Interested in anything and everything in chemistry that looks fun. Currently active in STEM outreach and volunteering.

Hi, I'm Anika! I’m a sophomore at Duke University pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Public Policy. I’m passionate about exploring how emergent technology can be governed, developed, and deployed in a responsible and equitable manner. My Laidlaw Scholars research focused on European platform accountability, where I studied how AI-generated music affects creative democracy, labor rights, and data privacy in the EU and UK. This past summer, I co-authored a white paper titled "The Canary in the Coal Mine: Spotify, Generative AI, and the Future of Cultural Labor," which I presented at Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute alongside my team, while also engaging policymakers from NATO and the OECD throughout the paper-writing process.  Beyond research, I lead Girls for Algorithmic Justice, a nonprofit I founded to address gender equity issues in AI, including explicit deepfakes and algorithmic bias. Through our #StopExplicitDeepfakes campaign, I’ve been involved in advancing policy conversations at the U.S. federal level to expand protections for victims of digital harms. At Duke, I direct Duke Tech for Change, a student organization dedicated to responsible technology, and serve as an officer for Duke Cyber, where I help organize cyber policy opportunities and events. I also serve as a student advisor to the John Hope Franklin Human Rights Center and the Duke Office of University Scholars & Fellows. I'm deeply committed to linking technology with democracy and human rights. Check out my LinkedIn for a more comprehensive overview of what I do! Please feel free to reach out any time at anika.dugal@duke.edu.

Hello! I'm an incoming third-year History student at the University of St Andrews. I'm from Madrid, Spain, but I moved to Scotland for university.  My research project focuses on the impact of the Cold War on sexuality and sexual expression among LGBTQ+ youth in Brazil and the relationship between sexuality and the state in a military dictatorship. 

Hello, I'm Ethan! I am a Political Science and Social Policy Student at Trinity College Dublin. I am originally from California, but I split my time between California and Ireland growing up. As a politics student, I am interested in the policy and regulation of the technology sector.  Through my research, I wish to study the relationship between innovation and regulation for countries looking to remain innovative while also mitigating the adverse effects that come along with the rapid development of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.   I look forward to connecting with other scholars at Trinity and beyond! 

Hi! My name is Freya, and I'll be doing my research on defining the geotechnical properties of Lunar simulant regolith so that when we begin to create high fidelity infrastructure replicas here on Earth ( whether that be a road, a building or a launchpad) we can predict how the surface will change based on these loads! Aside from all things space, I do a MEng in Engineering and Architectural design, with an interest in small space architecture (such as space habitation) and multifunctional/modularity within spaces. I'm also interested in Japanese architecture, spending my gap year living and working in Tokyo whilst also developing my Japanese to N3 intermediate (plus I love 7/11 and all the Konbini's haha).

I'm a student from Mexico 🇲🇽 who wants to learn more about the world! Love community, cycling, and reading. 

Hello! I’m a first-year undergraduate piano student with a passion for teaching and a growing curiosity about how education systems shape the way we learn music. Right now, I’m researching piano pedagogy in the context of China’s entrance exam system—something that blends my love for music with my interest in social structures and policy. If you want to get to know me, find me at the climbing gym, doing CrossFit, or out for a run with my dog. I’m always excited to meet people who would love to discuss education, music/piano, dogs and anything else that you can think of!

Hi! I'm Zach a 4th year Medical Student at Imperial, currently doing an intercalated BSc in Anaesthesia and Critical Care.  I am interested in global health equity, data-driven research, and evidence-based policy. My current research focuses on addressing inequalities in access to life-saving ECMO therapy by applying machine learning and collaborating with local, national and global stakeholders. I'm passionate about interdisciplinary thinking, leadership development, and using data science to drive meaningful change. Outside of my academic work, I love dancing bachata and salsa, and you’ll often find me at Latin socials across London!

Hello hello! I am an incoming third-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. Growing up in the birthplace of the Renaissance, I wanted to pursue higher education in a place with historical significance and somewhere where I could take walks in nature between classes; hence my choice of the University of St Andrews that is situated on the beautiful Scottish coastline. 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 would like to make a meaningful contribution to an ongoing project related to wildlife conservation.  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! I would particularly appreciate the input of any scholar who is interested (or has experience) in similar potential LiA areas.

Hi everyone! I'm a rising junior at Barnard College of Columbia University, where I am double majoring in Political Science and Human Rights, and minoring in French. This summer I'm researching about art reinstitution and its ethical and legal components. Some of my other interests include social work, human rights, and law. Please feel free to reach me at cd3442@barnard.edu