Keir Chauhan (He/Him)

Student, University College London
Leonardo Vilardo

Civil Engineering Student, UCL

Hi! I'm Leo and I study Civil Engineering at University College London. My research project focused on integrating location-based datasets - one of the best ways to understand spatial matters and, thus, develop better decisions and policies. This is crucial to creating smarter and more sustainable cities, a topic I'm really interested in. I am passionate about improving infrastructure and addressing inequality, particularly social-environmental sustainability in urbanism and transportation. I aim to continue working in this field and collaborating with NGOs, so feel free to reach out if our interests align!
Reese Taylor

Research Scholar, Barnard College, Columbia University

Reese Taylor is an intended philosophy major with a focus on human rights or race and ethnicity studies on a pre-law track. At the LaidLaw Institute, she aims to initiate research into the historical and contemporary impact of "self-help" rhetoric on Black communities, aspiring to unveil persistent oppression and advocate for meaningful change.
Luke Pätzold

Student, Trinity College Dublin

I am a fourth-year student studying Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures with Hebrew at Trinity College Dublin. I spent my third year studying abroad at the Universidad de Granada and Charles University Prague. I am very interested in Holocaust Studies and my summer research project concerned the study of the influence of Holocaust fiction on public memory. I am currently pursuing this research further as part of my undergraduate dissertation. In the summer of 2024, I joined SOS Children's Villages Switzerland and Nepal for the central LiA "Making Impact Visible" and got an insight into SOS's important work while fostering my videography and photography skills. If you are from the 2024 cohort and have any questions in this regard, send me a message!  In my free time, I fence Épée.
Princess Agina

Founder, BusinessU Ventures

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.
Trisha Bhujle

Laidlaw Scholar, Laidlaw Foundation

Hello! I’m Trisha, a third-year student at Cornell University from Texas, USA. I’m majoring in Environment and Sustainability with a concentration in Food Systems, and minoring in International Relations and Climate Change. My interests in combining my enduring passions for writing and wildlife conservation have driven me to explore multiple perspectives on highly-controversial issues such as trophy hunting, retaliatory animal killings, and illegal wildlife crime. Thus, during my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar and as a member of the Morally Contested Conservation team, I wrote a literature review on the interconnectedness of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts in East and southern Africa. In June and July 2024, I furthered this research by traveling to the University of Oxford and to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania.  As an aspiring environmental policymaker and journalist, I am passionate about making technical scientific information more accessible to the general public. At Cornell, I am an Institute of Politics and Global Affairs Scholar, through which I interact with policymakers monthly to discuss pervasive issues in international politics. I also speak Marathi, Spanish, and Swahili at varying levels of fluency and plan to continue to grow my language skills to communicate environmental issues across continents and cultures.  For fun, I love to turn even the most mundane materials into recycled art, spend hours on end working through jigsaw puzzles, and go for runs while listening to podcasts. And as a diehard foodie who loves to travel, I’m always looking for recommendations of places to visit or new recipes to try!  The Laidlaw Scholars Program has been an invaluable component of my undergraduate experience. The friendships I’ve made, as well as the research and language skills I’ve begun to develop, have encouraged me to continue to ask and seek answers to complicated questions about global affairs and environmental science. If anyone has questions or feedback about the Laidlaw Program, is interested in collaborating, or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at trb238@cornell.edu. I hope we can meet in person someday! Watch this video for a brief introduction to myself.
Kassiopeia

Scholar, St Andrews

I am from London, UK I study Philosophy and English at St Andrews My research/leadership project is about the philosophy of ecology - specifically, ways of thinking about Nature and what that entails for human beings. I will be evaluating the two main alternative models to the 'anthropocentric' one (which considers human beings separate two and above Nature). These are the Holistic view - that we should dissolve the human/nature barrier and consider ourselves as parts of one entangled system - and the Othering view - which defines what is natural as what is non-human.  I chose this project because I believe that the Earth Systems Crisis we are experiencing is not merely technological, but deeply rooted in the way humans beings think about nature. I also chose it because I find the ideas involved to be ecstatically beautiful, and to deepen by experience of the world.  When I'm not studying, I like to write and read poetry, spend hours in art galleries, wander in forests, and dance the nights away. I also help run Refugee Action St Andrews, as Vice President.  I'd love to connect with someone who is interested in philosophy, poetry, or nature, wherever they may be. 
Victoria Lynn

