Below you will find comprehensive information about your Gates Cambridge Scholarship and the many elements of the current scholar community. You can use the table of contents at the top of the page to navigate to the relevant section and also ctrl+f (or Apple button +F) to find any content on the page.
If you have feedback on this page or have a question that is not answered here please email scholar.support@gatescambridge.org
Who's who
The Trust
The Trust’s Programme Team are here to support and help Scholars in all matters relating to their scholarship. If, after reading this page, you have any questions about your award or progress please email scholar.support@gatescambridge.org. If you are unsure when you should contact the Trust, please see the Contact section below.
Scholars’ Council
The Gates Cambridge Scholars’ Council is a body of current Scholars elected by Scholars which is fully funded by the Trust. Through its Officers, the Council represents the interests and needs of current Scholars to the Trust and the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association.
The Scholars’ Council supports the aims of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to create a network of responsible global leaders. Drawing on the experiences and aspirations of the entire Gates Cambridge Community, the Council strives to enrich the academic, social and professional lives of all Scholars. The Council organises a number of events and activities during the year. Scholar’s Council elections are held in Michaelmas and Easter, with Officers’ terms running for 6 or 12 months (12 months for President/VP). Several positions are appointed with applications in Michaelmas for the Orientation Co-Directors and for the Editors of the Scholar and in Michaelmas/Easter for the LfP co-directors.
You can find further information about the Council (including contact details of each Officer listed below)
Ms Anwesha Lahiri
- President
- The President/Chair of the Scholars' Council oversees its activities and liaises with the Trust on behalf of Scholars. Contact the President at president@gatescouncil.org
Ms Anwesha Lahiri
- President
- The President/Chair of the Scholars' Council oversees its activities and liaises with the Trust on behalf of Scholars. Contact the President at president@gatescouncil.org
Born in a family of doctors in India, I grew up looking at the world through a lens of seasoned physicians battling to save lives in resource-poor settings. While the academic in me developed an insatiable curiosity about the biological mechanisms of diseases, the social activist in me realized that exploring drivers of diseases at a population level is important to solve global health problems. My graduate studies at IIT Bombay and University of Cambridge cemented this understanding; extensive field research and work experience with UNICEF impressed upon me the importance of translating research findings into actionable evidence. My PhD seeks to explore the nutritional, lifestyle and metabolic risk factors of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in South Asians; integrating clinical knowledge, statistics and public health. South Asians, constituting a fourth of the global population, experience a disproportionately high burden of these diseases, aggravated by inequities in biological risk, behavioural factors and access to health services. Through my research I wish to comprehensively examine the importance of modifiable risk factors in mitigating cardiometabolic disease risks in this population and inform country-specific policies and disease prevention strategies.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Epidemiology 2021
Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay Technology and Development 2019
West Bengal University of Technology Biotechnology 2017
Mr Nicholas Goldrosen
- Vice-President
- The Vice-President works with the President to coordinate Council activities and to liaise with the Trust. Contact vice-president@gatescouncil.org
Mr Nicholas Goldrosen
- Vice-President
- The Vice-President works with the President to coordinate Council activities and to liaise with the Trust. Contact vice-president@gatescouncil.org
My research uses network analysis and other quantitative methods to study police misconduct and related phenomena. In particular, I am interested in developing methods to identify both misconduct-prone officers and officers who are resilient to negative peer influences. Additionally, my research examines how sanctions for misconduct and other official responses affect future misconduct. My other research interests include progressive prosecution and the intersections of local government law and criminal justice reform.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Criminological Research 2021
Williams College Political Science and Math 2020
Ms Emilie Hertig
- Treasurer
- Contact the Treasurer at treasurer@gatescouncil.org
Ms Emilie Hertig
- Treasurer
- Contact the Treasurer at treasurer@gatescouncil.org
My passion for astronomy has been an integral part of most of my life: as I realized at the age of 12 that current theories only explain 5% of the cosmos, making a scientific contribution that would shed light on the dark sector of cosmology became my main career goal. Several years later, this unwavering curiosity motivated my Honours thesis centred on the calibration of the CHIME telescope. I then collaborated with the H0LiCOW team, analysing lensed quasars as probes of the Hubble constant, before focusing on the use of machine learning to search for deviations from general relativity in gravitational waves. While studying quantum field theory, I became fascinated by the interconnectedness between the smallest and largest scales of the universe, a central issue in inflationary physics. My PhD will aim to detect signatures of primordial gravitational waves in the CMB and constrain models of the early universe. Despite the abstract nature of my topic, I hope for my research to make a broader impact through the development of computational methods with a wide range of applications. Becoming a Gates Scholar is a great honour which will also allow me to build upon my experience with science outreach and advocating for women in STEM.
