Global Scholars Symposium 2015: Building Impact

GLOBAL SCHOLARS
HANDBOOK
SYMPOSIUM 2015
Cambridge Union, Cambridge, May 21-24
BUILDING IMPACT: LISTEN, LEARN,ACT

WELCOME
TO GSS
www.globalscholars.co.uk2
Dear Scholars,
The largest and most persistent global issues require a commitment to work across
disciplines and generations to connect current expertise with ideas and action for
tomorrow. The Global Scholars Symposium (GSS) aims to generate dialogue between
prominent leaders and engaged scholars to address pressing global challenges.
Since 2008, GSS has brought together international scholars studying in the UK to share
their wide variety of interests and knowledge. Each year, the conference has called on
the delegates to pose the questions, explore the topics and identify ways to tackle
today’s hardest challenges. In this tradition, we are excited to welcome you to
Cambridge this year for the eighth annual Global Scholars Symposium.
The theme of GSS 2015 is ‘Building Impact: Listen, Learn, Act’. We know that building
impact requires a lot of learning, listening, and even failing, and so we are inviting
speakers and delegates to start a conversation about the process - not just the outcome -
of building impact. In doing so, we hope to offer a more thoughtful understanding of
what it means to live an impactful life as well as a clearer idea of how to start building
impact in one’s own area of interest.
This conference is one of those rare opportunities in academia to learn about and discuss
issues that transcend individual fields of study. We are particularly excited this year to have
opened up some places at the Symposium for all post-graduate UK students as well as the
places reserved for students studying on the traditional nine supporting scholarships. We
are also fortunate enough to have Skoll Scholars joining the Symposium for the first time. We
look forward to the diversity of ideas and opinions which will be present at this year’s GSS.
As ever, GSS 2015 is built upon a legacy of collaboration and partnership across various
scholarship programs. We are very grateful to the 2015 GSS Organising Committee for
their hard work and dedication. We would also like to thank our major sponsor the
McCall MacBain Foundation and in particular John McCall MacBain for his energy and
ideas, as well as the Rhodes Trust, Gates Cambridge Trust, Clarendon Fund and the Skoll
Scholarships for their time, support and generous contributions.
We offer a very warm welcome to all delegates and speakers to GSS 2015.
With best wishes,
The 2015 Global Scholars Symposium Executive
Collin
VanBuren
Andrea
Cabrero-Vilatela
Louis
Chambers
Tara
Paterson
Zoë
Stewart

3 3
HANDBOOK CONTENTS
SPONSORS 4
THE SCHOLARSHIPS 5
THEME: BUILDING IMPACT: LISTEN LEARN ACT 7
LISTEN, LEARN, ACT: GET READY FOR GSS 2015 9
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 11
SPEAKERS 15
THEMATIC GROUPS 21
FACILITATORS 22
PANELISTS 25
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 26
ORGANISING COMMITTEE 28
DELEGATES 38
THE CAMBRIDGE UNION 61
MAP OF THE CAMBRIDGE UNION 62
SOCIAL EVENTS 63
WELFARE 69
SOCIAL MEDIA 69
NOTES 70
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE 74
For more information, please email us at info@globalscholars.co.uk

SPONSORS
Special thanks to the McCall MacBain Foundation for their generous
support of GSS 2015
THE MCCALL MACBAIN FOUNDATION (MMF) IS A GRANT MAKING ORGANIZATION
ESTABLISHED IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND BY JOHN AND MARCY MCCALL MACBAIN
OUR MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE WELFARE OF HUMANITY THROUGH FOCUSED GRANTS IN
HEALTH, EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
Thank you to following scholarships for their continued support

5
SCHOLARSHIPS
Chevening Scholarship Program
The Chevening Scholarship Programme
funds international postgraduate
students who want to study in the UK for
one academic year. The scheme
commenced in 1984 and is funded by
the British government’s Foreign and
Commonwealth Office. The scheme
annually provides funding for around 700
scholars selected for their outstanding
leadership potential.
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
As the establishment of a new college in
Cambridge was becoming a reality, Sir
Winston Churchill met with American
friends to ask them to create a
mechanism for young Americans to study
at the college. The first three Churchill
Scholarships were awarded in 1963 and
currently, at least thirteen one-year
scholarships are awarded yearly.
The Clarendon Fund
The Clarendon Fund is a major graduate
scholarship scheme at the University of
Oxford, offering 100 new scholarships
every year. In 2012-13, there are more than
300 Clarendon scholars at Oxford from at
least 50 different nations. Awards are
made based on academic excellence
and potential across all subject areas.
Since being launched in 2001, it has
enabled over 1000 international scholars
to study at Oxford University.
Commonwealth Scholarship
Founded in 1959, the Commonwealth
Scholarship and Fellowship Plan is an
international programme through which
member governments offer scholarships
and fellowships to citizens of other
Commonwealth countries. It supports
around 700 awards annually and has
funded 27,000 individuals since its
establishment.
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
In October 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation donated $210 million to the
University of Cambridge to establish the
Gates Cambridge Trust, which aims to
build a global network of future leaders.
Ninety new scholarships are awarded
every year from to students from across
the world, identified by academic
excellence, leadership potential, and a
commitment to improving the lives of
others. Currently, there are about 230
scholars from more than 80 countries
studying in Cambridge, and over 1000
scholars and alumni.
Fulbright Commission
Created by treaty in 1948, the US-UK
Educational Commission (Fulbright
Commission) fosters mutual cultural
understanding through educational
exchange between both nations. Its
prestigious Fulbright Awards Programme
has a distinguished history built on the
legacy of the late Senator J. William
Now in its eighth consecutive year, GSS was first held in 2008 at the University of
Cambridge. Its founding mission was to connect Churchill, Clarendon, Commonwealth,
Fulbright, Gates Cambridge, Marshall, and Rhodes scholars in an environment that
challenged them to draw upon their wide variety of interests and expertise. In 2011, GSS
expanded to include the Chevening and Weidenfeld Scholarships. This year, we are
expanding the conference to all students pursuing postgraduate studies in the United
Kingdom. From the beginning, GSS has been jointly organized by the scholars themselves
from a range of fields and scholarship programmes. These scholarships continue to play
an integral role in GSS.

Fulbright, who set forth an inspirational
global exchange programme in the
aftermath of World War II to promote
leadership, learning, and understanding
between cultures. US-UK Fulbright grants
allow British and American scholars to
study, lecture, and research in the US and
the UK in any subject.
Marshall Scholarship
Founded by a 1953 Act of Parliament,
Marshall Scholarships fund up to forty
American scholars each year to study at
a UK institution in any field of study. Its goal
is to motivate scholars to act as
ambassadors from the USA to the UK and
vice versa thus strengthening mutual
understanding between the two countries.
The Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarships are
postgraduate awards supporting all-
round students from diverse countries
to study at the University of Oxford.
Established in the will of Cecil Rhodes,
the Rhodes is the oldest international
scholarship program in the world,
encouraging scholars to “fight the world’s
fight”. Each year, class of 83 scholars is
selected from 15 geographic
constituencies around the world.
The Weidenfeld Scholarship
The Weidenfeld Scholarship cultivates the
leaders of tomorrow from transition and
emerging economies. In its first phase, the
programme focused on Europe’s wider
neighbourhood including Eastern Europe,
Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East, and
North Africa. To date, 113 scholars have
taken part from 37 countries.
The Skoll Scholarship
The Skoll Scholarship is a competitive
scholarship for incoming MBA students
who pursue entrepreneurial solutions for
urgent social and environmental
challenges. The Scholarship provides
funding and exclusive opportunities to
meet with world-renowned entrepreneurs,
thought-leaders and investors.
SCHOLARSHIPS

7
‘Impact’ is a word that is thrown around a lot, particularly in the post-graduate scholars
community. It is something that we as students are often encouraged to strive for, and
many of the world’s celebrated thinkers, reformers and leaders are prominent because
they are perceived to have made an impact with their lives. This year’s GSS is designed to
look behind the stories of success to understand how speakers have achieved impact in
their chosen field. We hope that speakers will share stories of the struggles they have
faced, the people who have been there along the way, and the things that have kept
them going when the going was tough.
Each day of GSS 2015 will explore one element of the process by which scholars can build
impact – both in thinking about how they can be of service and also understanding the
hurdles and challenges to be overcame in living a life of impact. These elements will be
mirrored by the keynotes and also in each of the thematic group sessions.
THEME
GLOBAL SCHOLARS SYMPOSIUM 2015
BUILDING IMPACT: LISTEN,LEARN,ACT
DAY ONE:
LISTEN
DAY TWO:
LEARN
DAY THREE:
ACT
A Life of
Impact
Reflection
& Inspiration
Risk, Failure
& Struggle
Understanding
Service
Embracing
Difference
Persistence
& Passion

Innovative formats
Speaker Sessions
We plan to have more than one speaker speak in each session. We hope that the
speakers will be keen to engage with each other as well as the delegates in the
discussion period following the talks.
Fireside Chats
On Friday night speakers will engage in ‘fireside chats’ with small groups of delegates
interested in getting to know them better.
Small Group Sessions
All delegates will be assigned to a small group, which will be an opportunity to meet
people with a similar subject area of interest and explore a thematic issue in detail
across the three days of the Symposium. Delegates will introduce themselves through a
short presentation reflecting on their own background, why they have chosen that
particular thematic group, and how they understand the challenge or issue that the
thematic group is designed to explore.
Delegate-Run Open Sessions
We believe that one of the greatest strengths of GSS is the knowledge, skills and passion
of the delegates. On Sunday, the thematic groups will culminate in delegates taking
turns to host thematic sessions for other delegates. Sunday afternoon will see further
delegate-led sessions, including Irish Dancing and Tai Chi Workshops.
BUILDING IMPACT: LISTEN,LEARN,ACT

