I am a fourth year Sociology and English Literature student at Trinity College Dublin. My research involves the digital LGBTQ+ community during the initial COVID-19 quarantine and mental health resources. I also have a charity zine series called 'Sick and Tired' that focus on the queer experience during COVID-19.

I am a fourth year undergraduate pursuing a B.A. in Theoretical Physics in Trinity College Dublin. The research project I am doing is titled "Computational Study of Dipolar Noise in Molecular Spin Qubits". This project is in the field of quantum technologies and in it I aim to investigate quantum decoherence in molecular spin systems through the use of numerical simulations.

I am going into my second year studying physics and mathematics. I’m interested in the Arctic’s changing climate as well as environmental solutions. My current project is about mapping the trajectory of sea ice in the Last Ice Area. Feel free to reach out - I am always happy to chat!

Hi I'm Joni, and I'm the COO of Police Now, a rapidly growing social enterprise, and am currently completing my Executive MBA at London Business School, supported by Laidlaw. My background is in consulting, with a particular focus on growing and scaling young businesses, business infrastructure and transformation, and social impact.  I am also a diversity & inclusion leader. On a personal level I live in London, have mixed raced heritage and dual nationality, and love all things sports, outdoors and music.

Hi everyone! I run the CraftHER Leadership-in-action program by @Swara - Voice of Women. Here's our IG: www.instagram.com/craftherbyswara/ I’m Asha Scaria Vettoor, an entrepreneur and Laidlaw Scholar from the University of Oxford. I run Swara, a social enterprise based in India that creates income opportunities for women through ethical fashion and storytelling. We also host CraftHER, a 6-week Leadership-in-Action program that brings Laidlaw scholars from around the world to Kerala to learn from women-led enterprises, grassroots organisations, and artisan communities. I’m passionate about building bridges between global learners and local changemakers in my community and always up for a conversation on social entrepreneurship, ethical supply chains, or running programs in remote parts of India.

Hello! I was Laidlaw scholar in 2019, and I studied national, regional, and local identity in northern Tajikistan through the lens of women's fashion.  For a year after graduating, I worked for the UN Mine Action Service which removes landmines from conflict and post-conflict regions. I then worked for the Laidlaw Foundation 2021-22 and completed a Master's Degree in Anthropology and Development Management at the London School of Economics. Now I'm working with the UN on innovative finance for biodiversity conservation, focusing on marine ecosystems. Please feel free to reach out on the network, on LinkedIn, or by email. I'm always happy to meet new people and chat.

Alex was the Programme Director of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme from September 2021 - May 2024.  Prior to joining the Laidlaw Foundation Alex spent over a decade at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, where he most recently managed the university’s Laidlaw Scholars Programme. In addition, Alex taught leadership courses and guest-lectured internationally on the subjects of strategy and leadership. A bilingual speaker, dual national and keen traveller, Alex has lived, visited and worked in several countries around the world. During this time, he has had a unique opportunity to encounter and explore different cultures and working environments, experiencing first-hand what good leadership can achieve. His passion for this topic is driven by these experiences and a desire to challenge people to unlock their full leadership potential. Alex holds an MBA from the Open University and a Master of Research in Management from the University of St Andrews. He has also obtained Associate Fellow status with the Higher Education Academy. In his spare time, Alex is an avid skier and volunteers with a local guide dog organisation.

Hi everyone, I am Joshua, currently serving as the Alumni Society president. I was selected for Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholarship in 2020 at UCL. I am doing my MSc Management degree now at Imperial College London. I have experience with Entrepreneurship, Fashion, Marketing, and Data Science. Feel free to reach out to me if I can help!

Hello! I'm Emma, a 2017 Undergraduate Leadership & Research Programme alumna and one of the Founding Co-Presidents of the Laidlaw Alumni Society. My 2017 Undergraduate Research project focused on UK legislation which requires certain organisations to publish an annual statement about the efforts they are making to stop modern slavery in their supply chains. In particular, I looked at whether this legislation was really making a difference in the fight against modern slavery in supply chains. At the time, I concluded that the legislation was largely ineffective - however, you'll be pleased to know that, just a few years later, topics such as modern slavery in supply chains have risen much further up the corporate agenda (for various reasons largely unrelated to the UK legislation). These days, I work as a lawyer. For the first few years of my career, I advised corporate clients on ESG disputes and regulation (including matters relating to modern slavery statements!). I am about to start a new, exciting chapter of my legal career, working to develop two nuclear projects which will help the UK to achieve net zero by 2050 and ensure that its energy supply is secure.