Previous Education
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Physics 2021
University of British Columbia Physics 2019
Ecole Polytechnique federale de lausanne Physics 2019
Mr Vishal Vasanthakumar
- Internal Officer
- The Internal Officer organises Internal Symposia each term and the Annual Gates Weekend of Research. Contact the Internal Officer at internal@gatescouncil.org
Mr Vishal Vasanthakumar
- Internal Officer
- The Internal Officer organises Internal Symposia each term and the Annual Gates Weekend of Research. Contact the Internal Officer at internal@gatescouncil.org
What does education do? What roles does education play in shaping people’s identities, values and lifeworlds? Having worked as a teacher, a political consultant and a program manager with state education departments in India, I have been keen to derive a deeper understanding of what education does. My first book, titled “The Smart and the Dumb”, takes a journalistic view of how education and culture intersect in India and is due for release in early 2023 by Penguin Randomhouse. My PhD research will focus on how elite education in India creates and reproduces caste and class identities. Through my research, I hope to unpack the mechanisms of how identities reproduce and manifest themselves in new forms through education and how elites contribute to these dynamics.
Previous Education
Harvard University International Education Policy 2020
Anna University Mechanical Engineering 2016
Ms Spatika Jayaram
- Community Officer
- The Gates Community Officers are responsible for fostering an inclusive Gates Community. Contact the Gates Community Officer at community@gatescouncil.org
Ms Spatika Jayaram
- Community Officer
- The Gates Community Officers are responsible for fostering an inclusive Gates Community. Contact the Gates Community Officer at community@gatescouncil.org
There is as much poetry in understanding the brain, as there is science. I had the opportunity to pursue both these during my undergraduate degree at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali. After working on Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, I completed my final year thesis on memory formation at the Indian Institute of Science. My graduate research at Oxford interested me in examining how brain circuits contribute to mood disorders. The ways in which early-life experiences predispose individuals towards mental illnesses require examining changes in a developing brain. In my Ph.D., I hope to explore how such changes in the prefrontal cortex can lead to the early onset of neuropsychiatric disorders, by examining their impacts on behaviours that are commonly dysregulated across these conditions. Through my research, I hope to identify critical periods of development and arrive at a better understanding of specific prefrontal circuits that can be targets of early intervention.
Previous Education
University of Oxford Neuroscience 2023
Indian Institute of Science Ed & Research Mohali Biology 2022
Mr Zhaoting Justin Wei
- Communications Officer
- The Communications Officer is the conduit for assembling and distributing information to and about the Scholar community. Contact the Communications Officer at comms@gatescouncil.org
Mr Zhaoting Justin Wei
- Communications Officer
- The Communications Officer is the conduit for assembling and distributing information to and about the Scholar community. Contact the Communications Officer at comms@gatescouncil.org
Born and raised in Hong Kong, I am very grateful to have had teachers who from early on nurtured my passion for historical inquiry. My research to date has centred around post-imperial projects of world-making and solidarity. As an undergraduate, I investigated postcolonial economic thought in the Caribbean, with a particular focus on Michael Manley, members of the New World Group, and advocacy for the New International Economic Order. During my MPhil, I returned to the topic of the New International Economic Order, examining how various British constituencies responded to this bold programme demanding global economic reform. At Cambridge, I intend to explore an adjacent instance of postcolonial ‘world-making’ by examining how networks and expressions of Afro-Asian solidarity in support of the Black Power movement emerged and evolved – both across the Caribbean and within the United Kingdom. I hope that this research will shed light not only on how intersectional solidarity manifests and operates, but also on the implications of such historical solidarity for contemporary anti-racism movements. I am honoured to be able to pursue this research as part of the Gates Cambridge community.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Economic and Social History 2022
Harvard University History 2021
Miss Mayumi Sato
- Outreach Officer
- The Outreach Officer facilitates the scholar community's engagement with alumni, the wider Cambridge network, the public, and potential new applicants. Contact the Outreach Officer at outreach@gatescouncil.org
Miss Mayumi Sato
- Outreach Officer
- The Outreach Officer facilitates the scholar community's engagement with alumni, the wider Cambridge network, the public, and potential new applicants. Contact the Outreach Officer at outreach@gatescouncil.org
