Ciao! I'm Leonardo, a Laidlaw Scholar passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, and creating meaningful change in this world. I come from Italy, and at 17, I took an uncomfortable step by moving alone to the UK to pursue my studies, determined to gain access to an English university, networks, and growth opportunities. My research title is: "Using Points of Interest Data to Understand Retail Change in Great Britain, 2015 – 2025", which deeply connects with my entrepreneurial objectives. Through Laidlaw, I'm excited to expand my leadership capabilities, refine essential entrepreneurial skills and find new people within this amazing network! I'm passionate about engaging with Laidlaw's diverse global community, exchanging perspectives, and fostering long-lasting connections. I look forward to contributing my experiences, collaborating with fellow scholars, and continuously growing as both a leader and an individual. Please feel free to connect; I’m genuinely excited to share ideas, collaborate, and explore innovative solutions together! Leonardo Linkedin  leonardogareri05@gmail.com

Hi! I am Aimaan. I am Year 2 MEng Chemical Engineering in University of Leeds. During my leisure, I am listening to music, watching films and writing. My recent project is submitting poetry collection book called Naskhah Seorang Kera, in translation, Letter by Humbled for publication. I also have travelled to more than 10 countries across Europe within my first academic year in Leeds. I am keen to pursue PhD in circular economy aspects of pharmaceutical industry after graduation. I am also passionate in working in pharmaceutical industry applying my experience from university to actively participate in Research and Development (R&D) sector. I have been involving in variety of projects; academic and extra curricular activities since high school. Currently, I am School Representative in School of Chemical and Process Engineering (SCAPE) bridging communication gap between students and academic staff by collecting feedbacks, raising concerns, facilitating interdisciplinary discussion and hosting events. I am also former assistant secretary for Malaysian-government sponsored student society called JPA Scholars Association (JASA) that aims to mitigate circumstances experienced by JPA Scholars across UK and build collaboration among international connection to bridge perspective gap. I am also active organising committee of Malaysian Student Community Leeds (MSCL) where I am be able to expand my networking with Malaysian permanent residence and other Malaysian students in Leeds to get provide cultural space exactly the same as what happened in Malaysia!

Hi, I’m Katie McGowan, a Psychology undergraduate at the University of Leeds and a 2025 Laidlaw Scholar. My academic interests centre around human behaviour, social influence, and cultural psychology. This summer, I’m researching how cultural background and perceived empathy in artificial intelligence influence consumer trust — a project that brings together my fascination with social psychology and cross-cultural dynamics. Outside of academia, I’m passionate about women’s rights, youth leadership, and community impact. I’ve volunteered with organisations including Let Me Know (LMK) and Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA), helping to raise awareness around healthy relationships and gender-based violence. I’m also a Holocaust Educational Ambassador, committed to promoting dialogue, reflection, and education around collective memory and human rights. I currently serve as a School Representative for Psychology, advocating for students and working with staff to ensure that student feedback leads to meaningful change. Leadership, empathy, and representation are values that guide everything I do. Outside of my academic and voluntary work, I love travel and adventure — I hold an Advanced Open Water Scuba Diving certification, and I’m always looking for new ways to explore both above and below the surface. I'm especially interested in how research and leadership can create real-world change, and I’m always open to connecting with others who share those goals.

Hi! I’m Katya, a third-year English and French student at the University of Leeds and part of the 2025/26 Laidlaw Scholar cohort, currently completing a year abroad at the University of Montreal.   My research project topic this summer was titled ‘Distinctiveness in the Poetry Activity of the Leeds City Region’. I worked in partnership with the National Poetry Centre to conduct interviews with key stakeholders in the poetry scene, which allowed me to draw conclusions about the levels of connectivity and accessibility of poetry in Leeds. I’m originally from Russia but moved to Slovenia for political reasons when I was 15 and then to the UK at 19, so I’ve had a fair share of adapting to new places. Moving countries meant leaving behind everything I knew, including eight years of acrobatic gymnastics, but it also helped me become more open to change. Currently on a year abroad in Canada, I see each new chapter as a chance to grow, connect, and tell meaningful stories. Outside of uni, you’ll probably find me at the gym (a post-acrobatics obsession), with my nose in a book, or planning my next trip—I’ve been to 34 countries so far and don’t plan on slowing down!

