Isaac Macallan

Hello! I’m Vardan Umbreyan, a Politics and International Relations student at Durham University and a Laidlaw Scholar. My academic interests lie at the intersection of peace and conflict studies, diplomacy, European governance, humanitarian action and international institutions. Through my Laidlaw research, I examine how ripeness theory and a Lederach-inspired cultivation approach can help explain the emergence and prospective transformative significance of TRIPP within the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process. Alongside my academic work, my involvement with the Armenian and British Red Cross has strengthened my commitment to humanitarian values, ethical leadership and service to others. I am particularly interested in how rigorous research can move beyond the university environment and contribute to meaningful policy conversations and social impact. I am always delighted to connect with other scholars, exchange ideas and learn from people working across different disciplines, countries and communities.

Hi, my name is Karen and I am a first-year Philosophy, Politics and Economics student at Durham University. My research project aims to examine the American and Japanese bilateral relationship through analysing the impacts of US military bases in Okinawa. I am excited to be part of the 2026 Laidlaw cohort! 

Hi! My name is Imogen, and I am currently a first-year studying Psychology at Durham University. I am passionate about understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying everyday behaviour, which is why my research project is focussing on empathy development in children. My experience working with children from range of backgrounds as a volunteer tutor and a lifeguard have emphasised my interest in human behaviour, and the study of psychology constantly questions the classic nature vs nurture debate, as I intend to do. A key skill for leaders in empathy, so my hope is that my research can support understanding into neurodiversity and other conditions that cause empathy to develop in different ways, so that these people can have the best opportunities to succeed!

Hi! My name is Katya and I am a BSc Biosciences student at Durham University. This summer I am excited to be completing my project on the effect of dopamine transport on the memory of fruit flies. I will be looking at how removing the dopamine transporter from a memory relevant area of the brain has an effect on the ability of the flies to form and retain associative memories. When I’m not researching, I enjoy playing sports such as tennis, table tennis, netball, and running, and I also love playing music on piano, guitar and flute. I’m really excited to be part of the 2026 Laidlaw Cohort, so feel free to reach out to me with any questions or if you just fancy a chat!

Hi everyone! I'm Vivian, an undergraduate junior at Tufts University majoring in Biomedical Engineering. My interests lie in neuroscience and bridging the gap between vulnerable populations and healthcare access. I enjoy listening to music, reading, and taking walks (in the summer)! If you're interested in any of this too or would like to chat, reach out! I'm excited to get to know everyone. 

Hiya! I'm Thea, and I'm a second-year studying Classics at Durham University. Although Classics is a study of antiquity, I believe strongly in the real-world value of the skills and perspective it teaches. Because of this, I'm super excited to be a part of the 2026 Laidlaw cohort with my research on the importance of ancient Greek language and culture in the education system. I'm greatly interested in governance and public policy, so I'd love to see my project have a real influence on the presence of Classical education in a wider range of young people's lives. Outside of academia, my hobbies include reading, film and video games, and I enjoy being active through going to the gym, yoga, and skiing!

Hello! I am a first year undergraduate student at Durham University studying Modern European Languages and Cultures, including advanced Spanish and ab initio Italian. I believe that the intersection between languages and culture, politics and peacebuilding is hugely important in a multicultural but increasingly divided world. I am therefore passionate about using my skills for good, especially through my research project into ethical and compassionate immigration policy.  I'm really excited to work alongside the 2026 scholars! 

Hi I'm Freddie, a student in PPE at Durham University with particular interests in British Political history and the development of its constitution.  I am excited to express this in my research project, focusing on the impact of formalised political parties on voter partisanship and the incumbency effect. Whilst contributing to the development of an existing dataset containing parliamentary election data from 1832 onwards, I am aiming to perform data-driven alaysis to evaluate Britain's shift from a candidate-based political tradition towards the dominance of party labels. Outside of my studies, I am a keen church bellringer, an avid reader, and enjoy exploring new places.