Growing up in Asia and North America, I have always felt contradicting experiences of identity, one that oscillates between the desire to belong in a new country and the desire to remember my home roots, while ultimately finding myself not fully accepted in either. From a young age, I used my personal experiences as an opportunity to make sense of the world, and to unpack the societies I moved through. Between academic degrees, I worked on issues of reforestation, gender and social equity in forest landscapes, and land resettlement and reparations in Asia, North America, and Europe. My studies and work has allowed me to develop my current research interests, which focus on the intersection between environment and social justice. My research is centered on practices of environmental justice and resistance, which serve as broader social struggles for freedom and land recognition and reclamation. Through my research, I hope to share public-facing knowledge and flatten the power hierarchies between how "research" is credited and produced, and to translate scholarship in ways that are accessible and useful within and outside the academy.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Sociology 2020
McGill University Honours Geography 2017
Ms Tanvi Rao
- Alumni Officer
- The Alumni Officer works to connect the Scholar and Alumni communities. Contact the Alumni Officer at alumni@gatescouncil.org
Ms Tanvi Rao
- Alumni Officer
- The Alumni Officer works to connect the Scholar and Alumni communities. Contact the Alumni Officer at alumni@gatescouncil.org
As an undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech, I became fascinated with medical imaging during internships and research focused on minimally invasive device design for radiology procedures. In my post-graduate work as a consultant, I sought to create impact through healthcare innovation but realized that subconscious bias in tactical solution design often excludes patients with the greatest need. We witnessed this during the COVID-19 crisis as those unable to access or afford care suffered disproportionately.While innovation is key to society’s well-being and progress, I believe we are also obligated to ensure that it reaches those who need it most. Through my PhD research in radiogenomics, an emerging field that combines medical imaging with genomic data, I seek to develop imaging biomarkers and predictive models for liver cancer. Ultimately, this research aims to improve access to care and reduce the resource burden on health professionals by creating tools that enhance diagnostics, enable remote assessment, and improve precision care for an under-funded yet deadly cancer. My research is supervised by Dr. Evis Sala in the Radiogenomics and Quantitative Imaging Group within the Department of Radiology.
Previous Education
Georgia Institute of Technology Biomedical Engineering 2018
Mr Joshua Weygant
- Technology Officer
- The Technology Officers are responsible for maintaining the electronic hardware and software in the Scholars' Common Room. Email: tech@gatescouncil.org
Mr Joshua Weygant
- Technology Officer
- The Technology Officers are responsible for maintaining the electronic hardware and software in the Scholars' Common Room. Email: tech@gatescouncil.org
"Can we print a functional intestine?" This was my first question when I saw how living cells were printed with a 3D printer. It's perhaps oddly specific, but due to Hirschsprung disease, a large part of my intestine was removed when I was a baby, and I spent countless days in the hospital. Therefore, I know how advances in science and technology can dramatically increase patients' quality of life, and these experiences formed my research interest. I first studied physics engineering at the RheinMain University, and then, during my Masters at the University of Freiburg, I fell in love with the field of biofabrication, which also led me to research at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. In Cambridge, I will investigate how we can utilize bioprinting to fabricate multi-organ-on-chip systems which potentially can be used for personalized medicine. Next to science, I am passionate about higher-education politics. I believe everybody, regardless of their social and economic background, should have the same opportunities for an education, which is simply not the case yet. I am incredibly honored to join the Gates Cambridge community and deeply grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their support.
Previous Education
Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg Microsystems Engineering 2022
Hochschule RheinMain (HSRM) Physics Engineering 2018
Mr Leonardo F. Souza-McMurtrie
- Technology Officer
- The Technology Officers are responsible for maintaining the electronic hardware and software in the Scholars' Common Room. Email: tech@gatescouncil.org
Mr Leonardo F. Souza-McMurtrie
- Technology Officer
- The Technology Officers are responsible for maintaining the electronic hardware and software in the Scholars' Common Room. Email: tech@gatescouncil.org
Hi, I'm Leo. I do research on international law and international conflicts!
