Hi, I'm a 2021 Laidlaw Scholar Economics and politics 2023 graduate from University of York.  I'm from Somalia and spent most of my life there. I'm passionate about Leadership and Research in social development. My 2021 summer research was on how the sustainable Development Index correlates with other Economic measures such as Economic growth and Inequalities.  Hobbies: Reading,adventure and trying out new outdoor sports.  Would love to connect with everyone, so don't hesitate to say Hi . 

I was part of a team of four scholars who are working together with Durham University to research what makes a successful Multi-Academy Trust serving disadvantaged communities. In particular, we focused on the Laidlaw Schools Trust, which comprises seven schools in the North of England that predominantly serve disadvantaged pupils. Overall, this is part of the effort to reduce the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their more affluent peers. After that, I completed my LiA project by volunteering for the Youth & Community Project with Think Pacific in Fiji followed by a year abroad in Singapore. Driven by my passion for travel and cultural exchange, I love trying new foods and enjoy meeting people to share ideas. Feel free to reach out!

Pronouns: She/her  I am a fourth-year Psychology student at the University of York. My research topic focuses on existential risks and what non-experts (the general public) consider to be the most worrisome, important, neglected, and tangible (the ITN framework).  My hobbies include going on walks and spending time outside, visiting lots of different libraries and doing arts and crafts, like making jewellery, sewing, drawing etc.  I’m excited to connect with new people who share similar interests! 

Hey everyone, I'm Phoebe !  I am an undergrad for Durham in the 2021 cohort.  My field of research is sociology looking at access to higher education programmes and widening participation. 

Emory Southwick (they/them) is postgraduate researcher at Newcastle University, formally a Laidlaw scholar at Durham University, UK, where they achieved a First Class BA with Honours in Music at George Stephenson College. Emory has a research interest in those underrepresented in music, focusing on marginalised genders and LGBTQ+ people. Currently, they are working with Contemporary Music for All (CoMA) and has also set up their own business as an artist. Currently, they are working to create a queer-focussed sober space in Durham.

Hi there! I'm Oran, a final year student of International History and Politics. With the Laidlaw Foundation, I completed an independent research project on the history of an early international voluntary organisation in the summer of 2021. Also with the programme, I took part in the 'Youth and Community' project with ThinkPacific in the Fiji Islands in the summer of 2022.  All of this has enhanced my capacity for leadership in a globalising world. Please have a look through my profile to learn more about me and my work as a Laidlaw Leadership and Research Scholar. 

I am an incoming MPhil candidate in Visual, Material and Museum Anthropology at the University of Oxford. My Laidlaw research explores the Incan Empire's positive view of female homosexuality, exploring how their diverse understandings of gender influenced these views on sexuality. It also considered how La Conquista's use of a European lens and translation when documenting Incan civilisation resulted in the erasure of much of the sexual and gender diversity which existed throughout Incan Peru.  Show more

I was fortunate enough to conduct academic research under the supervision of Stephen Gethins, former MP and Professor of Practice in International Relations at the University of St Andrews. 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 dissertation, a forthcoming article,  and my future research.  In my second year of university, I founded The Drew, an online student publication based in St Andrews which publishes articles on Scottish politics and culture. There was an unfortunate lack of Scottish issues being discussed in St Andrews (despite bearing the name of Scotland's patron saint and being home to Scotland's most ancient university), and so The Drew was set up to help foster more discussion.  I take a keen interested in other academic fields such as politics, history, and philosophy. Although an International Relations 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. I am always keen to discuss my own research area and learn about others'.

Hi everyone! I'm Anna Lysenko. I'm a fourth-year undergraduate student in the International Relations Specialist program at the University of Toronto. I'm passionate about cyberpolitics and cybersecurity: my Laidlaw research project is about the effect of cyber-attacks on democracy.  My hobbies include reading, writing, travelling, drawing, horse riding, meeting up with friends, and watching movies. I'm excited to connect with new people who share my passions and interests :) 

I am a student of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University and have come to the end of my time as a Laidlaw Scholar. I am a keen rugby player, gym goer and cinephile. The Laidlaw Scholarship has been an incredible part of my development as a researcher, leader and person.

I am a recent BSc Psychology graduate from the University of Durham, with an interest in cognitive and biological psychology. My research with Laidlaw aims to contribute to the process of diversifying psychological research with the development of a translated visual perception screening test, using data from South-East Asian participants. 

Laidlaw Scholar Alumni (Durham University Cohort 6, 2022-24) Current Endeavours: I am studying MSc Environmental Economics and Climate Change at the LSE for 2024-25. From September 2025, I will be starting a PhD in Environmental Economics at the University of Basel, Switzerland. --- 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.

I'm Lorna and I'm currently studying for my MPhil in Multi-disciplinary studies at the University of Cambridge. My research explores the role gender stereotypes play in experiences of mental health symptoms and treatment. Previous to this, I studied Combined Hons in Social Sciences at Durham University. My research typically draws from the anthropological, political and, sociological disciplines with a core interest in gender, emotions and embodiment.  I am devoted to discovering and understanding the structures and relationships that govern our bodily experiences.  My summer research topic explored whether the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced how one views their body and health and whether this influence is gendered. Through questioning people's changing relationships to food, exercise and social media throughout the lockdowns, I aimed to begin to unearth the entanglement of unprecedented social phenomena and body image.  For my LIA I travelled to North Carolina. There, I volunteered with UNC CEED, Duke's Eating Disorder Centre and a local mental health clinic where I explored the use of diagnostic criteria. From this, I created my own informal diagnostic tool to assist clinicians with identifying disordered eating habits catalysed by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.  I am grateful to all of these establishments for hosting me.

Hi all! I'm Zina! I am a 3rd Year undergraduate scholar from Durham University. My research interests centre on Decolonisation, the Anthropocene and Radical Decolonisation in the Caribbean region.  I have also been an active member of the 'Decolonising the Modern Languages and Cultures' Research group at Durham and have been appointed as the Decolonising intern for MLAC for the 'Decolonising the Curriculum and Pedagogy' initiative at university!

Hi everyone! I am currently a LLB student at Durham University.  My research is focusing on whether the Bar Training Course (the vocational component on the path to becoming a barrister) sufficiently prepares prospective barristers for online advocacy and an increasingly digitalised workplace. This research project stems from my interest in the future of the legal profession, and also my questioning of why there is not much research done into the future of the English Bar more broadly.  Interestingly, my research is a blend of law and business as my supervisor is an academic within the Business department.  Hopefully bringing in this different perspective will help to open up my research further and help me to approach the law from a different perspective.  Please feel free to reach out to discuss anything related to law or business or just to have a general chat because I'm really looking forward to getting to know more Laidlaw scholars! 

I'm a third year student at Columbia majoring in African-American and African Diaspora Studies and Psychology. I'm really into politics surrounding identity and the ways internet visibility affects young Black women.

Hi! I'm originally from Hull, East Yorkshire but I'm currently a second year undergraduate student studying for a BA in Linguistics and ab initio Italian at the University of York. Alongside my studies, I am also the current blog coordinator for the University Feminist Society. Being a Laidlaw Scholar allows me to research the success of speech and language therapies in my project entitled 'Hidden behind a smile: acquisition and societal perception of speech sounds in children with cleft lip and palate.'!  My pronouns are she/they, please feel free to use either!