LISTEN, LEARN, ACT:
GET READY FOR GSS 2015
Tara Paterson, a member of the GSS 2015 Executive Committee, reflects on
the purpose of this year’s Symposium:
Living in Oxford was once described to me as “a series of tragic choices.” The number of
exciting speakers and events means that on any given day you may have to make the
“tragic” choice between seeing Al Gore deliver a lecture on the six drivers of global
change or watching Kofi Annan and Mary Robinson debate the role of media in
promoting peace. Cambridge is no different. In the last two years alone, Sir Roger Moore,
Dr. Cornel West and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, speaking at GSS 2013, have all brought
their wisdom to the Cambridge community.
Getting to hear from such impressive people is certainly a huge privilege. But these
speeches can sometimes be just as overwhelming as they are inspiring. The speakers’
narratives are fully formed. Their stories are well crafted. And the impact they’ve had in
their fields is extraordinary. So much so that when it comes time to trying to apply their
insights to your own work, you’re often left wondering,“where do I even start?”
Our hope for GSS 2015 is to try to answer that question. We know that building impact
requires a lot of learning, listening and even failing.Yet when we hear from the types of
speakers that a conference like GSS attracts, we rarely hear about the pit stops and
detours that preceded their success. We only hear about the success itself.
This year, we’re inviting speakers and delegates to take a step back and reflect on the
process—not just the outcome—of building impact. What practical steps are required to
create a life of impact? How do we begin? Where can we learn? What do we do when
we get stuck? What does impact even mean?
Of course, like the speakers, many GSS delegates will have already had experience
doing “high-impact” work. They may have taken on particular projects in their
communities, universities, professional organisations, or faith groups. No matter how
experienced any GSS attendee is – listening and learning, as both actions and values,
are central to this year’s theme.
So, we invite you to be open to what promises to be a dynamic, challenging, and unique
symposium. Most GSS 2015 speakers will have been on long journeys already. We’re
asking them to start at the beginning and share the stories and insights that are so often
obscured by the immensity of their accomplishments. Ironically, these are frequently the
stories and insights that made their accomplishments possible. Join us. Let’s listen, learn,
and act together.
For more information, please email us at info@globalscholars.co.uk 9

SCHEDULE
21 - 24 May, 2015
Cambridge Union, Cambridge
Time Activity Location
18:00 Delegate Arrival in Cambridge
19.15 Registration and Welcome Drinks
Welcome from GSS Executive and Performance
Bar
Thursday 21 May
09.00 Introduction
Conference & Day One Overview
Main Chamber
09.25 Keynote – Prof David Inglis
Professor of Sociology, University of Exeter
Main Chamber
Keynote – Medha Patkar
Social activist and reformer
10.45 Morning Tea Bar
11.15 ‘Listen’ Thematic Groups
Delegate introductions; sharing & exploring perspectives on
thematic group issue
1-4: Main Chamber
5-6: Dining Room
7: Mount Batten Room
8-9: Bar
10-12: Library
13-14: Fairfax Rhodes
12.50 Lunch Bar
13.45 Keynote – Prof Dame Athene Donald
Professor of Chemistry, University of Cambridge
Main Chamber
Keynote – Prof Wole Soboyejo
Professor of Engineering, Princeton University
Friday 22 May

SCHEDULE
14.50 Afternoon Tea Bar
15.10 Keynote – Dr. Selim Jahan
Director, United Nations Development Programme’s Human
Development Report Office
Main Chamber
15.45 ‘Listen’ Panels & Workshops
Panel – Does aid hinder development?
Dr Selim Jahan, Prof Jaideep Prabhu
Main Chamber
Panel – The impact of science
Dame Prof Athene Donald, Dr Sanduk Ruit, Prof Wole Soboyejo
Library
Workshop – Beatboxing and spoken word Dining Room
17.30 Fireside Chats
Dr Selim Jahan, Stephen Lewis, Medha Patkar, Dr Sanduk Ruit,
Prof Wole Soboyejo, David Inglis, Prof Jaideep Prabhu
Various pubs &
restaurants around
Cambridge
18.30 Break
19.30 Informal Dinner Bar
Friday 22 May (continued)
Saturday 23 May
09.00 Introduction
Overview of the day ahead
Main Chamber
09.20 Keynote – Stephen Lewis
Co-Director, AIDS-Free World
Main Chamber
10.00 ‘Learn’ Panels & Workshops
Panel – ‘Alternative measures of progress’
Nic Marks, Max Harris
Main Chamber
Panel – ‘The role of failure’
David Inglis, Ian Desai
Fairfax Rhodes Room
Panel – ‘Racism and white privilege’
Brian Kwoba, Annie Teriba, Nico Montano
Library

SCHEDULE
Saturday 23 May (continued)
11.20 Morning Tea Bar & Upstairs Foyer
11.40 ‘Learn’ Thematic Groups
Understanding the challenge and attempts to solve it
1-4: Main Chamber
5-6: Dining Room
8-9: Bar
10-12: Library
13.15 Lunch Bar
14.20 ‘Learn’ Panels & Workshops
Panel – ‘Our relationship with nature’ Main Chamber
Panel – ‘Religion & the good life’
Sara Clarke-Habibi, Sally Apokis, Cameron Taylor
Library
Workshop – Walking tour of Cambridge Union entrance
15.35 Afternoon Tea Bar & Upstairs Foyer
16.00 ‘Learn’ Thematic Groups
Preparing for Sunday sessions hosted by small groups
1-4: Main Chamber
5-6: Dining Room
8-9: Bar
10-12: Library
16.30 Keynote – Francesca Martinez Main Chamber
16.55 Delegates photo
17.15 Book Signing by Francesca Martinez, Open Space
Collect all personal belongings before dinner
Bar & Dining Room
19.15 Formal dinner commences St. John’s College
21.30 Evening social activities
Stand-up comedy, Silent Disco & Ceilidh
Cambridge Union
and around
Cambridge

SCHEDULE
09.30 Introduction Main Chamber
09.40 Keynote – John McCall MacBain (by video link)
10.00 Keynote – Amy Goodman
Journalist, Host of Democracy Now!
Main Chamber
10.55 Morning Tea Bar
11.15 Open Sessions hosted by Thematic Groups
Racism & White Privilege
Ethical Investing
Leadership (A)
Public Health & Social Change (A)
The Impact of Science (A)
Main Chamber
Library
Bar
Fairfax Rhodes Room
Dining Room
Our Relationship with Nature
Does Aid Hinder Development? (A)
Leadership (B)
Public Health & Social Change (B)
The Impact of Science (B)
Main Chamber
Library
Fairfax Rhodes Room
Dining Room
Bar
Inclusivity & Diversity
Does Aid Hinder Development? (B)
Religion & an Ethical Life
The Internet Age
Library
Dining Room
Fairfax Rhodes Room
Main Chamber
13.00 Lunch Bar
13.15 Global Scholars Group AGM Main Chamber
13.50 Creative & delegate-led Workshops
Mask & Empathy;
Tai Chi Class;
Irish Dancing Class;
GSAN Ideation Workshop
Fairfax Rhodes Room
Library
Dining Room
Main Chamber
14.35 Keynote – Dr Sanduk Ruit
Ophthalmologist, Co-Founder Himalayan Cataract Project
Main Chamber
15.15 Closing Session & Farewell
15.50 Afternoon Tea Bar
16.00 GSS 2015 Closes
Collect all personal belongings and depart from Cambridge
Main Chamber
Sunday 24 May