Previous Education
Queen Mary, University of London International Disputes 2020
Amazon Federal University Law 2018
Mr Stephen Metcalf
- Learning for Purpose Director
- Learning for purpose officers lead and organise a curriculum and series of workshops aimed at skills development for scholars. Contact at learningforpurpose@gatescouncil.org
Mr Stephen Metcalf
- Learning for Purpose Director
- Learning for purpose officers lead and organise a curriculum and series of workshops aimed at skills development for scholars. Contact at learningforpurpose@gatescouncil.org
Growing up in eastern Kentucky, in the heart of the Appalachian region of the United States, I was fascinated by questions of meaning in life and devastated by the hardship I witnessed at home and abroad. Education has been my ticket to exploring these two themes: meaning and inequity. With generous support through the Brown Fellows Program, I immersed myself in the liberal arts and sciences at Centre College, studying neuroscience and mathematics as well as philosophy and religion. I lived as a monastic for a summer in a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, investigated crime scenes and defended the underserved in Washington, DC, and carried out a final-year thesis on spiritual memoirs and autobiographies. After examining the association between the immune system and mental illness through the MPhil in Epidemiology at Cambridge, I joined research teams at Dartmouth College, where we have explored self-regulation as a mechanism of behaviour change and conducted policy-focused research on the US opioid crisis. During my PhD I will address a critical question: Given similar histories of adversity, why do some children do better than others? Studying resilience may help us improve well-being and could lead toward greater health and educational equity. I look forward to working with others in the Gates Cambridge community as we explore fundamental life questions and help others thrive.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Master of Philosophy Epidemiology 2015
Centre College Bachelor of Science Behavioral Neuroscience 2014
Links
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-tyJuPAAAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmetcalf
Mr Angello Alcazar
- Editor-in-Chief of The Scholar magazine
- The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the production of the annual The Scholar magazine. Email: eic@gatescouncil.org
Mr Angello Alcazar
- Editor-in-Chief of The Scholar magazine
- The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the production of the annual The Scholar magazine. Email: eic@gatescouncil.org
I was born in the second largest city located in a desert after Cairo, towards the end of a never-ending dictatorship. Growing up in Lima, I soon learned that Peru was a country which amalgamated many conflicting realities that were not easily reconciled. My drive to address some of these issues and think laterally has been the stimulus for my work as a researcher, journalist, editor and academic consultant. From a young age, my reluctance to yield to well-demarcated routes has broadened my perspectives and motivated me to find my own path while collaborating with others to create change. Covering dictatorship novels, autobiographical writing and the role of emotions in fiction, my three theses have contributed to advance knowledge at the intersection of literature and sociology. At Cambridge, my PhD project will explore how a group of South American authors grappled with pain and dissatisfaction in their artistic and extraliterary experiences through the diary form. By so doing, I hope to shed light on the value of a sentimental approach to adversity in life-writing, as well as the configurations of masculinity that emanate from it. I am deeply indebted to the Gates Cambridge Trust for giving me this unparalleled opportunity.
Previous Education
Universitat de Barcelona Advanced Literary Studies 2022
McGill University Sociology and Hispanic Studies 2020
Ms Jigisha Bhattacharya
- Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Scholar magazine
- The DEIC supports the EIC in the production of The Scholar magazine. Email: deic@gatescouncil.org
Ms Jigisha Bhattacharya
- Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Scholar magazine
- The DEIC supports the EIC in the production of The Scholar magazine. Email: deic@gatescouncil.org
Growing up in a small town in Bengal, I turned sensitive to conflicts between communities and identities from an early age. While pursuing my BA in English (Hons.) at Presidency University, Kolkata, my MA in English at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and my MPhil. in Social Sciences at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, I became interested in how literary and cultural forms share a reciprocal relationship with political ideations and events. As a firm believer in public-facing academic work, I have also curated and written extensively on gender, culture, and literature. Further, teaching undergraduate students at the Jindal Global Law School in India has taught me the transformative potential of pedagogic spaces and the need for an egalitarian academic atmosphere. The steep rise of political incarceration in contemporary India has motivated my doctoral project which traces prison experiences of Indian women activists in literary and archival expressions. Through my scholarship and community engagement, I hope to explore how conditions of marginalisation enable responsibility, solidarity, and hope.
Previous Education
Jadavpur University Social Sciences 2019
Jawaharlal Nehru University English 2017
Miss Briseyda Barrientos Ariza
- Assistant Editor of The Scholar magazine
Miss Briseyda Barrientos Ariza
- Assistant Editor of The Scholar magazine
I am from Hyattsville, Maryland and most of my childhood summers were spent in the humid climates of Guatemala––saturated in the culture of storytelling. During my studies at Towson University, I returned to the stories of my girlhood. As a recipient of the Leadership for Public Good Fellowship, I collected the oral histories of Guatemalans on their encounters with regional folkloric figures, amplifying occluded voices via cultural/archival work. I built upon my fieldwork in my thesis, where I examined the function of orature and its products as counterstories and symptoms of colonial trauma. During my MPhil at Cambridge, I will broaden my work to the larger Central American diaspora to exhibit how orature and its practice operate as a collective narratological and rhetorical (method)ology that opposition colonial narratives, allowing for new ones to emerge. By re-reckoning the violence represented in the literary and lived, I seek to reassess how narratives are constructed and taught globally through the language and experiences of the oppressed to highlight the anticolonial possibilities extant in intergenerational stories. I am honored to join the Gates Cambridge community, where we all look forward to building a better world.
