Mila Bruce

I am the Laidlaw Coordinator at the University of Cambridge, based at the King's College E-Lab.

Hi, everyone! I'm a second-year student at MIT majoring in bioengineering and women/gender studies. I am a pre-med student, passionate about women's healthcare and accessibility. I am currently doing a research project on related to early endometriosis lesion formation at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, UK.  Outside of the lab, I love fashion (even though I mainly wear sweatpants) and literature. I've been really into beading and embroidery this summer, and am currently reading Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. I have loved getting to know the Laidlaw cohort at MIT and Cambridge University, so please reach out with any questions or to say hi! 

Hi! I am an undergraduate Psychology student at Durham University and a 2025/26 Laidlaw scholar. So far in my Laidlaw journey, I have undertaken research into Formula 1 fan marketing and gendered motivation, which involved designing, carrying out, analysing, and presenting my research, including collecting data at the British Grand Prix and interviewing Ferrari personnel. I recently completed the Oxford Character Project hosted by Oxford University to further my leadership skills and am currently in the final stages of the programme to implement what I have learned in Mexico City, designing educational tools to teach children about consent and leading a group of volunteers to make it happen. Follow along!

Hi! My name is Liam Jones and I am a Laidlaw Scholar from the 25/26 cohort. I am an undergraduate student reading Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University, St. Cuthbert's Society College. I study French, Arabic, and Persian too! I am interested in international affairs, peacekeeping, and linguistics.  During my first year, I completed a research project in French musicology throughout my 6-week research summer, which was thrilling and I managed to learn a lot about French linguistics, as well as the evolution of the French language, and music too - including competency using music software which I had never had the chance to do before. I am from Nairobi, Kenya, but I now live in Loughborough in the UK.

Hi! My name is Evie, and I am a 2025 Laidlaw Scholar from Trinity College Dublin. I am originally from California, but have been living in Ireland full-time for 3 years pursuing a double major in History and Political Science.  For my research project, I’m exploring the emotional and psychological barriers that deter politically interested women from pursuing careers in public service in Ireland. By examining how male and female students respond emotionally to key aspects of political life—such as campaigning, election day, governance, and reelection—I hope to better understand gendered dynamics of political ambition and encourage more inclusive, emotionally aware framing of the political sphere.  I’m excited to connect with fellow scholars and members of the Laidlaw community! 

I'm interested in learning everything about how the working class and common people of the world can work together to make their lives better. My main focus is developing skills to be an effective labor organizer and union leader.  I also have experience with policy research, legal advocacy, and statistics. 

Hey ! I'm Arthur, a second year student at EPFL, currently studying physics. I love learning how things around me work, especially in physics and mathematics. I can't wait to meet lots of new people through the Laidlaw program ! I'm currently doing my internship at LASTRO, an astrophysics lab, and work on developping technologies (such as quantum computers and physics informed neural networks) to study the properties of dark matter. I love playing sports (running, hiking, tennis) and as a long time drummer, I also enjoy playing/listening to music. I am also open to any new experience, so feel free to reach out to me :)

Hi everyone! I run the CraftHER Leadership-in-action program by @Swara - Voice of Women. Here's our IG: www.instagram.com/craftherbyswara/ I’m Asha Scaria Vettoor, an entrepreneur and Laidlaw Scholar from the University of Oxford. I run Swara, a social enterprise based in India that creates income opportunities for women through ethical fashion and storytelling. We also host CraftHER, a 6-week Leadership-in-Action program that brings Laidlaw scholars from around the world to Kerala to learn from women-led enterprises, grassroots organisations, and artisan communities. I’m passionate about building bridges between global learners and local changemakers in my community and always up for a conversation on social entrepreneurship, ethical supply chains, or running programs in remote parts of India.

Hi! I'm Shrey, a second year economics student at Cambridge University. I'm interested in game theory and understanding human behaviour, which is why I am a co-author of research titled: "The Cooperation puzzle: What really drives people to cooperate?"

Hi! I’m Sophie Kleina, a Psychological and Behavioural Sciences student at the University of Cambridge. I’m passionate about language learning and preservation, which is why my Laidlaw research project focuses on the Kashubian language- a regional and Indigenous language of northern Poland, and a heritage I’m proud to be part of. My academic interests span sociology, linguistics, psychology, and education, and I’m especially drawn to work that supports cultural diversity, educational access, and meaningful social change. I care deeply about doing work that helps people, strengthens communities, and protects the richness of human language and identity. I’m always eager to learn from others and collaborate on projects that make a difference- feel free to connect!