I’m a proud care-experienced Neuroscientist. My research focuses on how serotonin and psychedelics shape neuroplasticity in brain regions greatly affected by early-life adversity. In my experiments, I measure how well brain cells can talk to each other during natural serotonin release and following the administration of classic psychedelics (e.g., magic mushrooms). Care-experienced young people represent one of the largest untapped STEM talent pools in the UK. They have all the potential required to succeed and yet, they are still eight times less likely to enrol in university and choose a STEM subject. Care-experienced young people don’t lack talent, they lack the opportunities to unlock it. In my early 20s, I migrated to the UK in search of a brighter future, when I still couldn't speak the language. During my time in care, I struggled at school and didn’t do well academically. But the Foundation Programme at Durham University gave me the chance to catch up and build the confidence I needed. Four years later, I graduated at Durham as the top student in my cohort - with an average mark of over 80%. Only when potential meets opportunity talent can thrive. Driven by this belief, I founded WISHFULICIOUS to give children in care and care-experienced young people the opportunity to see that STEM isn’t just for “someone else” - it’s for them too. To start-up this initiative, I’ve baked and sold cookies, run a small online fundraising campaign, and am now part of the The CareLeaders Fellowship where I’m working to lay the foundation for delivering our first STEM programme. If you share this mission or simply want to help open doors for care-experienced people, I’d love to connect and hear from you!

I am a fourth year pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with International Honours in Economics through a joint degree programme integrating The College of William and Mary with The University of St. Andrews. I have studied both International Relations and Economics in depth from an American and British perspective, and have benefitted from each university's respective areas of expertise. My research within Laidlaw has been conducted in the Classics department, which gives testament to my appreciation for interdisciplinary research.

I am an alumni of the University of York where I received a BA (Hons) degree in English Literature and Linguistics. I was the Arts and Humanities Subject Lead on the Laidlaw Scholar's Network and the 2020-22 Arts and Humanities Undergraduate rep at the University of York.  After graduating from York I went to the University of Oxford to read for an MPhil in Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics. After 2 years of study at Oxford I work full time in a school and also work on the HEnabled podcast, which aims to showcase the experiences of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions within the British Higher Education system. If you study or have studied at a British University and have a disability or long term-health condition, then I would love to have you on as a guest! Email henabled@gmail.com to get in touch. 

I'm a 4th Year undergraduate geology student at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, UK. My Laidlaw research is focused primarily on understanding how early life interacted with its environment and how this environment may have in turn impacted upon lives evolution. In summer 2019, I undertook 2 weeks fieldwork in South Africa for my Laidlaw scholarship, collected samples and images. My research scope has adapted as I have continued my Laidlaw journey. I started off by looking at what 2.5 billion-year-old (Ga) rocks can tell us about the chemistry of ancient oceans, but after my fieldwork, I changed my focus to look at even older (3.47 Ga) rocks which contain evidence of some of the oldest life on Earth. I am spending summer 2020 investigating how the organisms preserved in these rocks may have biomineralised magnetic minerals and used these to navigate using Earth's magnetic field. I'm a classic crazy rock person, with a passion for the outdoors, rock music, and extreme sports like whitewater kayaking and mountain biking. I grew up in the Scottish Borders and have spent my life exploring the Scottish Mountains. Geology has taken me all over the world so far, from Greenland to the Alps and the U.A.E., and I'm certainly looking forward to more adventures to come!

Economics scholar researching my own alternative to GDP!

👋 Hi there, my name is Georgina. I am a Laidlaw Alumni and a graduate from University College London. It's a pleasure to meet you!

Looking for opportunities that will help me grow as a professional, intellectual, and individual. I am invested in Public Global Health and issues around capacity and policy building in Low and Middle Income Countries.

Hello! I am a multidisciplinary designer and have been with the Laidlaw Foundation for over five years, working to strengthen our global Scholar community and amplify the impact of our programmes. My work lives somewhere between design, education, and anthropology, usually with sticky notes involved. I studied Human Sciences as an undergrad and recently finished a Master’s in Anthropology, both at UCL.  Born and raised in Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 Outside of work? Probably in the ceramics studio or a yoga class. Big fan of nature and very small bugs.