Previous Education
Towson University English with Literature Track 2022
Towson University Psychology 2022
Miss Arushi Vats
- Assistant Editor of The Scholar magazine
Miss Arushi Vats
- Assistant Editor of The Scholar magazine
After completing my graduate studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, I have worked in the culture industry of India, focusing on contemporary art of South Asia as a researcher, critic, and curator. Being involved with organisations that challenge authoritarianism, I am interested in how art and activism intersect in powerful and necessary ways. My learning in art has been shaped by ‘doing’—working with artists and collectives, working against capitulatory institutions, and working towards sites of freedom. It is a mode of learning driven by shared spaces, cross-disciplinary pollination and open pedagogies such as reading groups, writing workshops, and public seminars. Such formats of ‘thinking with’ are integral to my scholarship. My research on the mediatic transfers between the photographic and painted image emerging from cites of civic resistance in India will chart a history of lively contestation over notions of the public sphere, articulations of dissent, acts of collective organising, and assertions of difference. By engaging with the history of civic action from below, I hope to draw vital insights into the evolving political ecology of resistance, and its cultural afterlife as image and icon.
Miss Laura Isabel (Laurisa) Sastoque Pabon
- Media Editor of The Scholar magazine
- The Media Editor is responsible for the maintenance of The Scholar website. Email: me@gatescouncil.org
Miss Laura Isabel (Laurisa) Sastoque Pabon
- Media Editor of The Scholar magazine
- The Media Editor is responsible for the maintenance of The Scholar website. Email: me@gatescouncil.org
Growing up in Bogotá, Colombia, I grappled with the idea of conveying a more truthful and nuanced portrayal of our people’s history to the rest of the world. In 2019, I moved to the United States to pursue a degree in History and Creative Writing, with a minor in Data Science, at Northwestern University. During my studies, I became intrigued by the stigmatization of Colombian immigrants due to our association with drug trafficking history. This interest evolved into a senior thesis that analyzed hundreds of periodical sources and oral histories to uncover how this narrative evolved. Now pursuing an MPhil in digital humanities at Cambridge, I’m merging my interests in immigration narratives and digital methods to develop a GIS map that provides a fresh perspective on the complex relationship between Colombian identity and drug trafficking. My goal is to create a digital exhibition that challenges stereotypes about global Colombians and Latin Americans, showcasing it at museums and galleries worldwide with the help of the Gates Community. I’m excited to open up new avenues for understanding and appreciation of our historical memory.
Previous Education
Northwestern University History, English, Data Science 2023
Core funding
Your Gates Cambridge Scholarship includes the following core components:
- Tuition Fee
- Maintenance allowance (£20,000 for 12 months at the 2023–24 rate; pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months)
- One economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of your course (or a return ticket for courses shorter than 11 months)
- Visa costs, which also include the annual Immigration Health Surcharge for the tenure of your visa
- Covid testing costs for UK arrivals
Tuition Fee
The University Composition Fee is the approved tuition fee for the degree and subject you will undertake at Cambridge. The University Composition Fee is paid directly to your College which forwards it on to the University. The Trust expects this fee to cover all of the costs related to your course within your department (e.g. Supervisor, fieldwork costs, equipment, departmental administrative support, lab space etc.).
Please note: the University Composition Fee also covers your College membership fee but it does not cover your accommodation, meals and similar – you will need to pay for these using your maintenance allowance.
The University Composition Fee is paid by the Trust directly to your College each year. You do not need to be involved with this process; your College is aware of your status as a Gates Cambridge Scholar and should not contact you for payment.
Maintenance Allowance
Maintenance payments are made at the start of each academic quarter (October, January, April and – if appropriate – July) and paid into your nominated bank account. You will be contacted by the Programme team via e-mail with regards to collection times and location.
You will be required to sign-in with the Trust at the end of each quarter before your maintenance is paid. Details of how to sign-in will be provided by the Programme Team via e-mail.
Fourth year maintenance (PhD Scholars)
If you are a PhD Scholar, your award provides up to four years of maintenance. If you require maintenance during some or all of the fourth year of your PhD you simply need to request this in the third year of your award by completing the Fourth Year Funding form. Full instructions and deadlines and are available on the first page of the form.
Visa costs
Your scholarship includes the cost of a visa, should you require one, at the standard rate (including the Immigration Health Surcharge). Full details are available in the next section.
Travel
As part of your scholarship you are eligible for a single economy airfare at both the beginning and end of your course (or a return ticket for courses shorter than 11 months). Full details are in the next section.
COVID testing
The Trust will cover up to specific amount for COVID testing for UK arrivals . Full details are in the next section.
Travel, visas and COVID testing
Visa costs
Your scholarship includes the cost of a visa, should you require one, at the standard rate (including the Immigration Health Surcharge). Full details are available on the Scholar-elect page.
