Hi everyone! I'm Jacob and I'm entering my third year at the University of Toronto where I study Financial Economics, Public Policy, and Mathematics. This summer I'm undertaking research on how political campaign strategies influence representation in parliament. Outside of the classroom, I'm an avid reader of just about anything that piques my curiosity. My apartment is nearly bursting at the seams with 481 books (and counting). I love learning new things whether it's a new tune on my tenor saxophone or a new language (I'm currently working on Russian and Italian). You'll also find me outside on my bike or the nearest tennis court when I'm not working at my desk and dreaming up new policy ideas to combat inequality. 

Hello! I’m Jiyon, a third-year student at Georgetown University from New York City. I am studying at the University of Oxford for the 2025-26 school year. I’m majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics, with my academic interests lying in public economics, governance, climate policy, and labor economics. In my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar, I assisted a research project in Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy on identifying causes of heterogeneity in U.S. state tax systems and associating variations in tax progressivity with different infant health outcomes. Separately, I have looked at how different types of public spending across U.S. states can improve social capital for the elderly. I am passionate about finding public policy solutions that improve quality of life, promote effective governance, and create durable socioeconomic institutions. In my second year of the scholarship, I am completing my Leadership-in-Action placement with The School and Family Works in London, where I am seeing firsthand the effect that multi-family therapy sessions in schools can have on student engagement, parental relations, and future outcomes.

Hi everyone, I am Eleanor and I am an undergraduate leadership and research scholar! My project will focus in on the implementation of SDGs into large corporations and analysis using natural language processing and machine learning to compare raw data against what the companies are outputting. This will provide patterns of data on a global scale and will assist in promoting the most effective methods for invoking sustainability.  Sustainability is extremely important to me and I am part of the sustainability committee within my university. Aside from that I am also interested in hiking, climbing, cycling and music.  I am looking forward to my leadership in action project and I am aiming to help establish environmentally sustainable mitigation practices in a community affected greatly by climate change. 

Hello! My name is Meabh, I'm a second year Geography and Geoscience student in Trinity College Dublin. My main interests are igneous petrology and critical raw materials for green technology!

Chemist and active volunteer. I love embarking new projects, learning new things, and meeting new people!

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. 

Hi everyone! My name is Hannah and I’m the Marketing Manager at the Laidlaw Foundation. I was previously a UCL Laidlaw Scholar in the 2022 cohort, where I studied English Language and Literature. It’s a real privilege to now work with the community as part of the Foundation team. My role focuses on building and nurturing an engaged global Scholars network, creating events that strengthen connection, and shaping how we share the Foundation’s work and impact. In my spare time, I love cooking new dishes, reading, going to the theatre, and café hopping around London. Please don’t hesitate to reach out or connect with me on LinkedIn. I’m always happy to chat! 

Hello! I am Olivia, an International Relations and Ethics, Society, and Law student at the University of Toronto. I am interested in how states relate to one another, how international diplomacy functions, and decision-making in states. This is why this summer I'll be looking at Legal Barriers to Self-Determination in Disputed Territories. This study looks at how states interact with independence movements, for example, to see if an overseas territory is worth retaining in the midst of claims for independence.  For fun, I like playing video games (come talk to me about Nintendo games!!) or reading, biking or walking through my neighbourhood, and browsing research. I love learning, I'm trying to read more non-fiction books, so please recommend any interesting research or novels! I am so excited to be a member of the Laidlaw community. I hope to learn more about all of you, and read as much of your work as possible! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me, either through the Laidlaw Scholars Network, or on LinkedIn. Let's talk!

I am a junior at the University of Hong Kong majoring in History and Korean Studies. I have always been deeply interested in issues related to migration, displacement, and refuge in East Asia. I conducted a research titled "Bridging Policy and Community: How Government and Locals Shaped Refugee Experiences in 1990s Korea and 1960s Hong Kong" in 2025 for my first summer and looking forward, I want to equip myself with hands-on experience interacting with refugees to better understand their lived realities. To that end, I will be volunteering with Offene Arme in Chios, Greece, during the summer of 2026. I am interested in exploring career pathways in academia, NGOs, or policy research. I am always happy to connect with others working on migration, displacement, and related fields—please feel free to reach out!

Hello! I'm Fraser, a second-year biochemistry student at the University of Leeds. My main passion is biochemistry, but my interests extend across science and philosophy. I am ever-curious and love to learn and debate with my friends. The research project I will be embarking on this summer is titled: "Reimagining Electrophysiology Teaching for Neuroscience Undergraduates through a Design-Thinking Approach." I chose this project because I understand the importance of proper education in understanding and advancing science. The ineffectual education of complex scientific themes, like the brain, leads to misconceptions among the scientific community and the wider public. This can inhibit the advancements of science and impair related practices, such as the care of individuals suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. In my free time, I love playing sports. My favourites include rugby, football and tennis, but I am always eager to try something new. I also enjoy listening to music, doing resistance training at the gym, playing my bass guitar, and being in nature. Feel free to drop me a message or email me at zrwh2552@leeds.ac.uk to discuss research, university, or just to say hi. :)

I’m currently a penultimate year mathematics student at the University of St Andrews and a 2025 Leadership and Research Scholar. My research project was in Pure Mathematics, specifically Algebraic Graph Theory. I studied pseudo-similar vertices in graphs and digraphs using inverse semigroups. I will be completing my LiA this summer with the Timothy Smith Network, acting as an instructor in web design for the Boston Design Academy in Boston, USA.