Hi, I'm Hannah and i'm a Biological Sciences student at Durham University. My research project was focused on exploring the neuroscience of bumble bees and their visual and olfactory attraction to flowers, and identifying differences between sex and species. My LiA is with Make_Sense Americas and is a collaboration with a start-up recycling plant, processing hard to recycle materials and trying to achieve a more circular economy. During my free time I love reading, improving my level of Spanish and learning how to code.

Hi! I'm Corey, a final-year Digital Media student at the University of Leeds. I am graduating with a First-Class degree in BA (Hons) Digital Media (International). I recently returned from my Year Abroad at the University of Rochester, where I spent the year discovering a passion for Graphic Design, furthering my interest within Media and understanding how design can be used to change the world for good. As part of my Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholarship, I co-authored a paper discussing the benefits of Transnational Education and Higher Education Institutions globally, in a paper titled "A Global Capstone Experience: Developing and Promoting Cultural Awareness and Educational Opportunities", I also participated in Leadership Development Training and spent Summer 2022 in Viti Levu, Fiji, as part of my Leadership-in-Action project, where I collectively constructed a Community Health Clinic and Facilitated the delivery of Youth Empowerment Workshops.

Hi, my name is Grace and I'm a second-year Sociology student. I was given the opportunity by the Laidlaw Foundation to conduct research on the student-led project: 'Thinking Inside the Box'.  In order to fully understand the project three other Laidlaw scholars (including myself) conducted interviews with the students, staff and stakeholders involved in the project. My focus for the research project is on the pedagogic approach to 'Thinking Inside the Box' and how it allowed students to practice ownership and autonomy in designing their own authentic learning experiences and skills-development. My LiA is with CraftHER by Swara and focuses on amplifying the voices of women artisans and avocating for change.

My interest in disability law, more strictly from a jurisprudential standpoint, stems from my commitment to the enforcement of more holistic disability rights. Working with the HK Equal Opportunities Commission has given me a better understanding of both medical and social constructs of ''disabilities'' and the lack of infrastructure, unjustified but necessary for society to flourish.  In 2022 The Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organizations (GAATO) published a long-list of 39 Assistive Technology (AT) Outcome ‘Grand Challenges’. This research project is concerned with the measurement of assistive technology outcomes and their impact at the individual level. 

  Hi! My name is Lizzie and I am in the 2023 Laidlaw Scholar cohort.   I am an International History and Politics student at the University of Leeds. Throughout my first year of studies, I have found myself gravitating towards the field of East Asian History and Politics. In particular the politics of South Korea, especially the leadership of the 21st Century and the corruption that is rife in the government.    I have chosen to complete a self-defined project which will focus on how the actions of the South Korean government has affected the youth. I will be largely discussing the Sewol Ferry Tragedy and the Itaewon Crowd Crush disaster. I will be investigating the influence of chaebols and top-down culture and the roles they played in the aforementioned events. I shall also be analysing the roles of both Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk-yeol in both disaster, respectively.  As my project is self-defined, I have a lot of leeway in what I choose to include, therefore I may touch on other topics such as the rise of anti-Feminism, particularly in young South Korean men.   In addition to my core studies, I have a passion for language learning (especially wrongly labelled 'dead' languages) and for Islamic history, particularly the role of women in Islam.  Linked are articles and videos that are related to my research which give a general overview of both tragedies.  https://youtu.be/5_A8dq2fA5o Documentary about the sinking of the Sewol Ferry  https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/11/16/seoul-crowd-crush-itaewon-victims/ Washington Post article regarding circumstances of Itaewon Crowd Crush  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/31/seoul-halloween-crowd-crush-young-victims/ Washington Post article which shares the names and stories of some of the victims of the Crowd Crush  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/world/asia/south-korea-sewol-ferry-grief.html NYT article about the ongoing pain of the families following the Sewol sinking

Hi, my name is Matt and I am the Global Leadership Programmes Officer at the University of Leeds. I help to manage and run the Laidlaw programme at the university.

