Susanna Kempe (She/Her)

CEO, Laidlaw Foundation
Freya Coogan

Student, Trinity College Dublin

Hello all ! My name is Freya Coogan, I'm an undergraduate student in Trinity College Dublin studying Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures (with an emphasis on French and Arabic). I currently live in Beirut, Lebanon and my research focuses on the differing approaches to the reform of Personal Status Law taken by Feminist NGOs in Lebanon. I'm interested in the role of civil society in the push for the implementation of anti-corruption measures and transparency and am a proud member of the American University of Beirut's Secular Club. In my spare time I host radio shows on Trinity FM and Dublin City FM that are centred around social justice, current affairs and folklore !
Sophie Brandon

Student/ Laidlaw Scholar, University of York

Isaac Bateman

Student, St Andrews

Laidlaw Scholar at the University of St Andrews. Studying for an MA in Philosophy and International Relations. Undertaking a leadership in Action Project for WORI (Women's Rights Initiative Uganda) researching de-colonialised methods for NGOs to develop international outreach. My research interests particularly surround political philosophy, critical theory and the construction of political identities. Current Editor in chief of 'Aporia' the St. Andrews undergraduate journal of Philosophy.
Nathan Ching

Student, University of Toronto, St. George Campus

Hi! 🧐 My name is Nathan, and I am a coming Junior at the University of Toronto (St. George Campus) majoring in Criminology, Public Policy, with a minor in Political Science. My research project focuses on Criminal Law and Domestic Abuse cases, investigating the Criminal Justice System's role in breaking the cycle of violence that exists in domestic abuse cases. Outside of academics, I am a huge (and i mean humongous) fan of the arts! Film, photography, music, anything that expresses creativity is automatically a key to my heart. Drop a message and I'd be more than happy to connect with you! ⚡️
Melanie Marshall

Student, Cornell

Melanie Marshall, of Indianapolis, Indiana is studying food science and minoring in biological engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, class of 2024 at Cornell University. Melanie is a Laidlaw Leadership and Scholarship Fellow. As a research fellow at Fallen Tree, her interests are in the cultural and religious imagination of insects particularly in the development of the human connection with insects and entomophagy. Melanie enjoys swimming, yoga, weight-lifting, brewing kombucha, and preparing vegan dishes. 
Maseng Moumakwa

Medical Student, Trinity College Dublin

Hi, I'm Maseng- A 3rd year Medical student in Trinity College Dublin, with a particular interest in Reproductive and Women's health. I have a previous undergraduate degree in Physiology, a masters degree in Biomedical Diagnostics and 4 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Outside of my academics, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, reading, listening to music and going for long drives. My research project for the summer is an exploratory study into  differential treatment towards ethnic minority pregnant women and new mothers in Irish Maternity Hospitals. 
Abeer Ladhani

Student, University College London (UCL)

Sarina Zhou

Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University

Hi, everyone! My name is Sarina Zhou, a Class of 2024 student at Cornell University! I am major in Economics and minor in Law and Society. The aim of my research is to implement the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Barbados, bridge the gap in understanding between legislators and their constituents, and improve the lives of those in disadvantaged and marginalized communities. I always seek opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge in various subject areas, particularly in the fields of law and business. I hope to pursue a career in immigration or corporate law in the future. Also, fun fact: I am an artist specializing in acrylic landscape painting and graphite portrait drawing! Please don't hesitate to connect with me! :)
Eleanor Campbell

Student, Columbia University

Hello! My name is Eleanor Campbell, and I am a 2021 Laidlaw Scholar. I am a student at Columbia University in the City of New York, and I am originally from Raleigh, NC, USA. I major in Economics and am particularly interested in Behavioral Economics. During my first year with Laidlaw, I worked with Professor Hitendra Wadhwa of the Columbia Business School in developing a leadership fellowship for aspiring young changemakers. For my Leadership in Action project, I worked with World Vision on a menstrual hygiene management campaign in West Gonja, Ghana.
Krinal Thakkar

Cornell University Undergraduate student , Cornell University

Claire Taylor

Undergraduate Research and Leadership Scholar, Laidlaw Foundation

I am a fourth-year English and Modern History student at the University of St Andrews. My research looked at the intersection of gender history and transnational history by examining women's involvement in the Esperanto movement in Scotland and the Midlands, and my leadership-in-action was the Think Pacific Health Promotion project. I'm interested in all things art, history, literature, and social change! 
Ainav Rabinowitz

Laidlaw Undergraduate Scholar, Cornell University

Hi! My name is Ainav Rabinowitz, and I’m a rising Junior at Cornell University. I’m planning to double-major in Government and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and minor in Near Eastern Studies and Public Policy. My research project investigates the militarization of law enforcement in the Middle East, analyzing the way in which civilian police forces have become more militarized and the way militaries have taken on law enforcement responsibilities. My research will more specifically focus on the consequences of militarization on human rights over the past two decades, offering a broad overview of the Middle East as well as a closer analysis of 2-3 countries across the political spectrum. I will be working with Professor Flores-Macías, who focuses on the consequences of militarization in Latin America. Feel free to reach out! Some other facts about me: I love anything art-related (I primarily create digital illustration and acrylic paintings), and also always love sharing my favorite books:)
Jiayi Xin

Undergraduate student , The University of Hong Kong

Hello, nice to meet you! I am Raina, an undergraduate student studying Applied Artificial Intelligence in the University of Hong Kong. My research topic is using artificial intelligence (AI) to turn a mobile smartphone into a stethoscope. What we want to do in this project is to build an AI-assisted mobile application on smartphones to perform cardiovascular disease early screening.
Holly Palmer (she/her)

Pharmacology student , University of Leeds

Hi everyone, I am a third year Laidlaw scholar studying Pharmacology at the University of Leeds. I am currently in the process of completing my placement year as regulatory strategist, developing innovative new therapies to transform the lives of patients with rare conditions at Pfizer. My research project focuses on the UN’s SDGs and the opportunity that students around the world have to collaborate with other universities to implement these goals into their final year capstone projects in attempt to combat educational inequality. I had the opportunity to travel to Fiji for my leadership in action. I stayed in an incredible village called Toga and lived with a family while the team built a health centre for the village and facilitated sessions around the importance of climate change with the Fijian youth. If you would like to hear more about my research, LIA or placement- please drop me a message!
Elena Chatrchyan

Student, Cornell University

My name is Elena Chatrchyan (she/her) and I am an incoming third year student, studying International Agriculture and Rural Development at Cornell University. My concentration at school is in Economics and Development and I am also minoring in Business. My research is about current soil health initiatives in Armenia, what farmers know about soil health and what do they do to manage and actively improve soil health. Ultimately, with this research I am going to be developing a soil health roadmap for Armenia. I chose this research topic because I find soils really interesting and have been actively working with soils for the past year. Healthy soil is going to be the key to not only adapt to climate change but help us mitigate it as well, making soils extremely important to study.  I am from Ithaca, New York in the United States. When I'm not studying/working, I like to ski in the winter and swim in the summer! I also love all types of music. When I have a lot of extra time, I like baking and cooking. Ask me about anything I've said above. Like most people, I love talking about my hobbies, studies and work. That being said, I'd love to connect with any other Scholars! I love learning about other peoples hobbies, and work, especially those belonging to my fellow scholars!
Reem ElKosseer

Student, University of Leeds

Rebecca Bisset

Student, University of St Andrews

Phin Godfrey

Student, University College London

William Charles

Undergraduate, Laidlaw Scholar, University of York