Thomas Zaugg (He/Him)

Hello! I'm a third year Biology student at the University of Leeds and I'm part of the 2024 Scholars cohort. I've just finished an industrial placement working in digital marketing, looking to build expertise in the sustainable health & tech space.  I have been trying to figure people out for a long time and I thought what better way than to explore the wonders of neuroscience in my first year research project!?  I'm currenly on my LiA with the Timothy Smith Network in Boston, USA. I'm looking forward to working with students of all ages to teach and inspire them about the intersections of biology and technology.  I'm also a member of the 2026 Undergraduate Laidlaw Advisory Board, where I hope to provide strategic advice and improvements to the Laidlaw programme to ensure future scholars can thrive.  If you want to chat about books, the economic/political state of the world right now, or just life - feel free to drop me a message! :)

I like Space and Robotics.

Hello ! My name is Dan, I am a student in electrical engineering at at EPFL, driven by curiosity and a desire to make a positive impact as part of the brand new Laidlaw 2024 cohort. My point of interest is at the intersection between technology and medicine, more specifically in the implementation and applications of modern technology to the human body. To complement my scientific studies, I like to read a lot, especially philosophy works, and I also enjoy doing all kinds of sports throughout the year depending on the season, but from december to april you can be certain that you will find me on the swiss Alps ski slopes. I love traveling and making new friends, so feel free to text me anytime. A short "Hello" can go a long way.

Hello! I’m a psychology researcher and the founder of HaHaHelps, a comedy-based psychosocial programme designed to support young people in residential care. I am currently completing an MSocSci in Psychology at the University of Cape Town, where my dissertation examines the feasibility of HaHaHelps with adolescents in South African child and youth care centres. My broader interests include youth mental health, psychosocial intervention development, implementation, participatory approaches, and the use of humour and play to support connection, emotional expression, self-efficacy, and coping with uncertainty. HaHaHelps grew out of my Laidlaw Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I designed and facilitated an improv-comedy programme for adolescents. Since then, I have continued developing and delivering the programme with young people in residential care and am now studying how it can be refined, evaluated, and ultimately adapted for use in other communities and settings. Before this, my Laidlaw research at the University of Toronto examined relationships between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation. I’d love to connect with other Laidlaw Scholars and alumni interested in youth mental health, social impact, intervention development, social entrepreneurship, or simply finding creative ways to turn research into something useful in the world.

Hi! I'm a physics student at EPFL and more particularly interested in biophysics and statistical mechanics. I also love climbing and running.

Hey there! I’m a CS student from EPFL! I’m interested in understanding human brains in a numerical way - so I decided to explore around starting from neuroscience! I’m also very into different kinds of outdoor sports, which always allow me to jump from one thought to another. Feel free to ping me if you want to talk about something interesting!

Hi! I'm a student in micro-engineering at EPFL, interested in nano-science. I love travelling, biking and film-making.

Hello everyone!  I'm Veronika, a Master's student in Electrical Engineering at EPFL, and part of the Laidlaw Scholars Board. Next to my degree, I'm also currently building stuff to make my life and the life of others better.  As a Laidlaw Scholar, I did my research in the Laboratory of Digital Epidemiology on approximations of human-like crowd behavior during pandemics with AI agents, with the goal of creating an epidemiological model that can quickly and cheaply simulate dynamic crowd behavior. I love drawing, gardening, survival camping, and death metal concerts.  Our goal in the Laidlaw Board is to make the program better for you (and for future cohorts)! So if you have any questions, complaints, compliments, or suggestions for the Laidlaw Scholars program, feel free to reach out by sending a message on here, on LinkedIn, or using this anonymous form --> https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=m1iBtASKYUmzmpVa7SUZOYAOFAGNJNdOhV2pziMDdMZURFE0SEkxVTFDSEQ2TjhXR0cwNlNSMUFKUy4u&route=shorturl

My name is Sophie (she/her) and I am from South Wales but am currently studying International Relations and Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. I was a part of the 2024 Laidlaw cohort.  My Laidlaw research project explored how nostalgia for life in the former East Germany continues to affect politics in today's reunified Germany, in particular Germany's foreign policy towards Russia. For my LiA project, I went to the European Centre for Minority Issues and created 'digital stories' about national minorities in the Germany-Denmark border region.   In my free time, I like to read anything i can get my hands on, as well as cook a lot and try different recipes from around the world. I also really love travelling and exploring new places.  I'd love to connect with someone who is interested in politics and diplomacy or otherwise shares my interests. And if you have any questions about my research, I'd love to chat about it!

Hello! I'm Edie, a Physical Geography student at Durham University, with aspirations to enter the sustainable agriculture and environment world once I graduate. I'm really interested in how we can marry together the developing needs of humanity in a time of climate change and planetary uncertainty.