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Athene Donald
Dame Prof Athene Donald completed her
first and second degrees at Cambridge in
Natural Sciences (Theoretical Physics).
After 4 years working at Cornell University
she returned to Cambridge where she has
been ever since. Her research area is soft
matter physics and physics at the
interface with biology. She became a
Professor in 1998, was elected a Fellow of
the Royal Society in 1999 and appointed a
DBE (Dame) in 2010. In 2009 she won the
L'Oreal/UNESCO For Women in Science
Laureate for Europe. From 2010-14 she was
the University's Gender Equality Champion
and also Chair of the Royal Society's
Education Committee. She currently
serves on Royal Society Council and is a
Trustee of the Science Museum. In
October last year she took up the position
of Master of Churchill College. She
continues to speak out about issues for
girls and women, particularly where these
impede the entry of girls into subjects like
physics and engineering. She regularly
writes on science and gender issues for
the Guardian science blogs and her own
personal blog.
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is the host and executive
producer of Democracy Now!, a national,
daily, independent, award-winning news
program airing on over 1,300 public
television and radio stations worldwide.
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at
Harvard honored Goodman with the 2014
I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic
Independence Lifetime Achievement
Award. She is also the first journalist to
receive the Right Livelihood Award, widely
known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize' for
“developing an innovative model of truly
independent grassroots political
journalism that brings to millions of people
the alternative voices that are often
excluded by the mainstream media.”
Goodman has co-authored five New York
Times bestseller and has received the
American Women in Radio and Television
Gracie Award; the Paley Center for
Media’s She’s Made It Award; and the
Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
David Inglis
Prof David Inglis is a sociologist with a
diverse range of interests who aims to
keep his intellectual horizons as broad as
possible. Blending the empirical and
theoretical in his work, he is especially
interested in long-term social and cultural
change. He also studies changing modes
of consciousness, as well as the ideas of
globalisation and cosmopolitanism.
Notorious for becoming a ‘conference
celebrity’, Inglis is sure to be a highlight of
GSS 2015.
Selim Jahan
Dr. Selim Jahan is currently the Director of
the Human Development Report Office
(HDRO) of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) in New York, and has
held various other positions in the UNDP
since 1992. During his time in HDRO, he was
a member of the Core Team that authored
nine global Human Development Reports
(1993-2001). Before joining UNDP in 1992,
Dr. Jahan held different positions in
universities, national governments and
other international organizations. He has
taught in Bangladesh, Canada, and the
United States. Dr. Jahan served as the
Economic Adviser, Planning Commission
of the Government of Bangladesh and has
also worked as an Adviser and Consultant
to various international organizations
including ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, and the
World Bank during the 1980s and the early
1990s. Dr. Jahan holds a Ph.D. in
Economics from McGill University. He is the
author of 10 books and more than 150
articles in various national and
international academic journals. His latest
book entitled Overcoming Human Poverty
– Essays on the Millennium Development
Goals and Beyond, came out in 2014.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis is the co-founder and co-
director of AIDS-Free World, an international
advocacy organization that works to
promote more urgent and more effective
global responses to HIV and AIDS. Stephen
Lewis’ work with the United Nations
spanned more than two decades. He was
the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy
for HIV/AIDS in Africa from June 2001 until
the end of 2006. From 1995 to 1999, Mr.
Lewis was Deputy Executive Director of
UNICEF at the organization’s global
headquarters in New York. From 1984
through 1988, he was Canada's
Ambassador to the United Nations. Mr.
Lewis serves as the board chair of the
Stephen Lewis Foundation in Canada, and
he is a Senior Fellow of the Enough Project.
He is an immediate past member of the
Board of Directors of the Clinton Health
Access Initiative, and Emeritus Board
Member of the International AIDS Vaccine
Initiative. Stephen Lewis is a Companion of
the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest
honor for lifetime achievement. In 2005, Mr.
Lewis was named by TIME magazine as
one of the ‘One hundred most influential
people in the world’ (he was cited in the
category which included The Dalai Lama,
Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Nelson
Mandela). Mr. Lewis is the author of the
best-selling book, Race Against Time. He
holds 37 honorary degrees from Canadian
universities, as well as honorary degrees
from Dartmouth College and Johns
Hopkins University in the United States.
Image Credit: Farhang Ghajar
Nic Marks
Nic Marks is the founding director of
Happiness Works, a company that focuses
on science-based, responsive analytics to
kickstart new ways to happiness and
productivity within the workplace. Nic is
also a fellow of the UK think-tank, the New
Economics Foundation where he founded
the award-winning Centre for Wellbeing as
well as a board member of Action for
Happiness. A ‘statistician with soul’, Nic is
perhaps best known for his trailblazing
work on the Happy Planet Index, National
Accounts of Well-being and the Five Ways
to Well-being which is used extensively
within health and education institutions as
well as within governmental policy.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Francesca Martinez
Francesca Martinez is an award-winning
wobbly* comedian, writer and speaker
who has toured internationally with sell-
out runs around the world including The
Melbourne Comedy Festival, The
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the
prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in
Montreal. A regular face on TV, Francesca
is well-known for starring in five series of
Grange Hill. Ricky Gervais is a big
supporter of her work and wrote a starring
role especially for her in Extras, opposite
actress Kate Winslet. She is currently
developing her own sitcom project. Her
first book, called What The **** Is
Normal?!, was published in May 2014, and
is garnering rave reviews from both critics
and the general public. In 2005 she was
nominated for the 'Motivator Of The Year'
Award along with Sir Bob Geldof. Last year
she was nominated a Top Ten Game
Changer in BBC 4's Woman's Hour Power
List, recorded a Tedx talk, was nominated
Hero Of The Year in the European Diversity
Awards and collected 100,000 signatures
for the WOW campaign, which led to a
historic debate on welfare cuts in the
House of Commons.
* Oh yeah, she has mild cerebral palsy
but she much prefers the word ‘wobbly’.
Medha Patkar
Medha Patkar is a social activist and
reformer. Born to social activist parents in
India, she grew up to be highly motivated,
exceptionally brave and fearless to speak
out stand social causes. While pursuing
doctorate studies in the Department of
Urban and Rural Community Development
at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in
Mumbai, she became involved with
adivasis, farmers and others to be affected
by the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the
Narmada River Valley Project. She
abandoned her doctoral work in order to
plunge into the Narmada Movement,
leading Narmada Bachao Andolan (the
“Save Narmada Movement”), which won
the Right Livelihood Award in 1991. She
founded Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao
(GBGB) in Mumbai and has helped
mobilize thousands of slum dwellers to
challenge corruption, getting private
distribution systems for water and amenities
in slums. The GBGB movement has
contributed to evaluation of alternative
housing scheme, exposing corruption and
exploitation of slum dwellers and their
land. She has significantly contributed to a
process of alliance-building among
various organisations of the urban poor. In
2014, Medha was awarded a Mother
Theresa Award for Social Justice.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Jaideep Prabhu
Prof Jaideep Prabhu is Professor of
Marketing, Jawaharlal Nehru Professor of
Indian Business and Enterprise, and
Director of the Centre for India & Global
Business at Judge Business School,
University of Cambridge. He has a BTech
degree from IIT Delhi and a PhD from the
University of Southern California, and has
held positions at Cambridge, Imperial
College London, Tilburg University (the
Netherlands), and UCLA. His research
interests are in marketing, innovation,
strategy and international business. In
particular, he studies various cross-national
issues concerning the antecedents and
consequences of radical innovation in
high-technology contexts. His current
research is mainly on how multinationals
are using emerging markets in Asia, Latin
America and Africa as a lab to do
affordable and sustainable innovation for
global application. He has published in
and is on the editorial board of leading
international journals such as the Journal
of Marketing and the International Journal
of Research in Marketing. He is the
co-author of Jugaad Innovation: Think
Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough
Growth, described by The Economist as
“the most comprehensive book yet” on the
subject of frugal innovation.
Sanduk Ruit
Dr. Sanduk Ruit is a co-founder and a
Director of the Himalayan Cataract Project.
Born in the far eastern part of Nepal, Dr. Ruit
studied medicine in India, completing a
residency in Ophthalmology. In the past 25
years, Dr. Ruit and his team continuously
struggled to fight against the barriers of
bringing modern cataract surgery to those
communities that are the most
marginalized and in need. This work would
ultimately increase the large target group
to come under the bracket of modern
cataract surgery. In the late 1980s, Dr. Ruit
and his team first simplified the cataract
surgery and made it appropriate for local
conditions. For Dr. Ruit, There were four
areas of priority (a) simplifying the
technique, delivery system and team
building (b) finding very effective system
for training (c) working on affordable
medical consumables and (d) trying to
solve the complexity of financial issues. Dr.
Ruit and his colleagues have been
spreading this technology to many parts of
the world, particularly in Asia and Africa.
This technique of modern cataract surgery
and philosophy has been passed onto
more than five hundred eye surgeons from
around the world and they are now
applying it for the benefit of patients in their
own areas.

Wole Soboyejo
Dr. Wole Soboyejo is a scientist driven by
the needs of people. A guiding principle
behind his research is to use materials
science for the promotion of global
development. His research focuses on
experimental studies of different
materials with applications in developing
regions, and his group is involved in
numerous development and outreach
projects both locally and abroad. As he
puts it,“Technology, applied to change
our world.”
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

THEMATIC GROUPS
The breadth of topics at GSS can be overwhelming. This year we have introduced
thematic groups to give delegates the opportunity to focus on an area of interest to them
and to dive deeply into the topic through facilitated conversation with other delegates
with a similar interest. The full list of thematic topics is below. Although you have already
chosen your thematic group, Sunday will see groups hosting sessions for other delegates.
We hope that the further information below will inform delegates’ choice of thematic
groups on Sunday morning.
1. The Internet Age: Has IT changed the way we build impact, and how?
2. Does aid hinder development? To the extent that it does hinder development, are there
certain models of aid that do not hinder development? What alternative models exist to
ameliorate development and raise living standards for countries in the global South?
3. The Impact of Science: What is the balance between applied science and pursuing
pure research?
4. Leadership: Is leadership a useful concept for thinking about impact or is it overly
individualistic? What alternative models are there for thinking through questions of
ethics, responsibility and impact? What does this mean for us as post-graduate
students in the UK who are often told we are “future leaders”?
5. Religion: How can perspectives from the world’s religions shape an ethical life? This
group will explore common threads between different schools of religious thought
and the role that these can play in informing and developing personal ethics - both
for the group’s participants and for others.
6. Our Relationship with Nature. Warning calls about humanity’s impact on nature
abound, but is there something deeper going on in the way we think about nature
and our place in it? How might we reconceptualise a less destructive relationship
with nature?
7. Inclusivity & Diversity: When can groups harness diversity rather than being hamstrung
by it? Do groups that harness diversity have certain features in common and what can
be done to build more groups like this - both on the micro and macro scale?
8. Ethical Investing: Should investments profit-maximise or should they do more? With
the rise of ethical investing, it seems time for a critical examination of where ethical
investing offers a socially desirable alternative and where it is merely window-dressing.
9. Public Health & Social Change: Are these issues the responsibility of government,
the general public or the private sector? How should we balance investing in
prevention programmes and solving urgent issues and what different models of
intervention are there? For whom are we responsible?
10. Racism and White Privilege. What does racism and white privilege look like in
professional, academic, activist and/or personal spaces? Is privilege an effective way
of framing discussions about race? How might we (and others) best combat racism in
our working and personal lives?

FACILITATORS
Sally Apokis (Religion & an Ethical
Life)
Sally Apokis is the University Chaplain at
the Medway Campus for the Universities of
Kent, Greenwich and Canterbury
Christchurch. Over an 18 year period she
has specialised in educational
chaplaincy and teaching from nursery,
primary, secondary and tertiary
education both here in the UK and in her
home city of Melbourne, Australia. She
was born Methodist, trained at a Catholic
teachers college, then at an Anglican
theological college, married a Greek
Orthodox man who is an Anglican priest,
her sister is of the Siddha yoga faith and
her best friends are an Iranian Muslim and
Christian couple. She has spent her life's
work immersed in the wonderfulness of
life, its people, its faiths and philosophies
and think nothing sorts out the worlds
problems better than sitting around a café
table with Italian coffee, French pastries
then Japanese sushi and Thai red curry!
Fun fact: she uses origami as a teaching
tool with academics and scholars!
Andy Casey (Science & Impact)
Andy Casey is a post-doctorate
researcher at the Institute of Astronomy at
the University of Cambridge. Before
switching to research astrophysics he says
he “actually did something useful” – he
was an aerospace engineer in Australia.
Although the transition to a new field can
be daunting, having an engineer's
perspective has been a benefit to his
astronomy research. He has a keen
interest in entrepreneuring, intellectual
property, applied research, and
translating pure research into practical
real-world results.
Pepe Clarke (Our Relationship with
Nature)
Born and raised in Australia, Pepe Clarke
has fifteen years experience as a public
interest lawyer and environmental
advocate. His passion for protecting the
natural world has led me to work with a
range of environmental organisations,
including the International Union for
Conservation of Nature, WWF and the
Wildlife Conservation Society. From 2010 to
2014, he served as Chief Executive Officer
of the Nature Conservation Council, one
of Australia’s leading environmental
advocacy organisations. He is currently
completing a Masters of Conservation
Leadership at the University of Cambridge.
Scott Hale (The Internet Age)
Dr Scott A. Hale is a Data Scientist at the
Oxford Internet Institute of the University of
Oxford. He develops and applies
techniques from computer science to
research questions in the social sciences
and is particularly interested in human-
computer interaction, the spread of
information between speakers of different
languages online, and collective action.
Katie Hammond (Leadership)
Katie Hammond is currently finishing up a
PhD at the University of Cambridge with the
Reproductive Sociology Research Group,
and is also a fellow of the Arizona State
University Embryo Project. Her background
is in Legal and Gender studies. She studies
the markets and regulation of new
reproductive technologies, particularly
gamete donation and surrogacy. She is
interested in regulation and policy-making
that better reflects people's lived
experiences. She has done policy-advising
with a number of organizations including
Cambridge public health start-up
Polygeia, and with the World Health
Organization. She’s been on the organizing
committee for GSS for the past two years,
and is excited to get to facilitate this year!

