Hi! My name is Spencer Davimos, and I am a rising junior at Barnard College. Through the Laidlaw Scholars Program, I am conducting research on the transfer pipeline from community college to 4-year college within the City University of New York (CUNY). I am hoping to particularly center the experiences and perspectives of students of color to open up a wider conversation about increasing equity in postsecondary education access. 

Laidlaw Scholar 2024/2025 Ancient & Medieval History & Culture (AMHC) Student at Trinity College Dublin Research Project Title: Late Devensian glaciation and its influence on medieval urban development in the Irish Midlands Interested in all things historical & environmental!

Jahir is a junior majoring in Quantitative Economics with a Graduate Certificate in Business from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. His entrepreneurial interests are edtech, civictech/media, communication intelligence, and consumer AI. Besides entrepreneurship, he is interested in Management Consulting, Business/Investment Research, Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Impact Investing. Jahir co-founded AdjunctX, which received the Brandeis Ain Summer Start-up Award and the Tufts Entrepreneurship & Innovation Fund grant. It's an expert network for consumer lifelong learning and AI-driven networking.

Hi everyone! I am currently studying Psychology at UCL, hoping to become a Clinical Psychologist in the future. My Laidlaw research project is about the potential for reduced striatal dopamine transmission as a transdiagnostic mechanism underlying psychomotor retardation across various neurological and psychiatric disorders. I'm hoping that this research would identify shared pathophysiological mechanisms that have clinical implications for more personalised treatments and advance our understanding of dopamine's role in cognitive and motor symptoms of neuropsychiatric conditions, potentially informing the repurposing of dopaminergic drugs. In my free time, I love dancing (contemporary/lyrical), reading, taking photos with my film camera, going on walks, visiting cafés and spending time with my family and friends. I am beyond excited and grateful to be part of the 2024 Laidlaw Scholars cohort and look forward to undertaking this journey with you all! I would love to connect with anyone passionate about raising awareness of mental health and improving access to education for individuals with special needs, or share an interest in neuroscience, psychology or my hobbies. I'm also very open to learning from others interested in different disciplines. Please feel free to reach out :)

Hello! My name is Alanna, I'm a 2024 Laidlaw Scholar (University of Toronto). I graduated with a first class in my BSc (Hons) Psychology student from the University of Toronto and am an incoming DPhil (PhD) in Psychiatry Student. I am a youth mental health advocate and the CEO and Founder of non-profit organization HOPE (Helping Our Planet Earth) and Board Member of registered charity Narrative 4.  My work at HOPE focuses on making mental health support accessible to youth internationally through mental health education, empathy and youth leadership empowerment. We are excitedly working on digital mental health tech - more on this soon! I love connecting with others and hearing about what you're passionate about, so do reach out and chat anytime! 

Hello! I'm Edie, a Physical Geography student at Durham University, with aspirations to enter the sustainable agriculture and environment world once I graduate. I'm really interested in how we can marry together the developing needs of humanity in a time of climate change and planetary uncertainty. 

Hi! I'm Amanda, a third year Neuroscience student and Laidlaw alum from UCL. I'm Swedish-Persian and grew up in Sweden before moving to London for uni. These days, alongside my studies, I work for the Foundation as a Marketing Assistant. For my first year research project, I worked on optimising alginate hydrogels for 3D astrocyte culture systems. In simpler terms, I was figuring out the best way to prepare a jelly-like scaffolds so that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes could grow in three dimensions rather than flat on a dish. This matters because 3D environments mimic the brain more realistically, which could help researchers develop better treatments for neurological disorders!  For my Leadership-in-Action project, I co-created Beyond the Books, a resource designed to help students from underrepresented backgrounds navigate the unwritten rules of university life, from internships and networking to professional opportunities that aren't always obvious if you're the first in your family to go to uni. Always happy to connect, whether you want to chat about neuroscience, widening access, the Laidlaw experience, or just say hello! One of my favourite things about this community is getting to meet people from different universities and backgrounds, so please do reach out! 🌟

My name is Sindhu Sivasankar, a student at the University of Toronto. I moved to Toronto from Delaware, US, and call both places my home. I was accepted into the Laidlaw Scholars Cohort for 2024. I am interested in psychology and UX research. During Summer 1, I proposed and conducted an independent research project on the cultural differences in growth mindset and how that relates to insight problem-solving accuracy. During Summer 2, I worked with a mental health nonprofit called batyr on improving their website and conducting user research for global impact. I am eager to improve my leadership skills while pursuing research.