Travel
As part of your scholarship you are eligible for a single economy airfare from the UK to your normal place of residence (home). If at the end of your course you are leaving Cambridge but not going to your normal place of residence (home), we will cover whichever is the cheapest fare of the two.
We expect that flights ‘home’ to be scheduled close to your official leaving time – i.e. if you finish your Scholarship in September but decide to stay in the UK until Christmas, we expect to receive an itinerary for September and not for Christmas (which has inflated holiday prices). Scholars who choose to travel at peak holiday times, or who do not plan ahead, may be asked to pay the difference between a standard, economy airfare and the peak time inflated price.
Travel booking option 1 (preferred)
The Trust is pleased to announce Clarity Travel as our new travel agent. We will be working with Clarity Travel to arrange a quick and easy way for you to book travel without having to make any payments** – Clarity Travel will book the ticket and invoice the Trust directly (as per our previous travel agent agreement).
Please complete the Clarity travel form for students with your passport details and the details of your journey and email to Clarity Travel who will then work with you to find a suitable ticket. Please note that Clarity Travel business hours are Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 5.30pm.
Once your travel option is agreed, Clarity Travel will contact the Trust for authorisation to book and invoice the Trust.
Your e-ticket will then be issued directly to you. If you wish, you can also download the Go2Mobile guide to manage your ticket on your mobile phone and to receive travel alerts.
Please note that your scholarship does not provide insurance for your travel or to cover your personal belongings. As soon as your travel arrangements are confirmed, we ask that you take out a suitable travel insurance policy in case of any travel delays, loss or damage to your possessions or changes to your plans (particularly in light of the current coronavirus situation).
**Clarity Travel is required to find the best value fares for the Trust. If you wish to book an alternative ticket or would like to add any extras, such as extra baggage, Clarity Travel will invoice the Trust for the standard ticket cost and you will need to pay the extra amount directly.
Travel booking option 2
It may be more convenient for some scholars to book their own travel (e.g. those travelling with family – although please note the Trust does not cover travel costs for family members) and then be reimbursed by the Trust.
Before confirming or paying for your flight, please submit the Flight Authorisation Form below with your proposed flight details to check that the Trust will be able to reimburse the travel costs that you will incur. The Trust will then need to review and approve your proposed flight option. Once approved, you can book and pay for the flight. You will then need to submit a reimbursement form with supporting receipts for the Trust to reimburse you the agreed costs by bank transfer.
Scholars should use a flight comparison website, such as Skyskanner, to investigate the best value travel options available to them. In some cases it may be more appropriate for you to travel by bus or train and if so, please still use the Flight Authorisation Form to check your travel plans with the Trust.
The Trust requests that you are flexible with your choice of route, airline, departure date and departure/arrival airport where possible in order to source a competitively priced ticket. This information should be evidenced to the Trust in the three journey quotes that you provide in the Flight Authorisation Form.
For example, when travelling to Cambridge you may have the choice of multiple London airports, such as London Stansted, London Heathrow or London Gatwick. Also, by using the calendar function on travel websites you can view which days are cheaper to travel, it may make a significant difference to your ticket price if you depart a day or two earlier (or later). All savings allow the Trust to make the most effective use of its funds for the benefit of all scholars it supports.
The Trust will cover the cost of one checked bag, if it is not included with your travel ticket, but it does not pay for any further bags or excess luggage costs.
Once you have researched your travel options, please complete the Flight Authorisation Form and submit to our dedicated travel email address – scholar.support@gatescambridge.org to request permission from the Trust to book your journey.
A note on insurance – your Gates Cambridge Scholarship does not provide insurance for your travel or to cover your personal belongings. As soon as your travel arrangements are confirmed, we ask that you take out a suitable travel insurance policy in case of any travel delays, loss or damage to your possessions or changes to your plans (particularly in light of the current coronavirus situation).
If you are required to use a country specific, government scheme to travel (such as specific repatriation flights), you may apply for a reimbursement of your travel costs using the form below.
Reimbursement form instructions
Covid testing costs for UK arrivals
The Trust understands that new and current scholars coming from Green and Amber list countries are required to book and take either one or two Covid tests (depending on their vaccination status) on arrival in the UK –https://www.internationalstudents.cam.ac.uk/travelling-to-uk
The UK government has a number of approved test providers that will allow you to self-test but the prices vary considerably. As such, the Trust has set a maximum reimbursement for this Covid testing as follows:
Day 2 & 8 testing – reimburse up to £100
Day 2 testing only – reimburse up to £50
The Trust will not reimburse any “Test to release” on Day 5 costs as this is an optional test. Scholars may book this if they wish with their own personal funds.
