Hello wonderful people :D
My name is Deep and I am a first-year undergraduate studying Biology at Pembroke College, the University of Oxford.
I am also proud to be part of the 2025-2026 Laidlaw Scholars Cohort at the Oxford SDG Impact Lab!
I'm excited to learn about and get experience in using biology to create a meaningful impact in the world, particularly in the fields of conservation, climate change, ecology and sustainability.
I am also passionate about learning science and student empowerment! I hope to help build a world in which every child and student has the resources, support, guidance and opportunities to dream big; turn their dreams into goals; and turn their goals into reality. I hope to help build a world that is brighter, kinder and more loving, in which more people reach their full, golden glowing potential.
So far in my leadership journey, I have been creating meaningful impact on a small scale, through volunteering as a tutor and at my high school's pupil support centre; my current role as a student mentor at Biology By Clare; and more recently starting an online academic empowerment project! Over the years, I have become fascinated with ways we could empower more students using larger-scale initiatives, at the levels of education policy, charities and other organisations. Hence, I am very excited about my Laidlaw research project!
For my research project, I am going to be working in a group with some of my Laidlaw Scholar friends at the Oxford SDG Impact Lab. We are going to be researching how we can use co-curricular programmes to improve student well-being and educational outcomes, particularly with the hope of helping solve educational inequity in Oxfordshire.
Outside of Biology and academic empowerment, I love English Literature; Drama, Theatre and Film (I'm currently obsessed with the Wicked!). I am also a big Taylor Swift fan :)
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, want to work on a meaningful project together, or just want to have a good conversation :)
(I prefer email or Instagram)
I am immensely grateful for this opportunity and for being part of this incredible global community. Wishing and sending everyone here so much joy, light and happiness! I'm rooting for you!
Here is a link to my YouTube channel by the way, in case you want to check it out :D
A link to my YouTube channel, in case you want to check it out :D
A link to my empowerment Instagram channel
A link to my personal Instagram account
My email: deep.thakkar.world@gmail.com
Hi! I'm Amanda, a third year Neuroscience student and Laidlaw alum from UCL. I'm Swedish-Persian and grew up in Sweden before moving to London for uni. These days, alongside my studies, I work for the Foundation as a Marketing Assistant.
For my first year research project, I worked on optimising alginate hydrogels for 3D astrocyte culture systems. In simpler terms, I was figuring out the best way to prepare a jelly-like scaffolds so that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes could grow in three dimensions rather than flat on a dish. This matters because 3D environments mimic the brain more realistically, which could help researchers develop better treatments for neurological disorders!
For my Leadership-in-Action project, I co-created Beyond the Books, a resource designed to help students from underrepresented backgrounds navigate the unwritten rules of university life, from internships and networking to professional opportunities that aren't always obvious if you're the first in your family to go to uni.
Always happy to connect, whether you want to chat about neuroscience, widening access, the Laidlaw experience, or just say hello! One of my favourite things about this community is getting to meet people from different universities and backgrounds, so please do reach out! 🌟
Hello! I am Major Richmond, and I enjoy spending time with friends, playing tennis, and visiting the best theme parks in the country. I am a PROUD Blue Devil and a member of Duke University's Class of 2028! I intend to pursue a degree in Public Policy Analysis and explore Environmental Science and Spanish💙😈 In general, The United States is in an unprecedented state of division, specifically in the political realm. The US democratic system has turned into a battle arena full of uncertainty, hatred, and various bad decisions. For my life goal, I have sworn to put a halt to this crippling division and start to put compromise over stubbornness. The best current policy solutions arise when democrats, republicans, conservatives, liberals, and independents unite to create change TOGETHER, rather than separate. As an aspiring politician, I plan to end division for the country's benefit.
An avid Psychology Student looking to engender inspired, tangible, and meaningful change. Actively pursuing worthwhile ventures to actualise this goal.
