Hello! My name is Lochlann, and I am a student at Trinity College Dublin and part of the 2026 cohort of Laidlaw Scholars. My Summer 1 research project focuses on the role of private supplementary tuition (“grinds”) in the academic achievement gap between public and private schools in Ireland. Using quantitative analysis of Irish educational data, I aim to investigate whether access to grinds contributes to differences in examination performance and broader educational inequality. Through this research, my overarching goal is to contribute to conversations surrounding fairness, access to opportunity and educational policy. By examining how socio-economic advantage may shape educational outcomes, I hope to better understand the structures that influence inequality within education systems. If you have any questions or would like to connect, please feel free to reach out!

Hi everyone! My name is Anna and I'm part of the 2026 Laidlaw Scholars cohort at Trinity College Dublin, where I study Mathematics with a minor in Statistics. For my research project, I'll be exploring a question that is becoming more important as AI develops: who is better at predicting the future, humans or algorithms? I'll be comparing forecasts from machine learning models with those from prediction markets, where collective human judgement is turned into live probabilities. After the 2024 US elections, prediction markets rapidly gained attention for correctly predicting the outcome before many traditional forecasts. At the same time, AI is making data-driven forecasting more powerful than ever. Through quantitative analysis, I'm curious to see whether the best predictions come from human insight, algorithmic pattern recognition, or perhaps a combination of both. More broadly, I am interested in using mathematics to better understand and solve real-world problems like this one. I'm especially drawn to the way it combines logic with creativity, allowing us to approach challenges from different angles and develop efficient and innovative solutions. Outside of academics, I'm also a huge music lover, from hip hop and rock to hard techno. For me, a good time almost always involves music, dancing, or both :) Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss research, share music recommendations, or simply chat!

Hi! My name is Emma and I'm a second year geography student at Trinity College Dublin. I hope to become a teacher in the future.  I've been involved in activism for about 5 years now and I'm extremely passionate about education and climate change. My research project will analyse how my university engages with class and socioeconomic status, particularly with regards to what it means to come from a working class background. I love to travel, meet new people, play videogames, and go for walks/hikes in nature.