Scholars arriving from Red list countries will automatically receive Day 2 & Day 8 tests as part of their hotel quarantine package and do not need to purchase any extra tests.
Discretionary funding
Overview
Academic Development Funding
Academic Development funding is intended to support activities such as attendance at conferences or courses related to your studies, which are additional to those that should be covered by the University fee paid by the Trust. Any application which funds a key component of your course will not be considered as these should be covered by the fees paid by the Trust to the University on your behalf.
Academic Development funding is offered at the following rates:
- One-year degree or First Year of PhD: up to £500
- Two-year degree or Second Year of PhD: up to £1,250
- Three-year degree or longer or Third /Fourth Year(s) of PhD : up to £2,000
Please note that (a) unused funds on a given year will roll over onto the next one; you may apply for a maximum of £2000 over the whole of your PhD; (b) you can only apply for a maximum of £500 in the probationary first year of your PhD and (c) the above are not allowances, but the maximum amounts you may apply for.
Funding can be applied for one or more times during the formal tenure of your course.
When applying for funding you will need to include a statement of support from your Supervisor or course tutor as part of the application form. There is no limit to the number of applications for Academic Development funding you can make, however the Trust will only fund activities that are undertaken while you are a student (i.e. before your course end date) and relevant to your course. The Trust retains final discretion over whether an activity will be supported.
You may not use Academic Development funds to purchase physical items (e.g. posters, books, cameras etc.) with the exception of laptops (see below). Funds can also not be used to pay for unofficial suppliers/unregulated suppliers such as a friend providing you with accommodation during a conference, Air B&B bookings or transport provided by unregulated providers such as a friend driving you or Uber.
You should apply for Academic Development Funding at least a month in advance of the event and where possible, provide supporting documentation to evidence the expected costs.
The Trust will consider Academic Development Funding requests from scholars in their 4th year (but not in their 5th year). Requests will be subject to the usual case-by-case review and subject to legitimate reasons and supporting evidence etc. There must be a genuine academic reason to attend the event for the benefit of PhD completion, not just to enhance personal skills.
Also, Academic Development Funding will be allowed to contribute towards the cost of a laptop or software if a scholar is not able to work/study effectively without it. The Trust will consider applications to contribute 50% of the cost, up to a MAXIMUM of £500. This will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and subject to legitimate reasons and supporting evidence. Funds cannot be used to upgrade a functioning laptop.
Apply for Academic Development Funding
Dependant Children Allowance (DCA)
Maternity/paternity Allowance
Fieldwork and Leave to Work Away
Hardship
In the event that you should require additional funding for an unexpected or emergency situation, you should submit an application to the Hardship Fund. These applications are dealt with sympathetically and on a case by case basis.
Please note: the Trust is unable to provide funding for private medical treatment as all Scholars are covered for National Health Service treatment through the Immigration Health Surcharge already paid on your behalf by the Trust during your visa application process. However, you may be able to seek assistance with medical costs through your College with an application to the Crane’s Charity.
Trust reviews all applications for discretionary funding individually. The Trust retains final discretion over whether funding is awarded and the total amount. Scholars should expect to be asked provide supporting evidence.
Fifth year discretionary funding for extensions
If your PhD studies have been disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic, please see the Coronavirus FAQs
Budgeting
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is very generous and compares favourably against other major funding in the UK. But it is important that you budget properly during your time at Cambridge to ensure you get the most out of your experience – and avoid financial difficulties.
The Trust and Scholars’ Council have worked together to created a budgeting guide, which we strongly recommend you read.
Policies & regulations
Illness
Debt
Please note that the Trust disclaims all responsibility for any debts you may incur. Nor will the Trust act as guarantor for loans or debts. Scholars are advised that the Trust reserves the right to pay maintenance to the college if so requested on the reasonable grounds of failure to settle outstanding debts to the College or any other body.
Intermission (taking a break from your course)
Intermission has a formal meaning and requires a change in your registered status at the University. It does not mean to informally ‘take a break’. You can find full details on the University’s web page.
Should you need to ‘intermit’ your studies (i.e. you need to stop your research or course attendance) for medical or non-medical reasons you apply to the Student Registry for permission to intermit and also complete the Trust’s Intermission application form below. PhD students should always discuss any plans to intermit well in advance with their supervisor, College Tutor or Departmental Graduate advisor/administrator.
Once your application for intermission has been approved by the Student Registry and the Trust your Scholarship will be ‘suspended’ – the Trust will not be liable for University fees and you will not receive your maintenance allowance. Your Scholarship will restart when you return to Cambridge and your award finish date will be amended to reflect the period of Intermission. Scholars on a Tier 4 visa should note that the Trust is only able to suspend its award, it has no control over visa extensions. Scholars can find more details on Tier 4 visa and intermitting on the University’s web page.