Hi! I am an undergraduate sociology and social anthropology student at the University of Cambridge, with a passion for the study of social movements and research into how activists and organisers can meaningfully effect change. 

Hi! I'm Naviya, an Engineering undergraduate at the University of Cambridge (Newnham College). My passion is biomedical engineering, particularly the applications of technology in medicine and public health. I am interested in medical devices, drug delivery, nanotechnology to name some of the very significant (and cool!) technologies being developed and implemented in the field today. My research this summer investigates hydrogel systems that permit acoustic patterning of cardiomyocytes in the pre-crosslinked, fluid state, while providing sufficient structural integrity post-crosslinking to preserve alignment and support tissue maturation. These objectives will be achieved via an acoustic patterning setup including CMs embedded in various hydrogel concentrations as well as comparative mechanical testing of these hydrogels as a “synthetic cardiac slice” to closely mirror native characteristics.

Hey!  I am an undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge studying Geography.  My project looks at agricultural systems that use cooperative practices (cooperatives, CSAs, intentional communities). I want to use Ostrom's eight design principles as a framework to understand similarities in their success stories. I want to understand how they operate alongside and within a capitalist economic system and how law and land policy shape their systems. Though I am realising this is perhaps way too much for one 6-week research project, the hope is that this can serve as a framework to upscale Commoning practices in Cambridgeshire. If you have any knowledge about land-use (policy + law), community economics, Commons and cooperation send it my way! Equally, if you have an LIA suggestion that can build on these interests that would be fab.  Whilst my project is very food and community focused, I am fascinated by all things geography, with a passion for social justice. My interests are definitely multidisciplinary and I am jealous of every project on here. 🦎

Hello! I’m a psychology researcher and the founder of HaHaHelps, a nonprofit organisation developing and delivering 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 programme 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.

I am a Biological Anthropology undergraduate at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. I am interested in human behaviour, especially cooperation and how it has evolved.  Summer 2025 I worked on a project titled 'The Cooperation Puzzle: What drives people to cooperate?' with my project partner Shrey Patel. We completed a meta-analysis on behaviours observed during Public Goods Games, providing an answer to this broad question by intersecting anthropology and economics.  Summer 2026, I completed my LIA at Refugee Legal in Melbourne, Australia, where I volunteered as a paralegal assisting refugees trying to relocate.  Feel free to get in touch! My email: pivenivanna100@yahoo.com my Instagram: @ivanna_piven 

Hi! My name is Amalina, I'm a Psychological and Behavioural Sciences student at the University of Cambridge. I am particularly interested in social and developmental psychology. My research project aims to examine gender and racial stereotypes in children and how the salience of these identities and prototypicality impacts self-perceptions of intelligence. My LIA is taking place in Vancouver, Canada where I will be working with the Animal Behaviour & Cognition Group to understand how urbanisation impacts mesocarnivores (in particular coyotes) and how understanding these animals can contribute to reducing animal-human conflict.  I'd love to talk about this topic or anything else to do with psychology, gender equality, crafting or travel! 

Hello! My name is Annie, and I am a second year undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge, studying Geography.    My research project is titled ‘Scroll, Share, Speak: Examining Generational Engagement with Feminist Content on Social Media’. My project investigated the engagement patterns of self-identified women in the UK with feminist-related content on social media. The investigation examined how often different generations engage with digital feminist content, and the type of content and platforms they find most appealing. I explored how social media has influenced the way feminism is expressed and perceived, particularly in terms of its effectiveness in driving real-world change and shaping more inclusive forms of engagement.   In my spare time, I love to spend time with my friends and family, go on walks, and play netball.    If you’re interested in learning more about my research, or simply starting a conversation, I’d love to connect. 

Hi, I'm Natalie, an incoming second-year student at the University of Cambridge reading History. I am an international student from Sydney, Australia! In my degree, I specialise in early modern European intellectual history, though my Laidlaw project centres on an exploration of imperial women's power and agency in the Augustan age, employing  a case study of Julia the Elder.