Max Harris (Leadership)
Max is an Examination Fellow at All Souls
College. He works primarily on issues in
law and political theory, and is also doing
freelance writing. He is interested in the
idea of leadership (both its appeal and its
drawbacks), and has helped to develop
materials for retreats at Rhodes House on
the concept of leadership. He really
enjoys dancing and is a twin.
Nico Montano (Racism & White
Privilege)
Nico is a 2013 Marshall Scholar studying
Gender, Media, and Culture at the London
School of Economics and Political Science
focusing on Latin American war film. Last
year, Nico worked with asylum seekers in
Manchester and Liverpool, documenting
their experiences in UK detention centres,
and researching the racialization of
refugees by police. Nico has also done
research regarding youth exposure to
violence in New York, youth involvement in
MS-13 and Albanian organized crime,
policing in the South Bronx, and Latin
American migration to the US during the
Cold War, placing an emphasis on the
intersection between race and gender.
Also an avid photographer, Nico hopes to
incorporate multimedia into his future
work tackling issues of race and gender in
the US criminal justice system.
Ellen Quigley (Ethical Investing)
Ellen Quigley is a core organiser with
Positive Investment Cambridge (PIC) and
has worked with the Newton Centre for
Endowment Asset Management,
Preventable Surprises, and the Cambridge
Society for Economic Pluralism (CSEP). Her
MSc at Oxford concerned the structure
and resilience of the Canadian banking
system, and her PhD (in progress) is on the
education of economists. Fun fact: With
one exception, in the last ten years Ellen
has not flown in an airplane except to
cross the Atlantic Ocean. Approach her for
tips on train/bus travel in North America
and Europe!
Julia Radomski (Does Aid Hinder
Development?)
Julia is an MPhil in Development Studies
this year with a background in economics
and anthropology. Within development,
she is interested in the relationship
between international development
efforts and demographics, reproduction,
and family planning, particularly in Latin
America. Julia has completed research in
Ecuador and Cuba on these topics, and is
excited to hear more about other
students' experiences with the efficacy of
aid in sparking meaningful social and
economic change. When not thinking
about aid and development, Julia is also
into electronic music, contemporary
dance, reggaeton, and ice cream.
Amirah Sequeira (Inclusivity &
Diversity)
Amirah Sequeira is completing an MPhil
in the history of science, and focus on
the intersections between class, race,
sexuality and gender with health and
policy. As the National Coordinator for
the Student Global AIDS Campaign in the
United States, her activism work has
focused on organizing and empowering
young people to take political action
against social injustice, and guiding
political campaign strategy to hold
governments and corporations
accountable for ending the AIDS
pandemic by ensuring access to
medicines for all who need them. She
lives and dies by Winnipeg Jets hockey
and Man United football.
FACILITATORS

Silja-Riin Voolma (Public Health &
Social Change)
Silja-Riin Voolma is a behavioural scientist
and a designer of public health
interventions. Her work aims to empower a
generational attitude change in young
people's health choices by using the
power of mHealth. She consults on
national public health campaigns for
reducing alcohol consumption in Estonia,
develops national eHealth interventions
and co-manages a public health social
enterprise, the Healthy Estonia Foundation.
As a PhD researcher at the University of
Cambridge, funded by the UK Medical
Research Council, Silja promotes value-
driven lifestyle changes in the young
people of Estonia using both qualitative
and quantitative research methods. Silja is
a keen student of Ashtanga yoga, a
fledgling belly dancer and interested in
all things on the mind-body connection.
Marie Yurkovich (Science &
Impact)
Marie Yurkovich is a 3rd year PhD in Peter
Leadlay’s group at the Department of
Biochemistry, University of Cambridge,
investigating how to uncover and
engineer novel bioactive molecules from
bacterial genomes. She is interested in
how these new chemical scaffolds can
reveal surprising molecular targets and
how these findings can be translated into
new therapeutics. As a researcher who has
worked in both basic and applied science
Marie hopes to challenge the public
opinion of each, explore how science can
become more open to the public, and
discuss how we can combat scientific
fallacies. Marie loves exploring new
countries and trying out local cuisines.
FACILITATORS

PANELISTS
Sara Clarke-Habibi
Sara Clarke-Habibi is a Gates
Scholar and consultant in
post-conflict peacebuilding.
Originally from Canada, Sara
has worked with partners in a
diverse range of countries on
initiatives in peacebuilding,
intergroup healing and
reconciliation, interfaith
dialogue, and youth
empowerment.
Brian Kwoba
Brian Kwoba is a doctoral
student in African-American
history at Oxford University.
His research focuses on the
unsung "father of Harlem
radicalism" in the early 20th
century, Hubert Harrison. He
has been an activist on issues
ranging from immigration to
LGBT equality for over 10 years,
and is the organizer of the
Oxford Pan-Afrikan Forum.
Cameron Taylor
Cameron Taylor is a practitioner
of Mahayana Buddhism. He is
director of the upcoming event
Dialogue with the Dalai Lama:
Growing Wisdom, Changing
People hosted by Lord Rowan
Williams, former Archbishop of
Canterbury.
25For more information, please email us at info@globalscholars.co.uk

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Andrea Cabrero-Vilatela
Andrea studied physics engineering in
Mexico City and then moved to the UK to
pursue an MPhil degree in Micro and
Nanotechnology Enterprise at the
University of Cambridge. She is now
studying a PhD at the Engineering
Department working with graphene, a 2D
material that is flexible, transparent and
stronger than steel. She is also interested in
topics such as education, entrepreneurship
and sciences. In her free time she enjoys
traveling, cycling, dancing flamenco and
being with friends and family.
Louis Chambers
Louis grew up on a farm in Hawke's Bay,
New Zealand, studying Law and
Economics degrees at Otago University
before coming to Oxford on a Rhodes
Scholarship. He studied the Master of
Public Policy last year and is currently
reading an MSc in Economics for
Development. His thesis uses Sri Lankan
micro-enterprise data to investigate how
access to capital grants affects firm
energy efficiency. He is especially excited
about the GSS thematic groups focused
on Religion, Our Relationship with Nature,
and Leadership.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Tara Paterson
Tara Paterson is an MSc student in Nature,
Society and Environmental Policy at
Oxford’s School of Geography and the
Environment. Her dissertation research
looks at employer sponsored egg freezing
in California. Originally from Winnipeg,
Canada, Tara holds a BA in Political
Science and Gender Studies from the
University of Victoria and a Masters of
Public Policy from the University of Oxford.
Zoë Stewart
Zoë is a doctor from Melbourne, Australia.
She is interested in obstetric medicine and
is currently completing a PhD looking at
new treatments for diabetes in pregnancy.
More broadly, she is interested in the
intersection of medicine, research, and
policy with a particular focus on sexual
and reproductive health and rights.
Collin VanBuren
Collin grew up in LaSalle, Illinois and has a
B.S. from Western Illinois University and an
M.Sc. from the University of Toronto. His PhD
research at Cambridge focuses on the
uses of amphibian skin anatomy and
evolution for the conservation of these
very sensitive and severely threatened
animals, with a focus on Southeast Asian
amphibians. Outside of his PhD work, he is
also interested in science education,
palaeontology, and LGBT+ rights and
advocacy.

ORGANISING COMMITTEE
Jessica Wamala (Director)
Jessica Wamala is currently pursuing an
MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies.
Her research interests include
international relations, gender
empowerment, Islamism, and political
participation in the Middle East. Previously,
she worked at the US Embassy in Belgrade
and at the Department of State’s Bureau
of Near Eastern Affairs. As such, she
promoted women’s empowerment,
human rights, and embassy security as
well as coordinated regional evacuations.
Jess earned her MA in political science
from Villanova University. She also holds
a BA from Villanova University in political
science and Arab and Islamic studies.
Ben Abraham
Hailing from the great continent of New
Zealand, Ben is currently reading for the
MSc in Global Governance and
Diplomacy at Oxford's Department of
International Development. He is interested
in the broad challenges of international
cooperation, particularly with regards to
reconciling at times competing agendas
of global environmental governance and
economic development. Ben is also an
avid sports fan, supporting NZ teams across
all codes and anyone playing Australia.
Delegates Committee

Mubashir Latif
Mubashir Latif is currently pursing an MSc
in Social Policy at the University of Oxford's
Department of Social Policy and
Intervention. His prior academic
background is in Economics and Finance.
Longer term, he aspires to bridge the gap
between finance and social
entrepreneurship by employing traditional
financial frameworks and models (like the
Private Equity framework) to support
social enterprises, sustainable businesses
and charities. He is immensely interested
in Cricket, Football, Cinema and keenly
follows global and international affairs.
Ahmad Nasir
Ahmad is a 2014 graduate of the United
States Military Academy at West Point,
studying towards a MPhil in Modern South
Asian Studies at the University of Oxford
as a Marshall Scholar. He was recently
commissioned as a U.S. Army officer
and enjoys learning about international
relations, strategic studies, South Asia, and
the Middle East. In addition to his research
interests, he hopes to better understand
the future role of the U.S. military in
shaping global affairs.

Arif Naveed
Arif Naveed is PhD candidate at
Cambridge, studying the role that
schooling plays in disrupting the
intergenerational transmission of poverty
and inequality in rural Pakistan. As a
policy analyst, he has previously worked
at the leading think tanks in Pakistan and
has been involved in educational reforms
and poverty reduction programmes in the
country. His previous academic training
includes an MPhil in Educational
Sociology at Cambridge University, a
Master of Research in International
Development at Bath University and a
Masters in Economics at the Quaid-i-Azam
University Islamabad.
Talia da Silva
Talia is a Gates Cambridge Scholar
pursuing a PhD in Engineering at the
University of Cambridge. Her research is in
geotechnical engineering and
investigates through the use of
experimental models the behaviour of
geosynthetic-reinforced soils in areas of
subsidence or where there is the potential
for subterranean voids to form.

