Currently in my fifth year of pursuing the Bachelor of Speech Language Pathology at the University of Hong Kong
I am a fourth year student studying Geography and Sustainable Development at The University of St Andrews. I have a particular interest in reforestation, conservation and climate change mitigation. For the first summer of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme I produced a research essay and poster titled 'Climate Change Mitigation: Investigating the impact of land use on soil organic matter (SOM)'. My research focuses on measuring and reporting soil organic matter content across different land use types such as cropland and woodland. I explore the climate change mitigation potential of soil and the potential of adding soil organic matter through woodland restoration.
For the second summer of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme I produced a Leadership-in-Action Video about my project on sustainable agricultural practices in Williamsburg, Virginia. My LiA project involved interviewing farmers in and around Williamsburg, academic researchers at the local university, The College of William and Mary and the manager of the Williamsburg Farmers Market. I also produced a reflective essay about my experience over the Laidlaw Scholarship titled 'Learning, Growing and Developing as a Leader'.
Hi! I'm Yasmin and I am a part of the 2022 cohort of Laidlaw Scholars. I am currently in my final year of study of the Neuroscience course at the University of Leeds! My research project is on Microglia Activation in Ageing and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
Hello! I am a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in chemistry at the University of Hong Kong. My research project was to develop an electrocatalytic method to upcycle chloride ions (Cl-) derived from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a commonly used plastic product, into hypochlorite ions (OCl-), which is an active ingredient of bleach. Feel free to have a chat with me!
Hi there :)) I'm Yauvani! I carried out my research project in summer 2023 at the University of York, where I worked on Apol2/Apol3 proteins in the inflammasome pathways. Feel free to drop me a chat anytime!
Aspiring future engineer, looking forward to having a positive impact on the world through impactful research.
Mairéad Butler
Postgraduate Student, Central European University, Universidad de Granada, Trinity College Dublin
I'm an Erasmus Mundus MA in Women's and Gender Studies (GEMMA) student in Central European University, Vienna and the Universidad de Granada. I'm a BA (Hons) European Studies graduate, Gold Medallist, and Laidlaw Scholar (2022-23) at Trinity College Dublin.
My feminist historical research focuses on the intersection of motherhood, public health, and restorative justice in (post)colonial, Catholic contexts, with an emphasis on Ireland.
My Laidlaw research (2022) consisted of a comparative study of experiences of and discourses around gender-based violence in the Irish and Spanish Civil Wars (1922-23 and 1936-39 respectively). For my LiA (2023) I worked with Women Rights Initiative (WORI), a grassroots women's rights NGO in Uganda, on resource mobilisation and social enterprise business planning.
Hi guys:) I am currently studying Speech and Hearing Sciences at The University of Hong Kong.
My research is about treating dysphagia patients with technology-assisted/online swallowing training program.
Feel free to connect with me!
Laidlaw Scholar Alumni (Durham University Cohort 6, 2022-24)
Current Endeavours: PhD candidate in Environmental Economics at the University of Basel, Switzerland.
Studied MSc Environmental Economics and Climate Change at the LSE (2024-25).
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My time as a Laidlaw Scholar:
I graduated with First Class Honours in BA Economics from Durham University. My foremost interests are Development Economics and Environmental Economics. This is reflected in my research project which explored Demographic Economics, titled "The Shifting Distribution of the Global Population in the Twenty-First Century: an Econometric Analysis of the Projected Fortunes of Nigeria and Japan, with Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Development".
I have experience working in economic consulting, specialising in competition economics, and am also a Zumba instructor. During my time on the Laidlaw Programme I have also served as a Laidlaw Schools Trust Mentor for Excelsior Academy in Newcastle.
In 2023, I completed a six-week international ‘Leadership in Action’ project in partnership with Think Pacific for my Laidlaw Scholarship. For this, I participated in a multi-faceted programme, comprising the building of a health centre, collaborations with Diabetes Fiji and Youth Champs 4 Mental Health, and a Fijian Culture Course. The project ended with a Think Tank where we planned how we would sustain progress. In my sub-group’s case, we are working on a new project to build a multi-purpose building to act as a kindergarten and evacuation centre, for which we are currently fundraising. We have had multiple meetings with the Laidlaw Foundation CEO and the Laidlaw Schools Trust, and we are presenting at the Conversations Conference in Dublin in October 2023. Our project took place in Vunimaqo and Waisava, Dreketi Settlement, Nalawa district, Ra province, Vita Levu island, Fiji.
I attended the Impact 2022 conference at the LSE and (virtually, after flight cancellations) the Conversations 2023 conference at Trinity College Dublin.
Campbell MacPherson
Research Officer and PhD Student, Carers Trust and the University of Glasgow
I was fortunate enough to conduct academic research under the supervision of Stephen Gethins, Professor of Practice in International Relations at the University of St Andrews and now a sitting MP. Stephen introduced me to a truly fascinating yet often overlooked area of International Relations: sub-state and regional actors and their place in global politics, with a focus on Scotland in particular. Through this, I have developed an interest in Scotland's place in the world as a nation without an independent foreign office, but as a nation with extensive international influence and a powerful global diaspora. This topic formed the basis of my Laidlaw project, my undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation, and my PhD.
I take a keen interested in other academic fields such as politics, history, and philosophy. Although an International Relations and Sociology student first and foremost, I had the opportunity of studying Ancient History and Classics alongside my degree for two years. If I were to ever win the lottery, you would find me endlessly cycling University, spending my remaining days studying Ancient History and Philosophy, Politics, Anthropology, Theology, Theoretical Physics and Maths, or whatever subject I develop an interest in down the line.
Since leaving the University of St Andrews and the Laidlaw Programme, I completed an MRes degree at the University of Glasgow in Sociology and Research Methods. I received a scholarship for a PhD in Sociology at the University of Glasgow which I am completing part-time in addition to my role as Research Officer at Carers Trust Scotland - a charity supporting unpaid carers which I had previously volunteered for. My PhD is a continuation of my Scottish diaspora studies, seeking to reconcile the notion of 'civic Scottishness' with the Scottish identity of the lived diaspora.
Hi everyone, I'm Alex. I come from Northern Ireland, and am currently reading French and Philosophy at the University of St Andrews. I'm interested in politics, philosophy, journalism, and new ideas - I find the old ones quite stale!
Previously, I've worked in hospitality, as appears to be the trodden path for British students. Additionally, I have worked in logistics - a real eye-opener, given Brexit and its ramifications in Northern Ireland - and have done some adhoc Diversity and Inclusion for a legal firm in my hometown.
My research project for the summer of 2022 will be entitled "The Viability of Novel Identities in Response to Separatist Tensions: A Comparison of French Algeria and Northern Ireland."
First-year medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine passionate about global health equity and racial justice