I am a first year student reading Human Sciences at St Catherine's College Oxford and am a Laidlaw research scholar in association with the SDG Impact Lab for 2025

Hello! I am a second year music student at the University of Oxford. I play the organ, piano, and guitar, and direct a variety of ensembles. My academic interests include: arts education, aesthetics, and the philosophy of music.

Hey everyone - I'm Gitika, but I go by Aki, and I'm a 2024 Laidlaw Scholar based at the University of St Andrews. I'm originally from California, but moved to Scotland to pursue my undergraduate studies in history and economics. My Laidlaw research focuses on the colonial and postcolonial histories of sexuality and gender in Asia, and particularly how it has impacted the current lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals based in India and Japan.  I'm eager to meet you all, so do reach out if you want to chat about research or just connect over a shared interest! Apart from my work in gender and sexuality history, I'm also keenly interested in archival history, colonial/postcolonial studies, and language / linguistics. Outside of academics, I'm often playing music, walking along the Fife coast with a hot cup of tea, writing, or watching Doctor Who with my friends.

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.

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.

Hello! I’m Jiyon, a rising third-year student at Georgetown University from New York City. I will be studying at the University of Oxford for the 2025-26 school year. I’m majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics, with my academic interests lying in public economics, governance, climate policy, and labor economics. In my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar, I am assisting a research project in Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy on identifying causes of heterogeneity in U.S. state tax systems and associating variations in tax progressivity with different infant health outcomes. Separately, I am looking at how different types of public spending across U.S. states can improve social capital for the elderly. I am passionate about finding public policy solutions that improve quality of life, promote effective governance, and create durable socioeconomic institutions.

Hi! I’m Eno, and I'm part of the 2025 Cohort. I’m passionate about contemporary issues in the European Union and how they intersect with law, peace, and conflict. Outside of school, I love to cafe-hop, read, and pick up foreign languages. Always looking for new friends—feel free to reach out!

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