Logistics Committee
Michelle Teplensky (Director)
Michelle Teplensky is a first year PhD
student in the Department of Chemical
Engineering and Biotechnology. Her
research focuses on utilising metal-
organic frameworks as a means of drug
and siRNA delivery. This technology would
allow for more effective and less invasive
slow-release, long-term treatment for
patients. Michelle's excitement about
interdisciplinary technology and the
merging of chemical engineering,
materials science, and pharmaceuticals is
evidenced by her involvement in
diversified internships at Corning
Incorporated and Genentech. She holds a
bachelor’s degree in Chemical-Biological
Engineering from MIT.
Songqiao Yao (Director)
Songqiao studies the nexus of indigenous
knowledge, global production systems
and sustainable development as a
human geographer. Prior to Cambridge,
she has worked for International Rivers
and helped established the organization's
office in China. Songqiao is also a food
entrepreneur and has started an ethical
juice company in Beijing. She is currently
writing about emerging economy's
global environmental footprint, and how
social entrepreneurship could contribute
to social justice and sustainable
development.

Stephanie Lopez
Stephanie Lopez was born and raised in
California and is currently completing an
MPhil in Latin American Studies focusing
on violence and insecurity in Central
America’s northern triangle. Her other
research interests include citizenship,
democratization, water politics and
immigration, especially as these pertain to
California, Latin America and the Middle
East. She previously attended California
State University, Fresno, where she
completed a double Bachelor of Arts
degree in Political Science and Mass
Communication and Journalism.
Stephanie’s passion for humanitarian issues and sustainability has driven her studies
and extracurricular activities including her work as a media correspondent and
congressional intern.
Ruth Canagarajah
Ruth Canagarajah is an MPhil student in
Public Policy. Areas of research that she
finds particularly fascinating are issues in
developing countries, including informal
work and slums, urban development, land
policies, and private sector investment.
She has conducted research in these
areas related to livelihood security in Sri
Lanka, Ghana and Egypt.
Shannon Esswein
Shannon Esswein is an MPhil student in the
Department of Biochemistry. She is
investigating the structural biology and
biochemistry of non-homologous end
joining, a repair system for DNA double
strand breaks. By using structure-guided
fragment-based drug discovery methods,
she aims to identify molecules that inhibit
non-homologous end joining to be used
as a co-therapy to improve cancer
treatments.

Irene Falk
Irene Falk is a first-year PhD student in the
department of Clinical Neurosciences. Her
graduate course will examine the
immunomodulatory application of stem
cell-based therapies in the treatment of
neurodegenerative disease, focusing
specifically on primate models of multiple
sclerosis. In addition to her PhD in
Cambridge, she is also pursuing a
medical degree in the US.
Sheina Lew-Levy
Sheina Lew-Levy is a Gates Cambridge
scholar currently working towards an
MPhil in human evolution. Her research
focuses on how play contributes to
developing foraging competencies in
hunter-gatherers. Previously, Sheina
obtained her BA at McGill University
(Montreal, Canada) in anthropology,
where she focused on environmental
anthropology and Canada’s First
Nations. In her spare time, Sheina
teaches outdoor education and nature
connection to children and adults, and
enjoys practicing survival skills, weaving
baskets, and knitting.
Yi Hui Phua
Yi Phua is an MPhil student at the
Cambridge Judge Business School,
where she studies Technology Policy.
More broadly, Yi is interested about the
roles that governments and firms play in
policy issues such as innovation and
energy, as well as the topic of evidence-
based policymaking.

Social Committee
Sonya Davey (Director)
Sonya Davey, from a suburb of
Washington DC, is pursuing an MPhil in
Geography at the University of
Cambridge, studying policies regarding
sex selection in India. She graduated from
the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 with
degrees in Biology, Public Health, and
South Asian Studies. She is interested in
global health delivery and will attend
medical school next year.
Malinda McPherson
Malinda J. McPherson, from Boston,
Massachusetts, is an MPhil student studying
Music and Science at the University of
Cambridge. Her primary research interest
is how emotional intents and affective
states influence the neural and behavioral
processes involved in music production.
She graduated from Johns Hopkins
University in 2014 with a BA in Cognitive
Science. Next year, she will pursue a PhD at
the Harvard/MIT Speech and Hearing
Bioscience and Technology Program.
34 www.globalscholars.co.uk

Afrodita Nikolova
Afrodita Nikolova is a PhD candidate at
the Faculty of Education, University of
Cambridge (Gates Cambridge
Scholarship) and an editorial assistant
for The International Handbook of
Intercultural Arts Research (Routledge,
2015). As a university lecturer in English
she has directed Creative Writing
programs for Macedonian universities.
After her poetry pamphlet won a national
poetry prize, she co-founded the literary
magazine “Sh” (NGO, Way Out). A poetry
slam champion for Macedonia and
neighbouring countries (2014) and a
finalist at the European poetry slam
championship, Sweden, she will be
representing Macedonia at the World
cup of poetry slam, France (2015).
Simone Sasse
Simone Sasse, from Los Angeles, CA, is
currently pursuing an MPhil in Pathology
at the University of Cambridge,
studying the opportunistic pathogen
Toxoplasmagondii. She graduated from
Princeton University in 2014 with a degree
in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Ultimately, she is interested in studying
tropical diseases and mechanisms for
limiting their transmission. She will pursue
a medical degree next year.
Callie Vandewiele
Callie Vandewiele, from Portland OR, is
currently pursuing a PhD in Latin American
Studies at the University of Cambridge.
Through her research she explores the
relationships between culture, identity and
globalization. She received her MPhil in
Multi-Disciplinary Gender Studies at the
University of Cambridge in 2014, and her BA
in Politics and Government at Pacific University in 2008. Before re-entering academia,
Callie enjoyed a career in youth leadership education and in addition to her academic
interest she is an improvisor and stand-up comedian.

Alice Wang (Director)
Alice Wang is a “Chiwi” (a Chinese Kiwi)
from New Zealand currently studying
towards an MSc in Economics for
Development at the University of Oxford
on a Rhodes Scholarship. She is
passionate about issues of education,
welfare and social mobility, and how they
enable disadvantaged communities to
flourish. Before coming to the United
Kingdom, Alice studied law, economics
and philosophy at the University of
Auckland and had worked as a Judges’
Clerk at the Supreme Court of New
Zealand. In September, Alice will be
joining the Blavatinik School of
Government in their Master of Public
Policy programme.
Michael Mackley
Michael Mackley is a DPhil student in the
Radcliffe Department of Medicine. He is
interested in the rapid translation of
genomic medicine into clinical practice,
as well as the impact and ethical
implications that these technologies have
for patient care. He is exploring these
issues through cardiac incidental findings
in whole-genome sequencing – findings
that have potential health benefits, but are
completely unrelated to the condition for
which the testing was ordered. In addition
to his passions for genomic medicine and
healthcare communication, Michael
enjoys finding ways to bring together his
medical and musical interests.
Media and Communications Committee
36 www.globalscholars.co.uk

Joanne Cave
Joanne Cave is originally from
Edmonton, Canada and currently
completing the Masters in Public Policy at
Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.
She previously completed the MSc in
Comparative Social Policy at Oxford’s
Intervention, focusing on the emergence
of social impact bonds in an era of
government austerity. In her free time, she
works part-time for The Rhodes Project
and enjoys CrossFit, cooking, reading,
travelling and volunteering with feminist
organizations.
Arghya Modak
Arghya completed his Integrated Masters
in Chemistry at Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research, (IISER) Kolkata
and subsequently moved to University of
Oxford to pursue a D.Phil. in Chemical
Biology on a Commonwealth Scholarship.
With his broad research interest being in
glycobiology, he is currently investigating
novel chemical and enzymatic
approaches towards synthesis of defined
glycosaminoglycan and proteoglycan
structures. Outside the lab he likes to
indulge in cooking, landscape and night
photography.

DELEGATES
Gregory Akall
University of Cambridge
Gregory is a third year PhD candidate
in Geography at the University of
Cambridge. Greg is researching on
policy-making discourses and irrigation
development in Kenya and how
concerns about the impact of climate
change have or have not impacted on
development policies. Greg is originally
from Kenya and an alumna of Cardiff
University. He is particularly passionate
about pastoralists and climate change
issues in sub-Saharan Africa.
Jillian Alexander
Jillian is an MPhil student in Educational
Leadership and School Improvement at
Cambridge's Faculty of Education. Jill is
exploring leadership, learning, and
personal development in a higher
education merit-aid program. Jill is
originally from Warrenton,Virginia, near
Washington D.C. and an alumna of
George Mason University. She is especially
passionate about theatre and always
ready to talk about mentorship and its
influence on both leadership
development and deep learning.
Shubham Anand
University of Oxford
Shubham has an MBA from the University
of Oxford. Prior to that, he has worked for
more than five years in the social sector of
India, particularly in the field of
educational technology. Post MBA,
Shubham co-founded iGBL, a digital
platform of interactive games that bring
abstract concepts to life, thus improving
learning outcomes. iGBL won the
inaugural £20,000 Skoll Centre Venture
Award, the £42,000 UKTI Sirius Award and
the £5000 Touch Digital Grant.
Deborah Anderson | Global
Scholars Board Member
(Management Studies)
Sabrina Anjara
Sabrina is a PhD student at the Cambridge
Institute of Public Health. Her research on
non-specialist mental health care in
low-resource settings focuses on the
implementation of the 2014 Mental Health
Law in Indonesia. Sabrina is the first Gates
Cambridge Scholar from Indonesia, and
previously worked as a Psychologist in the
Singapore Civil Service and in the
education sector in Melbourne, Australia.
She is passionate about bridging science
and public policy.
Wulansari Ardianingsih
Wulansari is an MPhil student in Psychology
and Education at Cambridge's Faculty of
Education. Currently she is conducting
research about the role of moral
disengagement and social identity in
senior-junior bullying in Indonesian high
school students. Wuri is an Indonesian who
did her undergraduate study in the Faculty
of Psychology, Universitas Indonesia. She is
passionate about issues relating child's
rights, developmental and educational
psychology, and special needs education.

