I’m the Scholar Engagement Advisor at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, where I oversee two of the School’s prestigious and impact-driven scholarships:  the Laidlaw Scholarship and the Oxford–Pershing Square Graduate Scholarship. In this role, I support scholars from the application stage through to their time on course, acting as a key liaison between them, the School, and the respective foundations. My work includes scholar communications, events and programming, reporting, and community-building. I bring over a decade of experience across finance, higher education, events and marketing. Before joining Oxford Saïd in 2022, I spent nearly five years at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences as a Senior Finance Officer. There, I managed departmental budgets, oversaw journals and recharges (both departmental and cross-departmental), handled student finance, ensured compliance with university financial procedures, and supervised junior team members. Earlier in my career, I worked at Oxford Professional Education Group as Student Finance Manager and In-House Graphic Designer. I managed the Accounts Receivable function, set up student payment plans, led the company’s rebrand, and created all brand collateral. After finishing my studies, I began my career in London with Marriott International, where I worked in sales, events, and marketing.

A graduate of Cambridge University, Susanna’s professional experience includes over 15 years in senior leadership roles in international B2B and learning businesses. Susanna began her career at the Institute for International Research (IIR) where she first worked with Lord Laidlaw, rising to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). When IIR, which was the world’s largest organiser of commercial conferences, was acquired by Informa plc in 2005 Susanna was appointed CMO of the enlarged group and also led the public company’s investor relations programmes. She subsequently joined Emap Ltd as Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and CEO of Emap Networks, that group’s conferences business. Later she became CEO of the fashion industry forecaster WGSN and was latterly Group Content and Marketing Partner of the leading strategy consultancy Brunswick Group. A German-American raised and educated in the UK and a committed internationalist, Susanna has been involved in globally trading businesses throughout her career, directing activity in the Americas, across continental Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Susanna has been extensively involved with education and professional development over many years. She was Head of Group Training and led the commercial acquisition and integration of a portfolio of corporate training businesses whilst at IIR; and created learning academies at both Informa and Emap. She believes experiencing and appreciating different cultures promotes better global understanding, creativity and leadership. She is passionate about the power of education to transform lives; and believes that we need to develop a new generation of diverse leaders who are curious, bold and devoted to decency, truthfulness, and innovation. Susanna is committed to diversity not only as a societal imperative but as a critical component of commercial success. As an advisor to the trustees of the Foundation, Susanna first learnt about its purpose and programmes before becoming its Chief Executive responsible for the Laidlaw Schools Trust, the Laidlaw Scholars and its other education programmes. Susanna read English and Philosophy at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. She has five half blues in swimming and water polo; and played netball and rowed for Newnham.

I'm a first year student at Columbia University studying Biochemistry. 

Reese Taylor is a rising junior majoring in Philosophy, History, and Human Rights on a pre-law track. As a Laidlaw Scholar, she spent her first summer researching the role of labor in the economic and social uplift of Black Americans in the wake of Reconstruction. She was selected to present this research at Johns Hopkins University, The University of Pennsylvania, and the Global Laidlaw Scholars Conference. In her second summer, Reese founded The Voices in Action Initiative which is a program developed to empower and mobilize youth voices by providing them skills and practice in speech and debate. She enacted the program in Nassau, Bahamas with sponsorship from both the Laidlaw Foundation and The Kiwanis Club of Nassau.

Hi everyone! I'm a student at Barnard College in New York City. I'm researching feminist consumerism in cosmetics marketing. I'm really interested in political and feminist theory, as well as many fields of philosophy! I look forward to connecting :)

I am a junior at Columbia College. I am planning to study philosophy. My main interests in philosophy are ethics and philosophy of religion. My research looks into moral naturalism, neo-Aristotelian thought, and a little bit of moral psychology. 

I'm a rising sophomore in Columbia College intending to major in Human Rights, with interests in Economics, Anthropology, History and African Studies. My current interests are in the relationship between the decline in narratives of the developmental state, the rise of non-institutional developmentalist efforts through civil society organizations, and the global shrinkage of the civil society space. 

I am a sociology major on the pre-medical track at Barnard College. For my Laidlaw research summer I am conducting interviews with people of color who are currently pregnant or have recently given birth to understand how how healthcare professionals can better support their POC birthing patients.

Hi everyone! My name is Noel Ullom and I am a student at Barnard College studying Political Science and Theatre. While I am more generally fascinated by the fields of political theory, metaphysics, and theatre, I am interested in researching the influence of contrasting philosophies around free will on the queer liberation movement in Italy for my Laidlaw project. I would love to connect with you all!

Hi everyone! I am a rising Senior at Columbia College majoring in Cognitive Science and Visual Arts. As part of the 2024 Laidlaw cohort, I am deeply interested in the intersections of psychology, social anthropology, and the arts. My first summer specifically focused on understanding the role of forgiveness within Korean American communities.  This second summer, I am working at the Gardens, Libraries, and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Oxford to support with their community engagement team. My work includes creating more accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities, and also using the archives to spotlight individuals who overcame adversity to promote mental well-being amongst youth.

Hello! I’m Gabrielle, a student at Barnard College in New York City. I’m studying Comparative Literature (English and German) and Music (Ethnomusicology), and I’m also a classical violist and pianist. I’m passionate about the historic overlap between literature and music, particularly 19th- and 20th-century program music, ballets, and operas. For my first Laidlaw summer, my interest in adaptation theory drove me to explore how Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet narrative moved across genres and mediums, with a specific focus on works by Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Prokofiev, and Gounod. My interest in the transmission of cultural and musical knowledge led me to Berlin, Germany for my second Laidlaw summer, where I also spent my exchange year. I worked as a piano teacher at an organization that supports and empowers migrants and refugees in Berlin. I’m also interested in literary translation, archival practices, and engaged pedagogy, and I hope to continue exploring archives, libraries, and museums as sites of cultural memory. 

I am a 3rd year at Barnard College of Columbia University, studying History with a concentration in East Asia alongside a minor in Education Studies. My current Laidlaw research project focuses on the historical identity formation of Chinese Cuban diasporic communities, through the use of visual and textual archival analysis. I am passionate about equity and representation in academia, public engagement with historical education, and immigration and refugee justice. Generally, my research interests include migration and diaspora, gender and sexuality, postcolonial studies, and pedagogy.

Hello! I am a rising sophomore interested in the intersection between health, environment, and advocacy. During Laidlaw, I am excited to research the impact of radiation on the Pacific Islands, specifically regarding contamination in local fruit and vegetation of Kiribati island. 

I'm majoring in sociology and minoring in feminist/intersectional science and technology studies! My project is about the (social) experiences and perspectives of long term survivors of HIV regarding the AIDS epidemic and COVID pandemic. Through my interviews, I hope to learn about collective response and risk distribution as experienced by vulnerable/marginalized populations, particularly as public attention and precautions wane.