Hi! I'm Alina, a Biochemistry undergraduate fascinated by health sciences, my long-term goal is making healthcare more accessible, equitable, and effective. For my Laidlaw research, I stepped outside my home School of Biology into the School of Medicine to study direct-to-consumer health screening (think at-home genetic tests). These tests promise autonomy but risk misinformation, false positives, and overdiagnosis; so my work pushes for a shift from early diagnosis to optimal diagnosis, where a result is only useful if it's actually clinically actionable.
For my Leadership in Action project, I co-led When Science Dances; using Scottish ceilidh dance to teach gravitational-wave physics to children in underserved communities across Glasgow and Shetland, in partnership with Science Ceilidh, Wild Skies Shetland, and the University of Glasgow's Institute for Gravitational Research. It was a joy to take something as abstract as spacetime and turn it into something kids could dance out and giggle through, and to watch the project grow from a Glasgow workshop series into a Shetland outreach programme along the way.
Outside of "work hours", I'm always on the move. In uni I picked up judo, which has since become kind of my whole personality (big shout out to USTA Judo, I love you). I also absolutely love cycling; started as a way of coping with not having a car, ended as a full-blown addiction. Beyond sport, I've got a soft spot for anything creative: embroidery, crochet, photography, and losing hours to discovering electronic music. Basically: endlessly curious, always chasing whatever new thing has caught my eye.
Hi! I’m Grace and I’m a first year medical student at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. For some time now I’ve been interested in the mechanics of cancer and how the inner workings of a tumour affect a patient’s diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
We are fortunate to live in a time of ever-growing research, and with as many as one in two people being diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime, there’s an urgent need to bring this research into a clinical context so that patients can benefit from it. This interest is what has compelled me to look into the presence of certain biomarkers and their relation to immune cells within tumours, which I will start researching during my first summer as a Laidlaw scholar this year. In an effort to make this as relevant as possible to patient care, I will use this data to develop an AI algorithm which will aim to predict patient prognosis by analysing tumour samples.
Alongside my studies I’ve enjoyed being the charity representative of our Oncology Society, especially since it’s allowed me to fundraise by baking treats and going on seaside runs!
Outside of medicine I love to sing and spend every spare moment I have in chapel singing choral music with the university’s chapel choir, although I have been known to spend hours singing along to Les Mis whenever I get the chance.
I am a third-year student of English at the University of St Andrews from New Delhi, India, and I'm interested in languanges and literature. My research project explores literature in radical bookshops.
Hi I'm a Student at St Andrews, investigating the role of Russian Emigres in opinion making within the UK, both in the victorian era and today
My name is Sophie (she/her) and I am from South Wales but am currently studying International Relations and Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. I was a part of the 2024 Laidlaw cohort.
My Laidlaw research project explored how nostalgia for life in the former East Germany continues to affect politics in today's reunified Germany, in particular Germany's foreign policy towards Russia. For my LiA project, I went to the European Centre for Minority Issues and created 'digital stories' about national minorities in the Germany-Denmark border region.
In my free time, I like to read anything i can get my hands on, as well as cook a lot and try different recipes from around the world. I also really love travelling and exploring new places.
I'd love to connect with someone who is interested in politics and diplomacy or otherwise shares my interests. And if you have any questions about my research, I'd love to chat about it!
Hi, I'm Ele, a University of St Andrews Scholar. Primarily, my studies are in psychology but I am undertaking research in biochemistry and biophotonics. The aim of my project is to understand the effect of alpha-synuclein aggregates on astrocyte Calcium signaling in neurodegeneration (more precisely Parkinson's disease). This research has not been conducted before and the aim is to understand astrocytic calcium waves with the hopes of finding an aid to therapeutic targets for Parkinson's.
My future research and ambitious lie in clinical and forensic psychology as well as gender psychology. I am also a mental health advocate and I am extremely passionate about raising awareness about mental illness.
Outside of my academic pursuits I enjoy music (especially drums), writing, any and all forms of art, being with my family and friends. and most of all traveling. I am also a die hard football fan and avid watcher. I also love most things to do with Spanish and Latin American cultures as I am from Madrid myself.
If you would like to chat about practically anything, I would be very excited if you sent me a message! I would love to connect and understand your project and personal interests!
Have a great day!