Hello! My name is Claire Auslander and I'm a rising third-year at Georgetown University. I am studying nursing with the goal of earning my doctorate in midwifery/obstetrics & gynecology. I hope to dedicate my career to advancing reproductive freedom through healthcare delivery, research, and advocacy!
This summer, I worked as a student nurse intern at the Alaska Native Medical Center's Family Birthing Services unit. I delivered culturally responsive nursing care under preceptor supervision on a high-risk, tertiary referral labor and delivery unit within the largest tribally managed health system in the US. My goal was to further elucidate my understanding of how sociocultural and religious influences shape patient decision-making, provider-patient communication, and access to reproductive services.
Last summer, I researched the relationship between U.S. contraceptive policy and religiosity. More specifically, I looked at state legislation relating to insurance coverage of contraceptives and the relationship, if any, between religious service attendance. My research builds upon my experience as a research assistant in health policy and maternal health and I'm thrilled to explore the intersection of my interests!
A fun fact about me is that I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area but my family moved around a lot when I was younger. I've lived in Northern and Southern California, Texas, Massachusetts, Switzerland, and Washington, DC!
Please don't hesitate to reach out, especially if it's to talk about policy/medical research or share your favorite music!
I am a BA/MD student in Brown University's Program in Liberal Medical Education concentrating in Comparative Literature and International and Public Affairs. My current research centers healthcare in South Asia and other low resource settings.
Hi! My name is Anh Ngo (she/her) and I am pursuing a degree in Child Studies & Human Development at Tufts University. My research project is on examining the correlation between psychopathological symptoms and voiding dysfunction in Autistic adults. Outside of academics, I enjoy awing at Ocean Vuong poems, rowing at the gym, graphic designing, and trying to break my annual Spotify listening time record.
Hi! I’m Alina, an undergraduate Biochemistry student with a strong passion for meaningful work that has a positive impact on the world. I’m particularly fascinated by health sciences, and my long-term goal is to contribute to making healthcare more accessible, equitable, and effective. I believe that starts with improving the quality of health information and ends with optimizing how healthcare is delivered, whether through advances in pharmaceutical research or innovations in point-of-care solutions.
To explore this mission, I’ve chosen to pursue an interdisciplinary research project within the School of Medicine, despite my degree being based in the School of Biology. My research focuses on direct-to-consumer health screening tests offered to generally well individuals in the UK. These tests (for instance at-home genetic screenings) are becoming increasingly popular for promoting autonomy in personal health management. However, they also pose risks, including misinformation, false positives, and overdiagnosis. My project aims to contribute to the growing field of evidence-based diagnostics by advocating a shift from early diagnosis to optimal diagnosis, ensuring diagnosis is not only early but is also clinically useful.
Outside of my academic life, I’m very active and love exploring new hobbies. I love exploring new sports, hence I’ve recently taken up Judo and Olympic Weightlifting. I also enjoy cycling, especially through the scenic Scottish countryside, which I explore regularly by bike (the perks of not owning a car!). I also have a creative side: I enjoy embroidery, as well as listening to and producing electronic music, and I’m currently learning how to DJ.
Additionally, I’m involved with the Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of St Andrews, where I help foster an entrepreneurial spirit within our student community. I’m a versatile and curious person who thrives on meeting new people and discovering new ideas. I’m always excited by opportunities that combine creativity, innovation, and impact.
An avid Psychology Student looking to engender inspired, tangible, and meaningful change. Actively pursuing worthwhile ventures to actualise this goal.
I am an undergraduate studying Law at the University of Cambridge. I am particularly interested in the role gender plays within different domestic legal systems, and how these structures interact with gender-queer individuals. My research explores the ways in which legal recognition of all trans people could be achieved, and the practical impact different structures of recognition could have for the lives of queer people.
The Laidlaw Scholarship Programme in Research and Leadership is sponsored by a generous donation from The Rt Hon Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay, an honorary graduate of the University. This exciting programme equips students with the skills and values to become the leaders of tomorrow in their chosen discipline and beyond University.
Over two years Scholars complete a bespoke, intensive leadership training programme. In addition, they participate in two periods of research during which they work on designing, pursuing and reporting a research question in collaboration with an academic in their chosen School.
This programme is open to undergraduate students in their penultimate year of study. Please see the Laidlaw website for more information at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/go/laidlaw
I am a third-year student of English at the University of St Andrews from New Delhi, India, and I'm interested in languanges and literature. My research project explores literature in radical bookshops.
Hello hello! I am an incoming fourth-year student at the University of St Andrews pursuing a degree in biology. Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, I moved to Italy in 2013 and have been living there ever since.
Over the course of my academic journey I have had the chance to explore numerous areas in biology, ranging from evolution to bacteriophage discovery to cell systems, out of which epigenetics and gene regulation during development have piqued my interest.
My primary research interest is developmental biology, which arose from my fascination with how multicellular organisms originate from a single cell. Therefore, my research focus for the first summer of the Laidlaw Scholars programme was the investigation of abdominal metamorphosis in Dipteran insects. To do so, I used fixation and Hoechst staining in addition to microscopy to study cell movement during several developmental stages in 2 species of flies.
As for my leadership in action (LiA) project, I decided to assist biodiversity monitoring and conservation efforts in the heart of the Amazon rainforest jungle in Peru.
If I am not in lectures or studying in the library, I can be found working on a short story, watching films (and logging them on Letterboxd), reading old science fiction, or on a hike capturing the nature around me through photography. Having grown up in a multicultural setting, I enjoy learning more about the different cultures that exist on our planet, whether it is through cuisine, music, travelling, or linguistics. The latter partially explains my grasp of nearly five languages, though I have to warn you that my fluency differs dramatically. Otherwise, I also love spending time with animals, playing board games, or just talking.
More than anything, I am always happy to meet like-minded individuals who are curious about the world. Thus, please feel free to reach out or connect with me on LinkedIn!
Hello! I am an incoming third year Mathematics student at the University of St Andrews, and my Laidlaw research project is geared at investigating the intersection between coloniality and mathematics and its impacts on students from the Global South. It is the product of my (rather polar) interests in English Literature and Mathematics!