Student, University of Leeds

Hi, my names Victoria Lynn and I'm currently in my final year studying LLB Law at the University of Leeds! My research focuses on the perceptions of school staff of autistic girls in secondary education, a topic which is heavily under-represented in the wider Autism literature due to the misconception of Autism being a 'male' condition, largely due to difference in presentation, and a higher number of autistic girls masking their Autistic traits. This topic is one which is also close to home, having had many of my own concerns throughout education regarding Dyslexia, which was often dismissed as I was not deemed to be "struggling enough." Both my own experience and my knowledge learned through researching this topic has inspired me to write my final year legal dissertation on the "right to inclusive education" (Article 24 of the United Nations Convention of Persons with Disabilities) of Autistic pupils in secondary education in England.
Karis Lonie

Student & Scholar , University of St Andrews

I am a fourth year student studying Geography and Sustainable Development at The University of St Andrews. I have a particular interest in reforestation, conservation and climate change mitigation. For the first summer of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme I produced a research essay and poster titled 'Climate Change Mitigation: Investigating the impact of land use on soil organic matter (SOM)'. My research focuses on measuring and reporting soil organic matter content across different land use types such as cropland and woodland. I explore the climate change mitigation potential of soil and the potential of adding soil organic matter through woodland restoration. For the second summer of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme I produced a Leadership-in-Action Video about my project on sustainable agricultural practices in Williamsburg, Virginia. My LiA project involved interviewing farmers in and around Williamsburg, academic researchers at the local university, The College of William and Mary and the manager of the Williamsburg Farmers Market. I also produced a reflective essay about my experience over the Laidlaw Scholarship titled 'Learning, Growing and Developing as a Leader'.
Sarah Routley

Student, University of St Andrews

Hello everyone! I'm Sarah (she/her) and I am a fourth-year undergraduate student in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews. I am particularly interested in the applications of philosophy to social and political issues, and how we can use philosophical arguments to inform policy decisions. As such, my research project concerned the appropriateness of belief and doubt in cases of sexual assault and the implications for university and legal policy. For my Leadership-in-Action, I conducted an evaluation of a sexual violence prevention education programme run by an NGO in Auckland, New Zealand
Nola Mak

Student, UCL

Rachel Wan

Student, UCL

Hello everyone! My name is Rachel and I am currently a third-year Biomedical Engineering Student at UCL.  My research experience with Laidlaw was centred around an imaging technique called photoacoustic imaging, which is a novel technique using laser-induced sound waves to provide highly-detailed images of the structure of our bodies. I am very passionate about medtech, environmental sustainability design and technology-- let's chat!
Natalie Magness

Student, University College London

Hi, I am Natalie Magness, a first-year Human Sciences student at University College London interested in biological anthropology and social entrepreneurship. I am a strong believer that seeing humans through both a biological and social-cultural perspective will bring us closer to solving our biggest global issues.  I am a Malaysian of a Chinese and Eurasian ethnicity and was fortunate enough to have been raised in Qatar, an extremely diverse nation. This third-culture identity has moulded me into a global citizen passionate about connecting with others but also has exposed me to the different hardships and injustices others face, reinforcing me desire to use my privilege to help others. Thank you for your time!
Grace Feng

HPE Student, UCL

Emma Last

Student, University College London

Jani Santarius

Student, University College London

Yi Xi Kang

Geography Student, UCL

Hi! I'm Yi Xi and I love trying new experiences! I am a firm believer that everyone has stories worth telling so I strive to keep my mind open and live in the present :)