Hi there! My name is Finn Smyth and I am a final year student in Modern History at the University of St Andrews. For the Laidlaw programme my research focused on how Left political organisations across Scotland have performed, organizationally and ideologically, since devolution. I am also interested in modern political economy, and the emergence of modern political communications strategies and how they have been used in political campaigns since the 1980s.
My dissertation this year focuses on the modernisation of the Labour Party in the 1980s, and among recent projects I have been awarded grant funding to research the rise of populism in Europe alongside colleagues at Charles University, Prague.
Hello! I'm Yoshino, a third-year student majoring in International Relations and Spanish. I love learning languages, travelling and meeting new people :)
Hi, I'm Chico, a University of St Andrews student starting third year. I study Physics and Philosophy, being interested above all in the fundamental interpretations of quantum mechanics, metaphysics, and the impacts of non-determinism to the existence of free will. My Laidlaw research project was focused on analysing vanadium dioxide layered meta surfaces in search of epsilon near zero materials with tunable properties, utilising transfer matrix methods.
Outside of my studies and project I enjoy reading, playing board games, chess and video-games, cooking and sometimes writing.
Get in contact if you would like to chat about anything mentioned above or any subject you are passionate about. :)
Hello! I'm from Edinburgh, and am currently an Actuarial Trainee at Hymans Robertson. Prior to that, I studied Astrophysics at the University of St Andrews, where I was particularly interested in computational aspects of the field (handling and analysing observational data, and simulations). Away from academics, I enjoy playing a variety of sports, exploring the Scottish hills, and am a keen musician.
My research project in summer 2023 focused on mapping a region of the sky known to be star-forming, around the Monoceros constellation, with the hope of using analytical techniques to attempt to find new star clusters.
My LiA in summer 2024 was with the Timothy Smith Network in Boston, Massachusetts, teaching coding and microelectronics as part of the Elevating Agriculture Technology (EAT) course.
A student at the University of St Andrews studying Modern History and Art History, my research project was interested in the history of cultural heritage policy and its relationship with conflicts in Latin America. My LiA project is taking place in Lima, Peru with Make_Sense, working to empower indigenous communities through reclaiming the power of culture by promoting the Quechua language. My broader academic interests include modern art beyond the west, comparative approaches to histories of empire, and the creation of national identities.
I enjoy outdoor pursuits like hiking and skiing, and love to drink tea and have a chat about just about anything! Please feel free to reach out to discuss anything, research-related or otherwise!