Dana Baddar
University of Manchester
Dana is an MSc student in International
Business and Management at Manchester
University's Business School. Dana is
researching the early and rapid
international expansion of small
enterprises – the Born Global phenomenon
of International Entrepreneurship – in the
United Arab Emirates. Dana is originally
from Amman, Jordan and an alumna of
the University of Jordan. She is particularly
passionate about global corporate
responsibility, ethical business conduct and
empowerment of youth.
Clarissa Baerenfaenger
Clarissa Baerenfaenger is an MPhil student
reading International Development at the
Department of International
Development, Oxford. Originally from
Germany, Clarissa's main research
interests include multidimensional poverty
analysis and religion and development.
She is currently researching Boko Haram
and religion and violence in Nigeria.
Baetty Baetty
University of Central Lancashire
Baetty is an Indonesian and pursuing her
PhD in Applied Linguistics in the University
of Central Lancashire. Her research interest
is in the teaching of English to foreign
language learners in the area of Applied
Linguistics: Second / Foreign Language
Acquisition, Technology Enhanced
Language Learning or Computer Assisted
Language Learning, Language Learning
Motivation, English for Specific Purposes.
Gayathri Balan
(University of Oxford)
Gayathri is an Oxford Pershing Square
Scholar. She is a 1+1 MBA student studying
MSc in Comparative Social Policy in the
Intervention and will be pursuing MBA at
Said Business School next year. Prior to
Oxford, she was a Piramal-Gandhi Fellow
helping build up leadership capacities of
government school principals in rural
areas of Rajasthan. She is passionate
about social entrepreneurship and its
potential to solve the sanitation crisis in
her home country: India.
Ryan Batchelor
Ryan is an MPhil student in Public Policy
at the University of Cambridge. Ryan’s
interests are in social policy, especially
the design of the social safety net and
addressing inequality. Before coming to
Cambridge, Ryan worked in Timor-Leste
on an economic development project,
and before that was policy director to the
Australian Prime Minister. Ryan is from
Melbourne, Australia and has a BA (Hons)
from the University of Western Australia
and an LLB from Monash University.
Paul Bergen
Paul is a PhD student at Cambridge's
Department of Pathology. Paul is
researching how proteins are transported
across cellular membrane and how that
process is energised using the bacterial
flagellum as a model system. Paul is
originally from Cooper City, Florida and an
alumnus of Auburn University in Alabama.
He is interested in the connections
between science and policy and how
scientists can best communicate their
work to policy makers and the public.
DELEGATES

Claudia Bernal
University of Aberdeen
Born and raised in Mexico City, Claudia is
a proud chilanga passionate about travel,
culture and energy. Claudia is currently
studying an MSc in Petroleum, Energy
Economics and Finance at the University of
Aberdeen. She is looking forward for the
opportunities that the Energy Reform will
open in México and is ready to contribute
towards the country's growth.
Helena Billington
Helena is an MPhil student in
Epidemiology at Cambridge's
Department of Public Health and
Primary Care. Helena is researching the
determinants of academic growth
between year 3 and year 9 in a cohort of
state school students from South Australia.
Helena is from Adelaide, South Australia
and an alumna of the University of
Adelaide where she studied statistics. She
is particularly passionate about the public
sector using data to elicit information for
beneficial decision-making.
Drew Birrenkott
Drew is a DPhil student in Engineering
Science specializing in biomedical
engineering and medical informatics.
Drew is currently designing an algorithm
capable of extracting the respiratory rate
from photoplethysmogram (PPG) and
electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Drew is
originally from Madison, WI USA and is an
alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-
Madison. He is passionate about finding
innovations that make healthcare more
accessible for everyone.
Theodora Bowering
Theodora is currently studying an MPhil
Architecture and Urban Studies at the
University of Cambridge looking at how
medicine, social sciences, architecture
and urbanism intersect with ageing and
reveal the need for practices and forces to
be explored as a rising source of social
conflict and inequality in cities. An architect
with over six years of practice experience
she is committed to addressing urban
issues through design, policy, education,
social and health initiatives.
Field Brown
Field is studying towards an MPhil in
Modern British and European History. He
is researching the impact of the Algerian
War on African American writers who
lived in Paris after World War 2. He is
originally from Vicksburg, MS and an
alumnus of Mississippi State University. He
is passionate about race-related issues in
America and plans to be an African
American literature professor.
Elizabeth Byrne
Elizabeth is studying at Oxford for the MSc
in Integrated Immunology. Her current
research focuses on understanding
genetic risk factors for multiple sclerosis.
She is particularly interested in infectious
disease, in quantitative approaches to
immunology and in women's health.
Elizabeth attended Harvard University
before her studies at Oxford. After her
time in the UK, she plans to return to the
US for an MD/PhD.
DELEGATES

Rebekah Carpio
Guildhall School of Music and
Drama
Rebekah, from Virginia, US, is a clarinettist
studying on the Orchestral Artistry MPerf
programme at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama. She came to the UK
in 2013 as a Fulbright Scholar after
graduating from the Eastman School of
Music. Studying in London is a dream
come true as she pursues her passions for
performance and musical outreach.
Highlights include playing principal at the
Royal Albert Hall, performing for renown
clarinettists, and attending conferences
throughout Europe.
Dan Koon-hong Chan
University College London
Dan is a Chevening Scholar at UCL’s
School of Public Policy, focusing on city
diplomacy and global governance. Dan
is now working on business development
programs in North Korea with OxAID, and
peace-building workshops in Thai-
Myanmar border, supported by Clinton
Global Initiative (University) and UCL
Grand Challenge. Born and raised in
Hong Kong, Dan is an alumna of HKU. He
believes in cities, rather than nation-states,
as the answer of trans-border problems
like climate change.
Jainisha Chavda
University of Birmingham
(International Development)
Qi Chen
Imperial College London
Qi is a Fulbright grantee at Imperial
College London conducting research on
optimization algorithms. Qi is interested in
how efficiency improvements can
contribute to a sustainable global energy
policy. While his research focuses on tools
in mathematical programming for
industrial, commercial, and human
processes, he recognizes the political and
moral dimensions to the implementation
of his work. Therefore, effectively
communicating science is both an
ongoing task and a long-term goal.
Natasha Chilundika
Natasha is studying the MPP at Oxford.
She is interested in evidence-based policy
appropriate to local settings and inclusive
of local ideas and has a degree in
Agricultural Economics and an MSc in
Global Health Science. Natasha worked
with a local NGO in Zambia focused on
improving efficiency and policy in
agriculture markets. She has also worked
with CHAI in Swaziland evaluating the
benefits and challenges of using Point of
Care CD4 testing services to improve
Antiretroviral Therapy uptake.
Emerson Corsba
Emerson is a M.Phil in Politics,
Development and Democratic Education
at the University of Cambridge. He is a
Co-Founder and Director of Gen Y Inc.,
now one of Canada's fastest-growing
workplace culture consultancies that
helps clients across public and private
sectors attract and retain the next
generation of leaders and managers,
leveraging strategic industry partnerships
across cities including London, Boston,
Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.
DELEGATES

Adam Cowden
Adam is an MPhil student studying
Planning, Growth and Regeneration on a
Gates Scholarship at Cambridge. He
graduated from the University of Notre
Dame in 2012 with a BA in Political Science
and is interested in policy interventions
targeting urban poverty and marginalized
communities. Adam has conducted
research on the impact of universal old-
age pensions in African countries, and his
current dissertation explores the impact of
a basic income on the UK housing market.
Katie Davidson
Katie is an MSc student in Global
Governance & Diplomacy at Oxford's
Department of International
Development. Katie has done various
work focusing on topics of US national
security. She is researching the diplomatic
management of cyber security crises.
Katie hails from Orlando, Florida and an
alumna of the US Naval Academy, and
was commissioned in the United States
Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer. She is
passionate about issues of gender within
the US military and leadership.
Daniella Davila Aquije
Daniella is an MSc student in Evidence-
Based Social Intervention and Policy
Evaluation at Oxford. Her research focuses
on low-income housing and the mental
health impact of different housing models.
Daniella was born in Lima, Peru, and
moved to Canada at the age of 15. She
holds a BAH from Queen's University and a
Master's in Public Policy from the University
of Toronto. Daniella is interested in equity-
seeking policies and is passionate about
community organizing, collective efficacy
and the development of social capital in
marginalized communities.
Yaqiao Deng
Yaqiao's MPhil thesis is on bio-energy use
in the developing countries. Her past
research experience includes: ‘Study on
the Numerical Simulation of Thermal
Factors and Heat Transfer of Mono-phase
Fluid Flow of a Micro-channel’,
‘Experimental Study on Stack Performance
in Thermal Acoustic Engines of Standing
Wave and Travelling Wave’ and
‘Designation of Gel Breaker in Fracturing
Fluid and Research on the Backflow
Efficiency of Fracturing Fluid in the Realm
of Exploitation of Shale Gas’.
Priyanka, deSouza
Priyanka has a Bachelors and Masters of
Technology in Energy Science and
Systems Engineering from IIT Bombay.
During this time she published papers on
photoelectrochemical cells, molecular
thermoelectrics and an analysis of how
Usain Bolt could run faster. She then came
to the University of Oxford where she
completed an MSc in Environmental
Change and Management, and is now
doing an MBA from Saïd Business School.
Priyanka is particularly interested in
environmental policy.
DELEGATES

Nicholas Dowdall
Nicholas is an MSc student in the
Intervention. He has a background in
Psychology and his research is focussing
on Early Childhood Development
strategies in developing countries. He is
currently establishing a social enterprise
that will provide low-income parents with
education and strategies to improve their
children's cognitive development. His
project has been chosen as a global
finalist for the Hult Prize to take place in
New York in September.
Karly Drabot
Karly, an alumna of the University of British
Columbia, is pursuing an MPhil in Social
and Developmental Psychology at the
University of Cambridge. Her current
research focuses on gender development
and the effects of gender atypicality on
psychosocial adjustment. With previous
research experience in knowledge
translation, stereotyping and stereotype
threat, women in leadership, and end-of-
life care, Karly is passionate about
improving the health and well-being of
vulnerable populations.
Nikhil DSouza
Nikhil is studying towards the BCL at the
University of Oxford. He previously studied
at Bangalore University and the University
of Hamburg under the Dr Angela Merkel-
DAAD Scholarship. His awareness of the
level of illiteracy in India shaped his
decision to establish JusTeach
Foundation, a platform for college
students to teach children in orphanages.
Through his studies Nikhil seeks to form a
deeper understanding of European
regulatory laws to help foster a more
transparent economic regime in India.
Samuel Ellison
University of Birmingham
Samuel is an MA candidate in Migration,
Superdiversity and Policy at the University
of Birmingham. Samuel is focusing on the
impact of anti-migrant rhetoric in the
political sphere, and how it influences the
migration debate in the UK. Additionally,
he is interested in Black masculinity, and
how oppressed and dominant groups
interact. Samuel hails from Philadelphia,
PA and graduated from Villanova
University, where he was an All-American
800m runner.
Dena Ettehad
Dena is an MSc student in Global Health
at Oxford's Nuffield Department of
Population Health. Her past research has
included investigating treatment
outcomes in children with MDR-TB and she
is currently researching the impact of
blood pressure lowering in various high-
risk populations. She is particularly
passionate about universal heath
coverage, the social determinants of
health and the ability of healthcare
systems to meet the needs of the most
marginalised and underprivileged.
DELEGATES