Hi, my name is Poppy and I am a University of Leeds Law Student. This undergraduate study has developed my passion of how the law applies to different groups of invididuals with a particular focus on the inadequate treatment of women. This interest led me to propose a self-defined research project which I completed last summer. This surrounds how women who have been domestically abused from various social groups are treated differently by the criminal justice system. I am focusing on England and Wales since this is my jurisdiction. The social groups that I am considering are BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled women and effectively contrasting this to the experiences of the white heterosexual woman. I am so excited to start this research and be able to inspire positive societal change through hopefully flagging up areas for further governmental emphasis.  I am currently on my LIA at GVI Ghana undertaking both a Gender Equality for Girls and Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Internship. 

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.

Hi! My name’s Isabel and I’m part of the 2023 cohort of undergraduate scholars. I’m really enjoying learning more about leadership and networking and challenging myself throughout this scholarship.✨ I study English and Comparative Literature, from which an Intercultural Competence module inspired my self-defined research project that I undertook during the first summer: ‘To what extent does multilingualism impact an individual’s motivation to participate in global social action.’ I have recently completed my LiA, teaching English in a school in Buenos Aires with Voluntario Global. I am highly interested in diplomacy, culture and entrepreneurship, as well as literature and art, and look forward to meeting individuals with those same interests.

Hi, I’m Hazel and I’m studying Law at the University of Leeds- this year I'm specializing in Environmental Law with my dissertation analyzing the role of legal personhood in the protection of bodies of water in UK. I chose to study Law because it is a system with many flaws and- much like my plants that I love to take care of- and it requires constant attention and pruning to grow in a healthy manner. My passion involves analyzing aspects of the law and how it represents historical prejudices; how do we adapt our laws to form a more representative model? Where do we plant our next seeds? My LIA is with Volunatrio Global in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I will be working with my superviser Milena Sapey to create a network of self-sufficient food chains and educate the Pacheco community on sustainable agricultural practices.

Vaibhav Pramode Nair is a 2023 Laidlaw Scholar at the University of Leeds. He is the Lead Youth Representative of the Save Soil Movement, and in this capacity works to amplify youth voices for food systems transformation at major policy fora globally. Currently pursuing a Bachelors in Sustainability and Environmental Management at Leeds' School of Earth and Environment, he was the first undergraduate Youth Delegate from Leeds to the UN Climate Talks, representing at COP29 Baku, COP28 UAE and SB60 Bonn. Vaibhav leads efforts in diplomacy and climate at the Indian Youth Diplomacy Forum. He’s a LEED Green Associate, IEMA member, and an active participant in YOUNGO's Food and Agriculture Working Group, advocating for a shift in focus within the international climate policy discourse to the soil degradation crisis. Save Soil. Visit https://consciousplanet.org/ to learn more. Let's make it happen ! Try https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/inner-engineering . Changed my life. In is the only way Out.  If you study/work within the sustainability/climate space, please reach out. If not, definitely reach out. :)

Hello there! I'm Aditya Jindal here, an international undergraduate student at the University of Leeds pursuing my degree in Economics and Finance. My research project is based on cultural diversity with broader aspects of business and employability. My first summer is focused on a literature review and I'm excited about this new experience. I'm a big sports fan with a knack for playing Table Tennis, Basketball and Cricket in particular. You could also find me regularly sitting in a library studying Business, Psychology, German, or anything else. Always available to connect, feel free to contact me if you're interested in my research project or just want to talk in general.

I am a Chemical and Nuclear Engineering student at the University of Leeds, originally from London.  I performed research on nanoparticle based therapeutics to combat antibiotic resistance and biofilms in chronic wound infections, under the supervision of Dr Zhan Ong. For my LIA, I travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to undertake sports volunteering in a local favela.