Hi👋🏾 I’m Pearls I am a final year Law student at the University of Leeds. I recently completed a placement year at The Walt Disney Company as a CPGP Contract Management Intern (hence the 'industrial' next to my degree title) My first-year research project looked at the way game-based learning could be incorporated into Multi-Academy Trusts (aka MATs) to improve the academic attainment and classroom engagement of GCSE-year black students. My Leadership-in-Action project was with MakeSense and focused on empowering minority communities within Mexico City.

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.

Hey everyone, I'm Phoebe !  I am an undergrad for Durham in the 2021 cohort.  My field of research is sociology looking at access to higher education programmes and widening participation. 

Vaibhav Pramode Nair is a 2023 Laidlaw Scholar at the University of Leeds. He is the Lead Youth Representative of the Save Soil Movement, and in this capacity works to amplify youth voices for food systems transformation at major policy fora globally. Currently pursuing a Bachelors in Sustainability and Environmental Management at Leeds' School of Earth and Environment, he was the first undergraduate Youth Delegate from Leeds to the UN Climate Talks, representing at COP29 Baku, COP28 UAE and SB60 Bonn. Vaibhav leads efforts in diplomacy and climate at the Indian Youth Diplomacy Forum. He’s a LEED Green Associate, IEMA member, and an active participant in YOUNGO's Food and Agriculture Working Group, advocating for a shift in focus within the international climate policy discourse to the soil degradation crisis. Save Soil. Visit https://consciousplanet.org/ to learn more. Let's make it happen ! Try https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/inner-engineering . Changed my life. In is the only way Out.  If you study/work within the sustainability/climate space, please reach out. If not, definitely reach out. :)

I am a former Laidlaw Scholar (University of St Andrews, 2021 cohort) with a background in Philosophy and Mathematics. My research project focused on the Philosophy of Space Exploration and Exoplanet Science, and for my LiA project, I worked together with Think Pacific on a Youth and Development project in Fiji.  After my undergraduate studies, I went on to do a master’s degree in History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge (yet another Laidlaw partner university!), building on my previous Laidlaw research. 

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 :)

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. 

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

My name is Eleanor and I’m a scholar of the 2021 Laidlaw cohort. I am a current master's by research student at the University of Leeds where I have recently graduated with a BA in French and Spanish. As part of my degree programme, I spent 18months abroad, working at the memorial of Mont-Valérien, and for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, as well as a British Council teaching assistant in Spain.  My undergraduate research experience as a Laidlaw scholar has really inspired me to continue decolonial research going forward - please see my posts to find out about my research. 

Hi! My name's El and I study BSc Sustainability and Environmental Science at the University of Leeds. I'm passionate about sustainability and my research with Laidlaw will be investigating healthy food habits in young people and identifying healthy food brands in the UK. Aside from that, I love art, volunteering and dance!

Hey :) I'm Niamh (she/her), I study Classical literature and Italian at the University of Leeds. My research focuses on mapping out the circulation of Italian literature between the eighteenth and nineteenth century in Leeds. During the research period I'll be collaborating with Leeds library, helping them catalogue the remainder of their Italian collection into their database. 

Hello my name is Megan and I am a University of Leeds scholar, currently studying abroad at Lund University, Sweden! This summer I completed my independent Leadership-in-Action placement at the non-profit Sharing Excess, in Philadelphia. It is a food rescue organisation and I worked in the distribution team helping to deliver the rescued food to people in need. Last summer, I completed my research project with Bite Back 2030, looking at the negative effects of delivery apps on young people's health and trying to come up with ways to minimise this through legislation.

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Leeds studying BSc Environmental Science. I am particularly interested in climate change - the science behind it and its impacts, biodiversity and ecology, and sustainable development. I am also currently partaking in a Year in Industry placement at Network Rail working for the Environment and Sustainable Development team. My Laidlaw Research was on the reintroduction of beavers in Scotland, looking at attitudes towards them and trying to understand why they are illegally killed. This particularly interested me as it is vital to understand local opinions on wildlife to succeed in reintroductions and rewilding schemes. For my Laidlaw Leadership Development, I was lucky enough to spend a summer with Think Pacific on an Environment and Sustainable Development project in Fiji. Outside of work and study, I enjoy food (cooking and eating it), as well as sports like powerlifting (which allow me to eat lots without any negatives!), and exploring new places and nature sites.

I was part of a team of four scholars who are working together with Durham University to research what makes a successful Multi-Academy Trust serving disadvantaged communities. In particular, we focused on the Laidlaw Schools Trust, which comprises seven schools in the North of England that predominantly serve disadvantaged pupils. Overall, this is part of the effort to reduce the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers. After that, I completed my LiA project by volunteering for the Youth & Community Project with Think Pacific in Fiji followed by a year abroad in Singapore. Driven by my passion for travel and cultural exchange, I love trying new foods and enjoy meeting people to share ideas. Feel free to reach out!

Hi! I'm Corey, a final-year Digital Media student at the University of Leeds. I am graduating with a First-Class degree in BA (Hons) Digital Media (International). I recently returned from my Year Abroad at the University of Rochester, where I spent the year discovering a passion for Graphic Design, furthering my interest within Media and understanding how design can be used to change the world for good. As part of my Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholarship, I co-authored a paper discussing the benefits of Transnational Education and Higher Education Institutions globally, in a paper titled "A Global Capstone Experience: Developing and Promoting Cultural Awareness and Educational Opportunities", I also participated in Leadership Development Training and spent Summer 2022 in Viti Levu, Fiji, as part of my Leadership-in-Action project, where I collectively constructed a Community Health Clinic and Facilitated the delivery of Youth Empowerment Workshops.

Hi everyone! I'm a Laidlaw scholar of the 2021 cohort currently on "The Global Capstone Project." My project consists of working in a group with 2 other amazing scholars to filter references, read texts and essentially produce an academic paper on the UN's sustainable development goals relating to higher education.