Ugochukwu Ezeh
Ugochukwu is a Weidenfeld scholar and
postgraduate law student in the Faculty of
Law at Oxford. He is particularly interested
in exploring the intersections between
human rights, security, and development.
Ugochukwu is from Nigeria and an
alumnus of the University of Lagos where
he received a Bachelor of Laws degree
with first class honours at the top of his
class. He is deeply interested in fostering
citizen-engagement and democratization
in emerging economies.
Angela Feldhaus
University of Oxford (Economics)
Christopher Finch
Christopher is interested in the intersection
between science and business, and
aspires to translate innovations from the
lab into products that help people. As an
MPhil student in Plant Sciences at the
University of Cambridge, Christopher
develops synthetic biology tools for
regulating transgenes, and looks to apply
these tools to enhance biofuel production
in algae. Originally from Colorado,
Christopher attended Amherst College as
an undergraduate, where he played
NCAA ice hockey.
Allyson Freedy
Ally is an MPhil student in Chemistry at the
University of Cambridge. Through her work
in the laboratory of Dr. Gonçalo
Bernardes, Ally’s MPhil research explores
novel site selective protein modification
methodology, with the aim of using these
methodologies to develop targeted
therapeutics. Ally is originally from
Clearwater, Florida and is an alumna of
Harvard College. She is particularly
interested in the role that scientific
research plays in the advancement and
practice of medicine.
Catherine Gascoigne
Catherine is a doctoral candidate and
Gates Cambridge Scholar at the
University of Cambridge. Catherine is
researching the way in which countries
can demonstrate that they have incurred
economic harm caused by the
international trade policies of another
country. Catherine obtained a Bachelor
of Civil Law (Distinction) from the
University of Oxford as well as a Bachelor
of Arts (Hons I) and a Bachelor of Laws
(Hons I) from The University of Sydney.
David Gawith
David is a PhD student in Land Economy
at the University of Cambridge. His
research focuses on the economics of
climate change adaptation in agriculture.
He has a background in hydrology,
climatology and vulnerability assessments
and has spent time investigating the
impacts of climate change in Nepal, Fiji
and New Zealand. He also follows
international climate change
negotiations. In his spare time he plays
rugby, tries to find things to climb, and
enjoys finishing mid-bottom field at the
local pub quiz.
DELEGATES

Miranda Germani
London School of Economics
Miranda is completing her MSc in Health
Economics, Policy and Management at
the London School of Economics. Her
academic interests include physician
human resources and health system
planning. Her academic background is in
both communications and health care,
and she is an alumna of McMaster
University. She currently works at a hospital
in Canada, coordinating physician
human resources, communications, and
quality. She previously worked for the NHS
in communications.
Kent Griffith
Kent is a PhD student in the Department of
Chemistry at the University of Cambridge.
A graduate of Indiana University, he
moved to Cambridge to work with
Professor Clare Grey. Kent now works on
the development and mechanistic
understanding of materials for the next-
generation of energy storage for personal,
automotive, and grid applications. He is
always keen to discuss science, technical
or not, especially in the context of making
connections with the world around us.
Anqi Goa
(Musculoskeletal sciences)
Mamo Godana
Cardiff University (Sustainability,
Planning and Environmental Policy)
Alexandra Gutowski
Durham University
Zan is a Fulbright Grantee pursing an MSc
Defense, Development, Diplomacy at
Durham University. In 2013, she graduated
with a BA in International Relations from
Pomona College in Claremont, CA. She
has previously received the Critical
Language, Boren, and Georgetown Qatar
Scholarships for Arabic. Last year, she
worked with the Brookings Institution
researching the rise of militant Islamist
groups in Iraq and Syria. She has also
previously interned with Human Rights
Watch and USAID.
Gyaltsen
Gyaltsen is a student in University of
Cambridge. He is pursuing an MPhil in
Educational Leadership and School
Improvement from Faculty of Education.
After completing his studies he wants to
work towards improving the quality of
basic education in Tibetan schools in India,
particularly in the areas of leadership and
teacher professional development.
Gyaltsen was born in Tibet and raised in
India. His parents were amongst the first
generation of Tibetan refugees who
escaped to India after the Chinese
occupation of Tibet. He also has a Masters
Degree in Chemistry and is an alumnus of
Columbia University, NY. He is passionate
about teaching and has worked as a
science teacher in Tibetan schools.
Shuangmiao Han
Shuangmiao is a DPhil student in Higher
Education at Oxford's Department of
Education. She obtained her BA in English
Language and Literature and in Design
(second major), and her MEd from
Tsinghua University in China. Her research
interests include the politics of higher
education, education policy and
university reform. She is researching
factors influencing the process and
outcome of major university reforms in
China (especially state politics).
DELEGATES

Leila Hartford
London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine (Public Health
in Developing Countries)
Dr Hartford is an MSc student in Public
Health in Developing Countries at the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, where she is researching
antimicrobial resistance in low-income
countries. Leila is originally from South Africa
and studied medicine at the University of
the Witwatersrand, before taking up her
post-graduate professional training at Chris
Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. She
has also worked in maternal and child
health in rural South Africa.
Mark Hassall
(Opthalmology)
Catriona Hay
Catriona is an MPhil student in Multi-
Disciplinary Gender Studies at the
University of Cambridge. Catriona’s
research is an ethnographic study of
female reversion to Islam in the county of
Bedfordshire. Catriona was born in
Cambridge but moved to London to
pursue a degree in History at Goldsmiths
College, University of London. She is
particularly interested in the promotion of
social equality through the positive
engagement of diverse and marginalised
groups in public life.
Pui Yan Patsy Ho
Goldsmiths, University of London
Patsy is pursuing an MA in Urban
Sociology and interested in how the latest
technology shape cities and urban life.
She is researching the process of public
participation in city planning. After years
in the media and financial industry in
Hong Kong and Beijing, she took up the
directorship of the Hong Kong Public
Space Initiative as a volunteer and looks
forward to contribute her professional
effort to build a new urban modal that is
socially, economically and
environmentally sustainable.
Jourdan Hussein
Jourdan is an MPP Candidate at Oxford’s
Blavatnik School of Government. He used
to work at the President’s Delivery Unit in
Indonesia, managing portfolios from
open government to urban transportation
to bureaucracy reform, and helping to
manage Indonesia’s leadership in the
Open Government Partnership. His policy
interests are digital government,
innovation-driven development and
impact investment.
Karina Jakupsdottir
(Modern Society and Global
Transformations)
Rudina Jasini
Rudina is currently reading for a DPhil in Law
at the University of Oxford, where she also
teaches public international law. She has
been a researcher at Harvard Law School
and the Max Planck Institute for Foreign
and International Criminal Law. Rudina has
worked as a defence lawyer before the UN
International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia. She is the recipient of numerous
academic awards and the author of
several peer-reviewed articles on
international and human rights law.
DELEGATES

Owain Johnstone
Owain is a DPhil student in Oxford's
Centre for Socio-Legal Studies. Owain is
researching the development of UK law
and policy on human trafficking,
focusing on how understandings of
trafficking have changed over time.
Owain's main interest is in how we
communicate so as to collectively
define and address social problems.
Jesse Kancir
Jesse is a resident physician and an MPhil
candidate in Public Policy at the University
of Cambridge. He has served as the
President of the Canadian Federation of
Medical Students (CFMS) and was a 2014-
2015 Action Canada Fellow. Originally
from Northern Ontario, he is an alumnus of
the University of Waterloo, London School
of Economics, and the University of
Toronto. His work at Cambridge focuses
on health policy, medical education, and
healthcare innovation.
Alisha Kasam
Alisha is an MPhil student in Energy
Technologies at the Department of
Engineering at Cambridge. She is
studying topics including fossil fuel
combustion, renewable electric power,
energy efficiency, and policy. For her
MPhil dissertation, she is conducting
research to optimize thermal and
economic performance of the Nuclear
Air-Brayton Combined Cycle in peak
energy output mode. Alisha is originally
from Atlanta, GA and earned her BS in
Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech.
Alex Kendall
Alex is a PhD student in the Department
of Engineering at the University of
Cambridge and a member of the
Machine Intelligence Lab. His research
interests are in mobile robotics and
artificial intelligence. In particular he is
looking to use computer vision to aid
autonomous and intelligent control of
vehicles. His undergraduate studies were
in mechatronics engineering at the
University of Auckland. Outside his studies,
he enjoys inventing things and is a keen
surfer and field hockey player.
John Kenny
John is based at St Catherine’s College,
Oxford and is undertaking an MPhil Politics
(Comparative Government) degree at
the university’s Department of Politics and
International Relations. He is originally
from Cork, Ireland and is an alumnus of
University College Cork. John’s current
research examines the relationship
between economic conditions and support
for environmental protection. He also has a
keen interest in voting behaviour and both
Irish and British politics.
Natalia Khosla
Natalia is pursuing her MSc in Gender,
Policy & Inequalities at the London School
of Economics as a Fulbright Scholar. She is
from Chicago, a dancer, and an aspiring
physician. Natalia is interested in social
inequalities: particularly how they can be
re-entrenched—but also mitigated—by
social policy and health systems. Natalia
studied psychology at Yale University,
where she focused on the impacts of
implicit and explicit gender and racial
biases in the workplace.
DELEGATES

