, high-pressure environments and am always looking for opportunities to drive meaningful, sustainable change. My goal as a Laidlaw Scholar is to merge research, technology and policy to creative innovative solutions for our global future.

Hello! My name is Lily, and I’m pursuing a degree in psychology and music. My research is interdisciplinary in that it includes psychology, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral studies, and music. I’m studying how listening to emotionally-intense music impacts the later ventriloquism effect, which is a measure of multisensory binding between visual and auditory stimuli. Then, I will investigate if this effect changes when the visual stimulus is imagined using visual mental imagery. My work is motivated by my deep interest in the interactions between visual mental imagery and mental health, specifically with flashbacks in post-traumatic stress disorder. In the future, my goal is to get an MA in music therapy to become a neurologic music therapist and a PhD in neuroscience to continue research.

Hi there! I’m a 1st year, soon-to-be 2nd year BSc Psychology student at Durham University. “Why does sad music make us feel better sometimes?” pretty much sums up my interest in music and psychology. On a deeper level, I will investigate how international students interact with music to make themselves feel better in different contexts. It is important to investigate cross-culturally as our world becomes more globalised. Moreover, I believe music can transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, as it seems to have such a profound effect on everyone, regardless of where they’re from. Not only may music connect us all, but it can also connect us with ourselves. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom has been struggling with high demand for mental health services, thus resulting in long waiting lists and inaccessible help when people need it most. I hope to advocate for music as a non-invasive, accessible, and sustainable facilitator of emotional regulation, thereby reducing the overwhelming need for pharmacological treatment. Outside the Laidlaw Programme, I’m also a part of a youth Advisory Group for the ORIGIN project, which involves developing online cultural and art mental health interventions for underrepresented young people experiencing depression and anxiety. Please feel free to drop me a message if you’d like to participate or know more. ORIGIN is always looking for interested people! Ultimately, my involvement in research builds onto my future career aspirations; I aim to be a Clinical Psychologist while encouraging the integration of arts and culture into mental health interventions. I’m deeply interested in the interdisciplinary nature of music and psychology; however, I’m also excited to hear how other academic disciplines may interact and merge. Likewise, I enjoy multiple hobbies like playing the piano and ukulele, singing, cooking, crocheting, and reading. I think being a nerd about your interests is really cool, so if you’re like-minded, I’d love to chat with you!

Hello! I'm Melissa (she/her), a first-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, Anthropology and Psychology help me to explore my interests across 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.  I look forward to commencing my journey as a Laidlaw Scholar in summer 2025, with my research project focussing on the development of vision in human fetuses, including how maternal mental health impacts upon this.  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, reading, and music, including playing the clarinet! Feel free to get in touch! 

Hi! I'm Sophia, an aspiring scientist and philomath. I love learning about everything and anything and delight in spending time with people who are passionate about the things they love! I am really interested and curious about how we can use chemistry to improve processes and products to help society. For example, my research project is looking into the possibility of turning struvite, a mineral which is a by-product of waste-water treatment processes into slow-release nitrogen and phosphorous fertilisers, which would be a green source nitrogen and phosphorous fertilisers and help achieve goals of zero-waste.  If you are researching something similar or are interested in learning more about the project, please reach out! I am super happy to talk about the project and meet other who are doing something similar and possibly collaborate! 

Hello! I am a 1st year undergrad studying biological sciences at Durham University, England.  This summer I plan on conducting observational research on Little Tern fledgeling behaviour to assess the impacts of the conservation work at Seaton Carew beach. My main motivation for my project is knowing I have the ability to create tangible, positive change from my research. It is crucial we protect our local wildlife now, since climate change and habitat destruction may render our ecosystems irreparable from loss of keystone species.  However, it is also important to enjoy the outdoors! I am really lucky to have grown up next to a nature reserve and love going on relaxed riverside walks and sunbathing with my friends there. I also like to thrift cute clothes, sing karaoke in college music rooms, have a post-library pint in the evening, stare longingly at dogs (I have 3 back home), and I love going to cafes! If anyone in Durham or Cambridge wants to go thrifting or to a cafe, I do know a few spots.