I am currently a first-year student at Durham University studying Philosophy and Politics.  My research project investigates how social spaces can be created, allowing for state-sanctioned violence to take place alongside a spiritual/religious practice preaching non-violence. To bring an original angle to this question, I will be taking the case study of Thailand, a country with Muay Thai as its national sport and Buddhism as its national religion, and with many practitioners of the former also practicing the latter.  My research topic connects with my interest in martial arts, particularly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, albeit more focused on avoiding violent conflict than Muay Thai. I also enjoy challenging myself in many other sports, such as rowing, basketball, tennis, skiing/snowboarding, and having recently started yoga (one which I find uniquely challenging). And when my body becomes too exhausted for these, I like to read, bake, and attempt to learn basic Mandarin.

Hi! My name is Ashley, and I am a third year student at Duke University studying Public Policy and Global Health with a Markets and Managment Certificate. I am passionate about advancing ethical, evidence-based solutions at the intersection of health and compliance. I also find interest in conducting research focused on ethical research practices that better serve underrepresented communities. My experiences across public health, compliance, and policy have shaped my interest in using policy to promote social responsibility, sustainability and health equity.

Hello! I'm a third year Biology student at the University of Leeds and I'm part of the 2024 Scholars cohort. I've just finished an industrial placement working in digital marketing, looking to build expertise in the sustainable health & tech space.  I have been trying to figure people out for a long time and I thought what better way than to explore the wonders of neuroscience in my first year research project!?  I'm currenly on my LiA with the Timothy Smith Network in Boston, USA. I'm looking forward to working with students of all ages to teach and inspire them about the intersections of biology and technology.  I'm also a member of the 2026 Undergraduate Laidlaw Advisory Board, where I hope to provide strategic advice and improvements to the Laidlaw programme to ensure future scholars can thrive.  If you want to chat about books, the economic/political state of the world right now, or just life - feel free to drop me a message! :)

Amber is a Bachelor of Psychology student at The University of Hong Kong. As a Laidlaw Scholar from the 2024 cohort, she completed her research project, titled “Reading Through Gaming in Primary School,” at the University of Leeds and volunteered with the Red Cross in Taiwan (Pingtung County) during her second summer.

Amy is the Programme Director of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme. She works with universities, NGO’s, government departments, businesses and charity partners to manage and develop programmes which further the Laidlaw Foundation’s purpose – to reduce poverty and inequality by investing in the education of the underprivileged and underrepresented and to develop a new generation of diverse and ethical leaders.   Prior to joining the Laidlaw Foundation, Amy spent 9 years leading the US-UK Fulbright Scholarship Programme, working with students, academics, professionals, and teachers across every discipline. She has gained 15+ years working within Higher Education and is passionate about cultural exchange and the benefits it can bring to impactful research and solving global challenges. Prior to this, she led faculty-led programmes hosting US students in the UK and managed a busy student services. She studied American Studies at Sheffield University and University of Pittsburgh.  

Hello! I’m a psychology researcher and the founder of HaHaHelps, a comedy-based psychosocial programme designed to support young people in residential care. I am currently completing an MSocSci in Psychology at the University of Cape Town, where my dissertation examines the feasibility of HaHaHelps with adolescents in South African child and youth care centres. My broader interests include youth mental health, psychosocial intervention development, implementation, participatory approaches, and the use of humour and play to support connection, emotional expression, self-efficacy, and coping with uncertainty. HaHaHelps grew out of my Laidlaw Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I designed and facilitated an improv-comedy programme for adolescents. Since then, I have continued developing and delivering the programme with young people in residential care and am now studying how it can be refined, evaluated, and ultimately adapted for use in other communities and settings. Before this, my Laidlaw research at the University of Toronto examined relationships between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation. I’d love to connect with other Laidlaw Scholars and alumni interested in youth mental health, social impact, intervention development, social entrepreneurship, or simply finding creative ways to turn research into something useful in the world.