Neha Kinariwalla
Neha is an MPhil student in Modern
Society & Global Transformations at the
University of Cambridge. Neha is
conducting a 'factor-finding' pilot study on
epilepsy and reproduction in order to
identify factors that appear to be
particularly relevant to the decision-
making process about parenthood
among epilepsy sufferers in their key
reproductive years in India. Neha is
originally from Sayville, New York and is
particularly passionate about woman
rights, public health and education.
Vladimir Krupnov
Vladimir is an MPhil student in Technology
Policy at Cambridge Judge Business
School.Vladimir has business development
experience in various internet start-ups and
is the holder of 2015 "Leader of Tomorrow"
St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award.
Vladimir is originally from Moscow, Russia
and an alumni of Moscow State Institute of
International Relations. He is particularly
passionate about business strategy,
managerial decision making and issues
related to big data and privacy.
Tony Ku
University of Bradford
Tony is an MSc student in Forensic
Archaeology and Crime Scene
Investigation at Bradford's Department of
Archaeological Sciences. Tony is
particularly interested on the criminal
justice system and forensic framework in
the developing countries and how those
aspects are affecting the judicial actors in
term of their policy making. Tony is
originally from Timor Leste and an
alumnus of the Victoria University of
Technology.
Petros Kusmu
Petros is a Chevening Scholar and an MSc
student in International Political Economy
at the London School of Economics. After
graduating with a BA (Honors) in
Economics and Political Science from the
University of Alberta, Petros became an
accomplished provincial and federal
advocate for post-secondary education
in Canada. Currently, he interns with a
British MP and is co-authoring and
coordinating research for the European
Parliament on its impending trade
agreements as Research Assistant.
Hamish Laing
Hamish is an MSc student in Sustainable
Energy at Imperial College London. Whilst
studying all aspects of the energy system,
he is carrying out specific research into
the impact of environmental factors on
the reliability of tidal turbines. Hamish is
from New Zealand and completed his
undergraduate study in Mechanical
Engineering at the University of
Canterbury. He is particularly interested in
the role that youth can play in impacting
both public and government perspectives
on climate change.
Emma Lawrance
Emma is currently studying a DPhil in
Clinical Neuroscience at Oxford. Growing
up in Australia, she has always been
interested in the natural world and in
working to protect it. As an undergraduate,
she studied Physics and Chemistry, before
studying science communication and
travelling Australia as part of a science
circus. Emma is also a Director for the It Gets
Brighter campaign, an online platform to
share messages of hope for young people
struggling with mental health issues.
DELEGATES

Thanit Leerahateerapong
Col. Thanit Leerahateerapong is an MA
student in Conflict Resolution at the
University of Bradford’s Department of
Peace Study. Thanit is researching Peace
Process, especially in the Northern Ireland.
He is a Royal Thai Army officer and was an
instructor in the RTA Command and
General Staff College. His particular
interest is about the issues surrounding
conflict resolution in order to tackle any
conflicts by the peaceful solutions (i.e.
peace-keeping, peace-building)
Hila Levy
Hila is a DPhil student in Zoology at Oxford,
researching emerging diseases of Antarctic
penguins. Originally from Puerto Rico, Hila
has lived, studied, and worked on every
continent. Her background includes a BS in
Biology from the US Air Force Academy, an
MSt in military history and MSc in biology
from Oxford, and an MS in environmental
planning & management from Johns
Hopkins. Her interest is in science education
and policy, with aims to involve the public
in science and conservation.
Guangru Li
Guangru is a PhD student in Physics
Department at Cambridge. Guangru is
researching on nanostructured materials
for solar cells and light emitting diodes.
Guangru is originally from Daqing, China,
and an alumna of Peking University in
Beijing. He is particularly interested in
ethical and efficient funding of academic
research and technology industries.
Nathan Liu
Nathan is studying for an MRes in Clinical
Research - Translational Medicine at
Imperial College London.Working between
lmperial and the Charing Cross,
Hammersmith, and St Mary's hospitals, he is
assessing the efficacy of new clinical tests
for pancreatic, arthritic, and septic diseases.
Originally from Austin, Texas, Nathan
graduated from Rice University in 2014. He
hopes to bridge barriers between scientists
and physicians within the developing
discipline of translational medicine.
Jeffrey Lockhart
Jeffrey is an MPhil student in Multi-
Disciplinary Gender Studies at
Cambridge's Department of Political and
International Studies. He is researching the
discourses around violence in Britain's
right-wing LGBT political groups. Jeffrey is
an alumnus of Fordham University in New
York City, where he obtained his BS and
MS in computer science. He is particularly
interested in mixed methods social
research and the production of
knowledge about gender and sexuality.
Youpheng Long
University of Warwick
Youpheng is an MA student in
International Relations at Warwick's
Department of Politics and International
Studies.Youpheng is researching the
politics of international trade and the
making of British trade diplomacy in
Southeast Asia.Youpheng is from Phnom
Penh, Cambodia and an alumna of the
University of Cambodia. He is passionate
about honing foreign policy practices in
fostering economic cooperation. Socially,
he has been very proactive in youth
activism and capacity development.
DELEGATES

Charles Masaki
University of Oxford (Neuroscience)
Rachel McCallister
Rachel is currently enrolled at the
University of Cambridge, working towards
her MPhil in Educational Research. Her
primary focus is in teachers of inclusive
education. Rachel graduated Summa
Cum Laude with a BS in Special Education
from the University of New Mexico. At a
time when education is debated all over
the world, Rachel’s passion is in exploring
various avenues, to improve how we view
our teaching methods.
Brian McGrail
Brian is a Rhodes Scholar studying for a
second BA in Philosophy, Politics, and
Economics at Oxford. Brian has done
research on the effect of tax rates on
income inequality and on behavioural
responses to taxation. Brian is a proud
native of Arlington,Virginia and is an
alumnus of Williams College, where he
was also a Truman Scholar.
Oliver McMillan
Oliver is a PhD student at the University of
Cambridge in the Geotechnical
Engineering Research Group. Oliver’s
research is investigating the modification
of charcoal so that it can be used to
remediate contaminated soils and
groundwater. Oliver completed his
undergraduate degree at the University of
Auckland, New Zealand. He is particularly
interested in the decision-making
processes that drive engineering projects
and especially how indigenous
stakeholders are considered.
Md Touhidul Islam
(Peace Studies)
Chelsea Mertz
Chelsea is an MSc student in International
Relations at LSE’s Department of
International Relations. Chelsea is
researching the progressive use of
women’s rights and colonial feminist
rhetoric as a justification for neoliberal
imperialism, particularly with respect to
the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chelsea is from Topeka, Kansas and an
alumna of the University of Kansas. She is
passionate about women’s
empowerment and rights especially in the
field of international development.
George Mgomella
George holds a Master of Public Health
(MPH) degree from Harvard University,
USA, and a Doctor of Medicine (MD)
degree from the University of Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania. He is also in Certified
Public Health by the National Board of
Public Health Examiners (NBPHE), USA.
George—a Gates Cambridge Scholar—is
currently a PhD Candidate at the
Department of Medicine, University of
Cambridge. George is reading the
epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Imran Morhason-Bello
London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine
(Clinical Research of Infectious
and Tropical Diseases)
DELEGATES

Samuel Mosonyi
Samuel is an MPhil student in Criminology
at Cambridge. His research is examining
sentencing guidelines in England & Wales
to suggest a more principled approach to
sentencing in Canada. Originally from
Toronto, Samuel is an alumnus of the
University of Guelph, and will start law
school at the University of Toronto in
August. He is a fan of racquet sports,
dogs, and rambling in the countryside.
Arsalan Muhammad
Durham University
(Islamic Finance)
Nungari Mwangi
Unviersity of Cambridge
Nungari is a Kenyan first year PhD student
at the Centre of Development Studies. Her
research looks at institutional factors
influencing the distribution of natural
resources for development at the local
level in Kenya. She is the current president
of the African Students of Cambridge
University. Nungari is an alumnus of Brown
University, USA and enjoys hiking, the
literary arts and theatre.
Nikhil Nair
Nikhil comes to Oxford with over six years
of experience in the solar industry. Most
recently, he worked as a consultant to
M-KOPA Solar (leading Pay-As-You-Go
solar provider in Kenya), where he helped
refine sales and distributions models for
the delivery of solar energy systems into
rural Kenya. Before that, he worked at the
social enterprise SELCO Solar (India),
where he managed expansion into new
geographies and lead social impact
projects in the education and rural
healthcare space.
Kyndylan Nienhuis
Kyndylan is a PhD student in Computer
Science, who aims to make computer
systems more reliable. In particular, he is
developing a mathematical model that
unambiguously captures the intent of
C/C++ concurrency. Kyndylan is also
involved in the development of a Dutch
national standard for the digital
exchange of medical information, and he
enjoys making videos about people who
put their hearts in what they’re doing.
Katharine Noonan
Katharine is currently undertaking
research in Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry with Oxford University's
Department of Psychiatry. She is reviewing
the relationship between sleep and
adaptive behaviour in children with
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Next
year she will undertake the MSc in Global
Health Sciences at Oxford, focusing
particularly on maternal and child health.
Katharine is a junior doctor from Perth,
Australia and plans to work in paediatric
medicine and health policy.
DELEGATES

Toby Norman
Toby is a graduate student in
management passionate about applying
management science to challenges in
global health and international
development. He has six years experience
with international field projects, operations
management, and non-profit work. Toby’s
special interests include management
research, ICT4D, social enterprise, and
impact evaluations.
Elizabeth Nye | Global Scholars
Board Member
Elizabeth a DPhil student in Social
Intervention at the Department of Social
Policy and Intervention, University of
Oxford. She researches the emotional and
behavioural development of primary
school children. A former special
educational teacher with a background
in psychology, Elizabeth studies positive
teacher classroom management
strategies to support children's mental
health needs, promote nurturing
educational environments, and support
peaceful conflict resolution.
Ekemini Obok
University of Reading
Ekemini is a PhD student in Agriculture,
Reading. His research is on the Cacao
swollen shoot virus (CSSV). CSSV is a
damaging insect-vectored plant
pathogen in West African cocoa. Cocoa is
a significant tropical tree species to its
farmers and chocolate manufacturing
industries. Ekemini’s interest is in
understanding the interactions between
CSSV, its vectors and cocoa. He is from Nsit
Atai, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria and an
alumnus of the University of Calabar and
the University of Ibadan.
Brittany Partridge | Global Scholars
Action Network Executive
Brittany is an MSc Management student
at Imperial College Business School in
London. She is originally from Minnesota
and an alumna of University College
London and Abilene Christian University,
where she studied International Public
Policy and Political Science. Brittany is
passionate about driving social impact
using business mechanisms and is
interning with Dalberg Global
Development Advisors this summer. Her
previous research has focused on human
trafficking and sexual assault.
Craig Pearson
Craig is a first-year PhD student in Clinical
Neuroscience at the University of
Cambridge. His research investigates
mechanisms of neural regeneration in the
visual system, specifically targeting
extracellular matrix proteins in the optic
nerve. Craig is from Michigan and
graduated from Michigan State University
with bachelors in Neuroscience,
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and
English Literature. He also manages
Exceptions, a creative journal for
individuals with visual impairments.
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Global Scholars Symposium 2015: Building Impact

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