A retrospective application for Intermission will not be accepted unless there have been exceptional circumstances and you may be required to return any maintenance you have already received.
Where a Scholar has to intermit for circumstances beyond their control (e.g. illness) and is unable to return to their home country for the period of intermission, the Trust will consider an application for hardship funding.
Networking & resources
You can look up any member of the Gates Cambridge community using the public Directory. You can then search the Internet for further details.
Your on-line profile
Every scholar-elect, scholar and alumna/nus has an on-line profile which allows you to update certain elements (e.g. contact, location and employment details). This is currently not searchable by members, but is a very useful tool for the Trust to report on the community and to send members appropriate information about events and activities.
@gatesscholar.org email
Gates Scholars Common Room (GSCR)
Whilst in Cambridge you will have access to the Gates Scholars Common Room (GSCR). This room is located on the 2nd floor of the University Centre. It is there for you to work in, relax in, and to mix with fellow Gates Cambridge Scholars and is the location for a lot of Scholars’ Council organised events. Resources include a computer lab, a collection of books from the Cambridge University Press, space to read and work, Wi-Fi, a TV room, games, etc.
The room is accessible to all Scholars and Alumni with your university card. If you have any trouble accessing the Common Room with your University card, please contact the Internal Officer of the Scholars’ Council (internal@gatescouncil.org). The University Centre is open seven days a week from 9.00am to 11.00pm (10.30pm on Sunday).
Printing allowance
Each year the Trust provides a printing allowance (currently £20 per annum) to all Scholars in residence which can be used on the printers in the Scholars’ Room. Unused credit does not roll over and it is not normally possible to provide additional credit.
In addition, many Scholars will have access to free or discounted printing via their College and/or department.
Outreach and promotion
Outreach
Scholars and Alumni can undertake outreach via the Ambassador Programme – a Scholar and Alumni-led and Trust-supported project to increase awareness about the Gates Cambridge Scholarships across the world.
Scholars and Alumni arrange formal presentations or informal conversations for their local universities, alma mater or other institutions. At present this is likely to be virtual, but once in person events are possible this may as part of a trip for a conference, fieldwork or holiday – or when they return home after their scholarship. There is no application process or formal arrangements. Please contact scholar.support@gatescambridge.org for the most up to date PowerPoint presentation and other materials.
If you give a presentation or talk – or have any questions – please email scholar.support@gatescambridge.org with details.
Promotion
There are two main ways you can help promote the Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme and the opportunities it offers:
- Send us your news so we can promote your achievements and successes.
- Create content – whether writing for The Scholar magazine, creating a blog or interviewing for a profile you can make your own contribution to profile raising.
Send us news
Knowing about the successes and activities of our Scholars and Alumni is key to showcasing the Gates Cambridge programme to the wider world and to our community. A good stream of news allows us to do this – as well as increasing an individual Scholar’s profile.
Will you or a Scholar you know:
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be a recipient of an award
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publish a book or paper
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take part in a significant international event
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organise a conference or similar event
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set up or play a significant new role in an NGO or other body
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write an op-ed
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about to be receive some media coverage
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or undertake something else we could promote
If so, send details to news@gatescambridge.org. If you can send details before the event all the better, but if you can only send details post event please do.
Create content
There are lots opportunities to create content. Find out what you can do for Gates Cambridge and how we can help you.
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Interview for a profile [links to pdf]
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Blog for us [links to pdf]
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Write an article for The Scholar magazine [links to pdf]
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Press releases and media contacts [links to pdf]
Please email news@gatescambridge.org with details.
Contact
The Trust’s staff are here to support and help you before, during and after your time at Cambridge.
You can contact the Scholar Support team at any point by email on scholar.support@gatescambridge.org.
The Trust needs to know about your academic progress and plans and any major changes to your circumstances at Cambridge. Please contact the Trust as soon as possible in any of the following circumstances:
- You are thinking about applying for Leave To Work Away – e.g. for fieldwork
- You are thinking about applying for Intermission (a break from your course) – e.g. for medical reasons
- You are experiencing financial, medical, personal, mental health or other difficulties that are impacting on your ability to successfully complete your course on time/at all
- You are thinking about changing your supervisor
- You are thinking about changing your course
- Any other circumstances that might affect your ability to make satisfactory academic progress
Please do not ignore any concerns or difficulties you may be experiencing. It is always the case that the sooner you inform the Trust of any important changes or difficulties you are experiencing the sooner we can help or signpost you to help in other parts of the Collegiate University. The Trust will always deal with all inquiries confidentially and is available to discuss any relevant issues with you.