I have spent the last 10 years working on the concept of mental fitness, as counter to the old stigmatized concept of mental health. I am hugely interested in how people can develop resilience and endurance. This has led me to studying applied psychology. My Laidlaw scholarship research project has been looking into the effects of emotion on the performance of Ultramarathon runners at distances of both 60 miles and 110 miles. This is the first sports psychology study that has attempted to measure this actually within-race rather than just pre and post race. Since suffering a nervous breakdown in 2009, and finally admitting to himself his own mental health and alcohol problems. A period of his life that is now looked upon as the positive beginning of a new chapter. Paul has gone on to build an awarding social enterprise BCT Aspire CIC, completed numerous high-profile endurance challenges and applied his learning to helping others and now supporting his academic journey as a mature student. BCT Aspire CIC has over the last decade delivered thousands of successful youth sessions and activity programmes for local children & young people on Teesside. Currently BCT Aspire delivers five youth sessions every week in Billingham including; Youth clubs, fitness sessions, music lessons, Duke of Edinburgh Awards and community events all with a voluntary team. A former talented Rugby player who represented England North at his peak, Paul’s attempt to get to grips with his problems led him to begin walking. This resulted in a 3000 miles adventure spanning the length of Europe, from the Southern Tip of Italy to the edge of the Orkney Islands, also passing through France, England & Scotland. All completed without support and relying on the human kindness of strangers. This has been followed up by running single stage ultramarathons up to 160 miles and last year completed the Wainwrights Coast to Coast completely barefoot to raise funds for his work and supporting his belief in positive thinking. Paul’s first two EBooks from the “Jumping the Cliff” series have topped the Amazon EBook charts for both Depression, Anxiety & Mental Health sections, with his next book from his six-week journey across Italy now out in paperback. Paul started his speaking career talking to pupils at a school with children who had behavioural problems, a place where Paul gained the courage to talk about his own way of trying to reset his own learnt behaviours. Since then he has given talks to a cross section of people including business people, professional sportsmen, youth groups, colleges & universities. Paul has also won numerous Business & Community Awards for his diverse range of work including; Entrepreneurs Forum Emerging Talent 2012; Evening Gazette’s Community Champion for Children & Young People 2012; Gazette Community Awards Finalist twice (Ambassador & Fundraising), Teesside Philanthropic Charity – Teesside Hero Paul is a qualified outdoor leader with BCT Aspire CIC who enjoys sharing these skills with people aiming to build confidence and also relaxing on the hills with his dog Molly and now his young son Pavel. Paul currently mixes his role as Managing Director of BCT Aspire, with speaking work, and studying applied psychology at Durham University. This also includes holding a prestigious Laidlaw scholarship for emerging global research talent, currently researching the mental approaches of endurance athletes. Furthermore, a trustee of Catalyst Stockton on Tees the VCSE infrastructure body for the area.

Hello! I am a Human Development major interested in translational research, specifically pertaining to educational settings and mentorship programs. As a Filipino-American, I am  passionate about focusing my research on my cultural identity and targeting gaps of knowledge within psychology in POC communities. My project involves the development of purpose workshops for educators and youth programs within Manila, Philippines. Would love to chat! 

Research and Academic Administration

Hello everyone! My name is Rachel and I am currently a final 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!

Leading investments from Laidlaw Scholars Ventures. I started my career in strategy both in consulting and in-house at a media group. Following my MBA, I decided that I wanted to work with early stage companies where you can have a greater impact on the business' journey and success. I have worked in advisory and for a VC fund prior to joining Lord Laidlaw's private office.

I am an alumni of the University of York where I received a BA (Hons) degree in English Literature and Linguistics. I was the Arts and Humanities Subject Lead on the Laidlaw Scholar's Network and the 2020-22 Arts and Humanities Undergraduate rep at the University of York.  After graduating from York I went to the University of Oxford to read for an MPhil in Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics. After 2 years of study at Oxford I work full time in a school and also work on the HEnabled podcast, which aims to showcase the experiences of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions within the British Higher Education system. If you study or have studied at a British University and have a disability or long term-health condition, then I would love to have you on as a guest! Email henabled@gmail.com to get in touch. 

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.

Hello! I research illiberal democracy: when democratic process no longer protects our rights and freedoms. I use the political threshold concept to qualitatively assess the points at which our social power is lost; I conducted unstructured interviews in Israel and Palestine in summer 2019 to investigate this.  I am driven to impact sustainability through political reform, strategy consulting, and creating new legal demands that will shift environmental demands across countries.  I am a social mobility advocate: always seeking to narrow the disparity between state and private school education.

My name is Luke Muschialli and I am a medical student at UCL. I have experience in Medical Research and I am interested in continuing this in the future. Some of my current interests include paediatrics, child and adolescent mental health and intellectual disabilities (particularly autism spectrum disorders). I am confident and experienced in leadership positions, and working in equality, diversity and inclusion services.

I am from South Orange, New Jersey and I am currently studying Computer Science and Linguistics at Cornell University. I’ve always been fascinated by the interdisciplinary nature of technology and my goal is to find ways to connect technology with other fields to affect positive change. I’m incredibly excited to implement this technological approach in my research project, where I’ll be using data to analyze local effects of maquiladoras and international policies. Outside of academics, I’m an Arts and Sciences Ambassador and Peer Advisor, a member of the Cornell Blockchain club, and an avid rock climber.

Hi! I am Hillary from The University of Hong Kong majoring in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. My research aims to create a compound that specifically targets a cancer-related protein, and to investigate its mechanism and efficacy.

I am a graduate of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Rwanda. I am also the STEM Subject Lead. My Laidlaw research project is about bringing a system that could help minimize the number of high-school and primary students who bring cell phones to school since it's one of the major sources of distraction. I did my Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University Africa, majoring in Cybersecurity and Data Science.

Hello, it's very nice to have you on my profile! I'm Lucy, a Laidlaw Alumna from the University of Oxford. I had the pleasure to join the Laidlaw Scholars network upon the completion of my research project into increasing crop yield through biotechnology and genetic modification. I am passionate about using the innovative potential of science and technology to address some of the greatest issues that the humanity is facing such as food security and climate change. I look forward to connecting with fellow Laidlaw Scholars who believe that it's time to take action and bridge the science-society gap!

Hi everyone! My name is Areesha Imaan Siddiqui and I am a recent graduate of the University of Toronto. I've completed a double major in Psychology and Sociocultural Anthropology with a minor in French. I am now a student at Goldsmiths, University of London studying an MSc Marketing and Consumer Behaviour. My research examined homeless women in Toronto and the social and cultural processes as well as policies that affect how the women are re-integrated into society. Please feel free to message me to maybe talk about my research or anything else really!

Iñaki Iriarte is a Laidlaw Scholar working with UCL's Institute of the Americas on researching political representation in Brazil.