Hi! I'm Laetisha, a medical student at UCL, currently studying global health for my intercalating year. In specific, I take interest in understanding how healthcare gets from labs to communities and what becomes the barrier between people and access to this care. Healthcare should be a human right shared by all, but, unfortunately, this isn't the case in many communities, whether it be in a developed country or a developing one. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved in the Kasiisi Project (KP) in Uganda this summer, which also helped me understand what it is that these communities need in order to establish a path towards healthcare.

I am an undergraduate Economics and Mathematics student in the 2021 Cohort of the University of St Andrews. My research project will be a statistical analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on international voting behaviours, particularly regarding the re-election of political leaders (or lack thereof), but my interests expand to anything Econ. 

I am a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and the lead for the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme at The University of York.  Prior to joining the University of York, my career was in policing focusing on selection and assessment, leadership development, organisation change and culture, and diversity, equality and inclusion.  I completed my BSc Psychology course at The University of Manchester and went straight on to complete my MSc Occupational Psychology course at Northumbria University. I then completed the Qualification in Occupational Psychology (QOccPsych) with the British Psychological Society (BPS) to become a chartered Occupational Psychologist. 

I am currently studying biology at Durham. My research proposal is on biotic stress response pathways in plants.  My interests include plant science, molecular genetics, and the ethics of biotechnology - I also take some philosophy modules in my degree. In the future, I would like to research biotechnology and apply it to improving food security. 

I was fortunate enough to conduct academic research under the supervision of Stephen Gethins,  Professor of Practice in International Relations at the University of St Andrews and now a sitting MP. Stephen introduced me to a truly fascinating yet often overlooked area of International Relations: sub-state and regional actors and their place in global politics, with a focus on Scotland in particular. Through this, I have developed an interest in Scotland's place in the world as a nation without an independent foreign office, but as a nation with extensive international influence and a powerful global diaspora. This topic formed the basis of my Laidlaw project, my undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation, and my PhD. I take a keen interested in other academic fields such as politics, history, and philosophy. Although an International Relations and Sociology student first and foremost, I had the opportunity of studying Ancient History and Classics alongside my degree for two years. If I were to ever win the lottery, you would find me endlessly cycling University, spending my remaining days studying Ancient History and Philosophy, Politics, Anthropology, Theology, Theoretical Physics and Maths, or whatever subject I develop an interest in down the line. Since leaving the University of St Andrews and the Laidlaw Programme, I completed an MRes degree at the University of Glasgow in Sociology and Research Methods. I received a scholarship for a PhD in Sociology at the University of Glasgow which I am completing part-time in addition to my role as Research Officer at Carers Trust Scotland - a charity supporting unpaid carers which I had previously volunteered for. My PhD is a continuation of my Scottish diaspora studies, seeking to reconcile the notion of 'civic Scottishness' with the Scottish identity of the lived diaspora.  

Hiya! 👋  My name is Will and I am a student at the University of York studying Politics and International Relations. My Laidlaw research project looks at the extent governments are punished for the handling of the Covid pandemic and how governments utilise blame avoidance strategies.   I enjoy mountaineering around the UK and getting involved in youth politics such as with the British Youth Council and similar institutions. My passions would fall into having a love of reading and learning new things focusing on topics of self-development and psychology. 

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. 

I am a first year History and Politics student. My research project is titled 'How has devolution affected the UK's coronavirus response?'  I will be trying to understand which factors change the public's perception of their government. I will do this by comparing the devolved administrations in the UK around a specific policy, which was broadly similar despite being devolved, and then understanding which factors affected a change in perception. 

Hello! 👋  My name is Thomas and I am a student at the University of York studying electronic engineering with business management. My Laidlaw research project will be exploring how intelligence augmentation is the future for organisational decision making! Just some of my passions include science and technology studies, business systems, innovation and wanting to see a positive change in the world :)  Feel free to reach out to me for a friendly chat ☕ 

I'm a final year psychology MSci student specialising in developmental disorders. My project focuses around the development attention in infants and if certain maternal strategies scaffold joint attention and how this varies cross culturally in the UK and Uganda. I'm hoping to pursue a PhD in the future!

Hello! My name is Zara Sharif and I am a 2021 Laidlaw Scholar from the University of York, where I study Education! My research topic looks at body hair and racialized bullying of teenage girls in UK secondary schools, and how this interacts with the relationship between misogyny and racism. I chose this research topic because I think we are seeing a cultural shift (in some ways) towards a greater acceptance of body hair, but I've found this shift often leaves out women of colour, and ignores how race and gender can intersect to form teenage girls experiences and their relationships with their body, their sense of self and how they perceive themselves. I also want to see how greater society perceive body hair on women of colour in particular and how social media can influence/shape/change these opinions.

I am studying BSc Archaeology at the University of York. My primary interests are working on a ‘large scale’: archaeological field survey, GIS and digital methods, and utilising landscape and multiperiod approaches. Accordingly,  my research combines field investigation and digital analysis in a multiperiod study of the Mid-Cheshire Ridge, testing the potential contribution of comparative viewshed analysis to understanding past reasoning and change in the landscape.

Hello! My name is Yusra, and I graduated from the University of Toronto, St. George, in 2023. I'm now currently doing my MSc. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University.  My Laidlaw research utilizes the concepts of Self-determination theory, and focused on analyzing the biggest barriers to a 'positive' university experience, possible solutions that can be enacted, and how all these factors influenced student mental health.  My work now spans the intersection of mental health, conflict resolution, and social justice. I work as a Case Manager at an anti-human trafficking organization, and also work in the climate justice space with Canadian civil society.

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'm an undergraduate research scholar at Tufts University double majoring in Biopsychology and Child Studies & Human Development, with a love for theatre and other performing arts. Youth development is central to my work both within and outside the academic field: I've served children in environments as diverse as arts education, athletics, academic studies, and after-school care. In particular, my work as a researcher and educator with The Drama Studio (a drama education organization based in Springfield, MA, USA) and as director of Tufts' LCS Tutoring have demonstrated to me the value of individualized, creative education opportunities for autistic and other neurodiverse youth, whose needs and skills often aren't fully met in traditional schools. My passions for performing arts and for working with neurodiverse communities drive me to study arts education access for autistic students as a Laidlaw Scholar. Through my research, I hope to better understand where and how autistic students access various forms of arts education, as well as what accommodations support a positive arts education experience. Feel free to email me if you'd like to chat about what this data could accomplish, or about your own work!

Graduate Natural Scientist, specialised in Nanoscience. My Laidlaw research project explored thermoelectric materials to biomedical devices with a patient's very own body heat. Now employed as a Consultant Scientist for the EY R&D tax team.