Laura Coccia

I am an international Bachelor student reading Communication Systems at EPFL in Lausanne. I am curious and eager to learn across many fields ranging from the sciences to the arts. My core academic interests lie in the physics, chemistry, and mathematics (statistics, data analytics and mathematical modelling) and the way these fields are related in technological advancements through computer science and AI. I consider myself a global citizen, a French and German national who has lived in France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland and travelled to more than 35 countries and 4 continents. These diverse experiences fostered my deep interest in global issues with a particular passion for sustainability (e.g., climate change, loss of biodiversity or the fundamental energy crisis) and inequality (e.g., unequal access to education and health care). 

Hello! My name is Sara, and I'm a soon to be second-year computer science undergrad student at EPFL, in Switzerland. I am passionate about technology, and how it can be used to help communities. My research this past summer was in system security, a branch of cybersecurity. I expanded and improved the accuracy of Magma, a benchmark for fuzzers - a software testing technique using randomized input (data) to reveal the faults in the program. This technique helps finding bugs (errors) that would not  have been reached using other popular tests. My goal is to find and implement Proof-of-Concepts - files that prove that a specific faulty part of the code can be reached and can trigger an error (a crash).  This summer, I will be joining HOOP Perù in Arequipa, Peru, to be an assistant teacher in their coding classes. These classes introduce tools common in many work places today in an accessible way to teenagers. This will also be a great opportunity to share my passion for computer science with others, as well as to put what I have learned this past year to use. Besides coding, I enjoy all kinds of sports (currently (beach) volleyball and basketball), as well as reading. I also enjoy spending time in nature, be it on a hike or just in a park, or by a lake. I love traveling, discovering new places and cultures, and meeting new people. I enjoy meeting new people and sharing perspectives, so please don't hesitate to contact me!

Hi, I am Fabio, a Physics student at EPFL, in Switzerland ! I am passionate about discovering how the universe works and how we can use this knowledge to improve our lives. In my free time, I love playing music, of all kind (jazz, orchestral, brass, ...), and improvising, I also enjoy reading, writing and being in nature. Feel free to reach out to me, if you want to talk :)

Hi! I'm Sophia, an aspiring scientist and philomath. I love learning about everything and anything and delight in spending time with people who are passionate about the things they love! I am really interested and curious about how we can use chemistry to improve processes and products to help society. For example, my research project is looking into the possibility of turning struvite, a mineral which is a by-product of waste-water treatment processes into slow-release nitrogen and phosphorous fertilisers, which would be a green source nitrogen and phosphorous fertilisers and help achieve goals of zero-waste.  If you are researching something similar or are interested in learning more about the project, please reach out! I am super happy to talk about the project and meet other who are doing something similar and possibly collaborate! 

Hello! I’m Trisha, a graduate of Cornell University from Texas, USA. I majored in Environment and Sustainability with a dual focus on food systems and wildlife conservation, and minored in International Relations. 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, and returned to Oxford and Burunge in June and July 2025 to report my results.  As an aspiring conservationist, I am passionate about making technical scientific information more accessible to the general public. I speak Marathi, Spanish, and Swahili at varying levels of fluency and plan to continue to grow my language skills to communicate conservation challenges across continents and cultures.  The Laidlaw Scholars Program was an invaluable component of my undergraduate experience. The friendships I made, as well as the research and language skills I began to develop, encouraged me to continue to ask and seek answers to complicated questions about global affairs and environmental science. If anyone has questions about the Laidlaw Program, is interested in collaborating, or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at trisha.bhujle@gmail.com!

Hello! I’m a psychology researcher and the founder of HaHaHelps, a comedy-based psychosocial programme designed to support young people in residential care. I am currently completing an MSocSci in Psychology at the University of Cape Town, where my dissertation examines the feasibility of HaHaHelps with adolescents in South African child and youth care centres. My broader interests include youth mental health, psychosocial intervention development, implementation, participatory approaches, and the use of humour and play to support connection, emotional expression, self-efficacy, and coping with uncertainty. HaHaHelps grew out of my Laidlaw Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I designed and facilitated an improv-comedy programme for adolescents. Since then, I have continued developing and delivering the programme with young people in residential care and am now studying how it can be refined, evaluated, and ultimately adapted for use in other communities and settings. Before this, my Laidlaw research at the University of Toronto examined relationships between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation. I’d love to connect with other Laidlaw Scholars and alumni interested in youth mental health, social impact, intervention development, social entrepreneurship, or simply finding creative ways to turn research into something useful in the world.

Hello! My name is Viktoria, and I’m a third year student at University of Toronto pursuing a Human Biology major and double minor in Immunology and Physiology. In my research, I'm investigating how immune dysfunction contributes to Parkinson’s Disease (PD) pathogenesis, a condition that has immensely impacted my family. My work integrates computational transcriptomic analysis of patient data with experimental validation in a preclinical mouse model. This integrative approach aims to uncover immune-related biomarkers that could inform precision-based, disease-modifying immunomodulatory therapies that slow or prevent PD progression.         My fascination with the immune system began with my own experience navigating everyday life with my anaphylactic allergies. Early exposure to the immune system’s complexity inspired my ongoing commitment to understanding how immune dysregulation underpins disease. PD is close to my heart, and I’m motivated to have my work contribute to better diagnostics and treatments for patients worldwide.         Looking ahead, I aspire to pursue graduate studies; either an MSc or PhD in immunology, neuroscience, or biomedical sciences. I’m passionate about translating academic research into real-world solutions and hope to build a venture that leverages immune insights for targeted, accessible therapies. I’m also a language enthusiast; I love learning new languages and immersing myself in different cultures, and I believe cross-cultural communication is essential for global health innovation and leadership.          When I’m not in the lab, you can find me studying in new cafes and trying new restaurants around Toronto, reading psychological thrillers or philosophical literature, hiking with my dog, or travelling abroad!                 The Laidlaw Scholars Programme has been an incredibly meaningful part of my academic journey thus far, empowering me to ask bold questions, build hands-on research skills, and connect with a vibrant community of change-makers. If you’re curious about Parkinson’s research, immunology/neuroscience/biotech, or just want to connect, feel free to reach out on my LinkedIn. I’d love to hear from you!