Zoe Adlam

Student , Durham University
William Banner

Economics Student, Durham University

Laidlaw Scholar Alumni (Durham University Cohort 6, 2022-24) Current Endeavours: I am studying MSc Environmental Economics and Climate Change at the LSE for 2024-25. From September 2025, I will be starting a PhD in Environmental Economics at the University of Basel, Switzerland. --- My time as a Laidlaw Scholar: I graduated with First Class Honours in BA Economics from Durham University. My foremost interests are Development Economics and Environmental Economics. This is reflected in my research project which explored Demographic Economics, titled "The Shifting Distribution of the Global Population in the Twenty-First Century: an Econometric Analysis of the Projected Fortunes of Nigeria and Japan, with Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Development". I have experience working in economic consulting, specialising in competition economics, and am also a Zumba instructor. During my time on the Laidlaw Programme I have also served as a Laidlaw Schools Trust Mentor for Excelsior Academy in Newcastle. In 2023, I completed a six-week international ‘Leadership in Action’ project in partnership with Think Pacific for my Laidlaw Scholarship. For this, I participated in a multi-faceted programme, comprising the building of a health centre, collaborations with Diabetes Fiji and Youth Champs 4 Mental Health, and a Fijian Culture Course. The project ended with a Think Tank where we planned how we would sustain progress. In my sub-group’s case, we are working on a new project to build a multi-purpose building to act as a kindergarten and evacuation centre, for which we are currently fundraising. We have had multiple meetings with the Laidlaw Foundation CEO and the Laidlaw Schools Trust, and we are presenting at the Conversations Conference in Dublin in October 2023. Our project took place in Vunimaqo and Waisava, Dreketi Settlement, Nalawa district, Ra province, Vita Levu island, Fiji. I attended the Impact 2022 conference at the LSE and (virtually, after flight cancellations) the Conversations 2023 conference at Trinity College Dublin.
Emily Doughty

Student, Durham University

McKenzie Carrier

Student, Cornell University

I am a senior at Cornell majoring in Government and Spanish with minors in Law & Society, Latin American Studies, European Studies, and English. My research operates at the intersection of law, international relations, and migration studies. I spent my first Laidlaw summer with the Cornell Law School Xenophobia Meter Project, conducting an analysis of the efficacy of Spain's legal migrant-protection infrastructure through a primary-source analysis of UN communiques and relevant legal precedents. During my second summer, I traveled to Pamplona, Spain to collaborate with the UPNA as a Collaborative Governance, Radicalization, War, and Technology Intern.
Rita Chiu

Student, The University of Hong Kong

I am a year 2 law student studying at The University of Hong Kong. Previously I had been a student researcher at Amnesty International researching about human rights violation claims and at HKU working on a project related to drug trafficking and AI. It's my pleasure to be a part of the Laidlaw Scholar Programme!
Hugh Gallagher

LL.M. Candidate at Harvard Law School | LL.B. (Pol. Sci.) Graudate of Trinity College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin

Emma Franck-Gwinnell

Associate (Dispute Resolution), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

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.
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! ⚡️
Alexander Gliott

Law with French Law student, University College London (UCL) / Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas

I studied Law with French Law at University College London (UCL) and achieved a dual degree with Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas in Paris.
Laoise Murray

Laidlaw Scholar, Trinity College Dublin

I am a final-year law student from Ireland and I have a particular interest in socio-legal research. I like finding connections between the structure of our legal system and various social-demographic features of the population that it governs. Saying that however, I really am interested in all areas of law and I'm sure I will find other interesting research rabbit holes to wander down in the future.
Saskia Poulter

MPhil in Politics, The University of Oxford

I am an MPhil student in Comparative Government at Hertford College, Oxford. My research focusses on how energy sanctions shape trade dependencies among autocratic states, with a particular focus on the role of clandestine ’dark shipments’ of oil and liquid natural gas. I am keenly interested in political methodology and, in my thesis, hope to explore the application of machine learning and geospatial imaging techniques for the detection of illicit maritime trade. My Laidlaw project ('Smelling the Coffee: Discursive Ecologies and Maximalist Moderation in an Alt-Right Reddit Community')  used natural language processing and difference-in-difference analysis to assess the effects of interventionist digital platform regulation on online hate speech.
Stephanie Ormond

Marketing Assistant, In Work

I was a History undergraduate at Durham University, where I was part of the 2021-22 Laidlaw Scholars cohort (2020-23). Afterwards, I studied MSt in Global and Imperial University at Oxford University (2023-24) with a specialisation in postcolonial Anglophone African history and English-speaking Caribbean under the British empire. Now, I'm currently working in digital marketing. For my research, I investigated the use of the Crusades within far-right organisations and what it reveals about the readings of crusade history. During my second summer, I was a part of the ThinkPacific Youth and Community project in Fiji from June to July 2022.  If you have any questions about my research, LiA, or history stuff in general, feel free to contact me here! Also, I like music, video production, and photography.
Ipek Nazire Ergul

student, Durham University

Rachel Chenyan Shou

Laidlaw Undergraduate Scholar, Durham University

I am a second year Law student, and my research is aboout the application of the Threshold Concept Framework in the undergraduate studying of Law. I am a keen volunteer, and I read widely about anthropology and sociology. I like working in student organisations and am a member of the SRC Executive Committee of my college.
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:)
James R. Harrison

Laidlaw Alum, incoming MA-PhD student, Durham University

Final-year Durham student studying Politics; President of Durham Laidlaw Scholars' Organisation; Incoming ESRC-funded MA-PhD student in NINE DTP. My research so far has covered ideological identity in left-wing student activism, examining the interplay of social movement theory and the philosophy of identity, and my general research interests include citizenship education, democratic theory and the occasional bit of political anthropology. Outside of my studies it's mainly twentieth-century literature, cocktails and cooking!
Lauren Pereira-Greene

Medical Student, University College London

Fourth year UCL medic with an iBSc in Medical Anthropology. I am passionate about increasing access to medicine and am the Co-Founder of a student-led widening participation group, DIMA (Diversity in Medical Academia) @dimafoundation.
Maria Valenstain

Student Researcher, University of York

I am an undergraduate Laidlaw Scholar studying Philosophy and Politics at the University of York. I am very interested in climate education. My project investigates collective responsibility regarding climate change in the primary years of school.
Amnah

Law Student , Durham University

Hello! My name is Amnah & I'm a law student at Durham University. I'm very passionate about human rights & aspire to be make a positive impact on those in pursuit of justice. My research is aimed at discussing the legitimacy of the ECtHRs decision in upholding the veil ban. Throughout my high-school years, I have initiated and been a part of many women empowerment projects aimed at uplifting the socio-economic status of underprivileged women in Pakistan, this is something I plan on working in the future as well. Other than being a an ardent feminist & humanitarian, I really enjoy travelling, hiking & baking. I am always excited about meeting new people and nurturing meaningful relationships, while I have a very lame sense of humour, I still like to think myself as super fun because no one beats my unwavering love for people, commitment to good food, adventure & exploring the world that is still unknown to us.  
Georgia Dillon (she/her)

Law Student, Trinity College Dublin

I am a second year law student at Trinity College Dublin, conducting a research project on period poverty and how it impacts participation in education in Ireland. I currently work as a Policy and Advocacy Advisor at The Pad Project, and am especially interested in in social justice, access to education, gender equality, sustainability and human rights.