St Hilda's students are among the Laidlaw Scholars
We are delighted that our recent alumni, Andrew Williams (Physics, 2015), and current student, Ishann Kapoor (Biomedical Sciences, 2017), are among the 2019 Laidlaw Scholars. We were equally proud in 2018, when Isabel Galwey (Oriental Studies, 2015) and Lachlan Hughes (Modern Languages, 2014) were among the Laidlaw Scholars.
The Laidlaw Scholars Undergraduate Research & Leadership Programme was launched at the University of Oxford in 2016, building upon Lord Laidlaw’s visionary commitment to supporting undergraduate student development and education. It aims to equip undergraduate students with the necessary research skills and leadership skills to help them fulfil their ambitions beyond their course of study, whether they intend to pursue a career in research or in another sector.
The Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholarship really is the best opportunity for undergraduates to experience what it's like to work at the forefront of academic research. As part of the Laidlaw Scholarship, I designed my own research project in collaboration with Professor Paul O'Gorman - a world expert in climate science at MIT - and was given full funding to spend my summer conducting that research in the USA.
This opportunity has helped to positively shape my expectations of academia and as I now begin my DPhil in Atmospheric Physics here in Oxford, I will be continuing to examine many of the crucially relevant questions which I began researching during my time as a Laidlaw Scholar.
The programme provides a welcoming and encouraging environment for undergraduate researchers to explore their academic interests. If there’s a topic that you’re passionate about, this is a great opportunity to take the initiative and explore it in depth!
The Laidlaw programme is without a doubt the best thing I did during my time at Oxford.