Harum Mukhayer is recognised for her outstanding work to improve college and university life.
Harum Mukhayer has been commended for her outstanding contribution to college and university life.
Harum [2016], who is doing a PhD in Law, was Highly Commended for her outstanding contribution to Inclusive Practice in the Outstanding Student Contribution to Education Award selected by the Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Harum was recognised for a range of activities for both her college and the University as a whole. She piloted the role of BAME officer in the Pembroke Middle Combination Room, a role that is now permanent. Moreover, for the last three years she has also organised an Iftar Meal in Pembroke College to which Muslims and non-Muslims were invited, with a group of Muslims acting as a 'living library', explaining Ramadan, the practice of fasting and its spiritual significance. She has set in place arrangements for this to be a permanent feature of college life.
In the university Harum has led Decolonise Law initiatives with law students, taken part in outreach introduction to law events, raised awareness about incidents of racial and religious discrimination at the Faculty of Law and led consultations with Squire Library staff on making the Faculty of Law a safe-space for BAME law students. She has also designed graduate Equality and Diversity workshop templates for freshers week and organised a number of events for 2018 Black History Month, including the first all BAME Comedy Set in collaboration with fellow Gates Cambridge Scholar Cansu Karabiyik, founder of Laugh4Change.
Also mentioned were Harum's role as President of the African Society of Cambridge University from 2016-2017 when her achievements included student concession tickets for annual Africa Together Conference and her time as Gates-Cambridge Community Officer during which she organised inclusive welfare events for Gates Scholars, established inter-faith prayer spaces in the Gates Room and drafted the Gates-Cambridge Harassment and Sexual Misconduct guidelines and policy. Harum was also praised for her role as Head of Finance for Cambridge University Science Policy Exchange from 2016-2017.
The Outstanding Student Contribution to Education Award is a new award piloted this year and drew over 100 nominations from undergraduates and postgraduates. The Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning says: "This new award was established as an opportunity for members of the collegiate University to show appreciation for our students' efforts to improve the learning and teaching experiences of their peers, and to celebrate their contributions to enhancing the excellence of Cambridge education through their voluntary or extracurricular activities."
Harum Mukhayer
- Alumni
- Sudan
- 2016 PhD Law
- Pembroke College
I am an international civil servant, a global nomad and a *policy* activist. I come from Sudan, I was born in the UAE, and grew up in Scotland. I have an LLM in Natural Resources Law and Policy and for the past 8 years have been working with the UN in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia, and volunteering with the Darfur Development and Reconstruction Agency (DDRA). My career focus is on advising governments on the design and implementation of natural resources laws and policies that better serve the poor. Has my mission been successful? In part, yes, but I admit it is still a work in progress. I am grateful to the Gates Cambridge for recognising the importance of my pledge and commitment to action. My PhD will research the role of international law in helping communities, in border dispute areas, access and use natural resources and exercise their *transboundary* right to food, subsistence and property. I reject the notion that holds political instability or state fragility as an excuse not to secure human rights for those living at the margins. Thanks to the Gates Cambridge, I have an opportunity to pursue my commitment further through my PhD. It is an absolute honour to be joining the Cambridge community as a Gates Scholar. I look forward to reporting on the success of my mission over the next 3 years!
Previous Education
University of Dundee
Ahfad University for Women
Cansu Karabiyik
- Alumni
- Denmark
- 2016 PhD Medical Science @ CIMR
- Pembroke College
I completed my BSc and MSc in Biomedicine at the University of Southern Denmark, where I developed a great fascination for neuroscience. Therefore, I chose to conduct my BSc thesis in a neurobiology lab working on a treatment for stroke. During my MSc degree, I had the good fortune to study at both UCSD and in Portugal. Following this, I decided to spend a year gaining additional research experience. I came to Cambridge in July, 2015 to work as a research assistant in Prof. David Rubinszteins lab. Here, I had the opportunity to combine cell biology with neurobiology and learned that understanding cell mechanisms creates options for treating severe diseases. Currently, there are no effective treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. During my PhD, I will focus on the cellular degradation mechanism, autophagy. Induction of this pathway has the ability to clear the toxic aggregates that are the hallmarks of neurodegeneration in disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. I hope that this will bring us closer to treating these devastating diseases that leave individuals impaired and dependent. I am excited to undertake my PhD in such a dynamic and innovative environment and to join the diverse and compassionate Gates community.
Previous Education
University of Southern Denmark
