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)
Miss Yasemin Cole
- Orientation Communications Coordinator
Miss Yasemin Cole
- Orientation Communications Coordinator
As an undergraduate researcher at UNC at Chapel Hill and NIH, I gained a broad understanding of biological mechanisms underlying disease, especially cancer. My experiences while designing an undergraduate course, research work, and clinical volunteering sparked my interest in genomics and precision medicine. My coursework and clinical experiences during my master's in genomic medicine at Imperial College London demonstrated to me the potential of precision medicine to revolutionize healthcare. As an MD/PhD student, I will study the genomic landscape of paragangliomas, pheochromocytomas, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors at the NIH and the University of Cambridge. Through metabolic, epigenetic, and functional genomic studies, I hope to elucidate the biological underpinnings of these devastating neuroendocrine tumors, leading to advancements in prognostication and treatment. Outside the lab, I will continue my involvement in scientific outreach/education and refugee health. I am honored to be part of the multidisciplinary and collaborative Gates Cambridge community seeking to improve global society. As a future physician-scientist, I aspire to translate scientific advancements into precision medicine diagnostics and therapeutics.
Previous Education
University of North Carolina Medicine 2026
Imperial College London (University of London) Genomic Medicine 2017
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Biology 2016
Ms Ariel de Fauconberg
- 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 Ariel de Fauconberg
- 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
My interest in untangling the 'grand challenge' of climate change mitigation was sparked as a National Geographic documentary intern in 2007. Since then, my education and professional work has delved into understanding the complexities of this issue from a Management perspective. After earning an MPhil in Geography & the Environment at the University of Oxford, I worked as a Research Fellow at Babson College, conducting studies on clean energy entrepreneurship and female-led, high growth, high-potential firms. I intend to research climate change mitigation and transition strategies for my PhD. More specifically, I am interested in challenges that large organizations -- particularly those in the oil and gas industry -- face while pursuing alternative energy-related innovations. Given the potential severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts of many climate change-related phenomena on Earth systems, research in this area is necessary to produce theories and evidence on which we can base organizational decisions and public policies for the long-term well-being of global society. I am excited and honoured to be joining the Gates Cambridge community this year.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Innovation, Strategy, and Orga 2020
Bentley College Business Administration 2016
University of Oxford Geography and the Environment 2014
Ms Anwesha Lahiri
- The Vice President/Secretary works with the President to coordinate Council activities and to liaise with the Trust. Contact vice-president@gatescouncil.org
Ms Anwesha Lahiri
- The Vice President/Secretary works with the President to coordinate Council activities and to liaise with the Trust. Contact vice-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 Brandon Mercado-Saavedra
- Contact the Treasurer at treasurer@gatescouncil.org
Mr Brandon Mercado-Saavedra
- Contact the Treasurer at treasurer@gatescouncil.org
I grew up in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and went to Universidad Autonoma Gabriel Rene Moreno where I received a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. During my time as an undergrad student, I developed an interest in improving the health system of my country by performing research in those diseases that mostly affect Bolivia. The following year, I became part of a training program in charge of Professor Robert H. Gilman from the Johns Hopkins University, who gave me the opportunity of doing a master degree in Epidemiological research at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia where I studied the development of the most important chronic manifestation of Chagas disease (cardiomyopathy). During my training, I also completed courses in Argentina, Chile, Peru and the United States, which later allowed me to present my work at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). I was also awarded a fellowship in research at the Johns Hopkins University. At Cambridge, I will perform a PhD in Biochemistry studying the interaction of Toxoplasma gondii with the host cell under the supervision of Professor Ross Waller. Besides my academic work, I am interested in youth development for which I have been selected as a Bolivian Youth Ambassador, a program sponsored by the Department of State of the United States
Previous Education
Universidad Peruana Cayetano H Epidemiology and Research 2019
Universidad A Gabriel Rene M. Biochemistry 2017
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Ms Mine Koprulu
- Internal Officer
- The Internal Officer organises Internal Symposia each term and the Annual Gates Weekend of Research
Ms Mine Koprulu
- Internal Officer
- The Internal Officer organises Internal Symposia each term and the Annual Gates Weekend of Research
I am a young geneticist who is ambitious about improving healthcare and stratified medicine. At the age of 16, I attended to United World Colleges of Atlantic, an institute with a mission to use education as a force to unite people, nations and cultures for world peace and sustainable future. While at UWC, academically I became interested in studying disease genetics due to its potential to improve the lives of others. Thus, I studied BSc Human Genetics at UCL, where I developed an interest on the genetic basis of complex diseases. Afterwards, I studied MPhil in Genomic Medicine at Cambridge University as a Gates Scholar. During my master's, I worked at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute under Prof Zeggini's supervision on two complex disease bioinformatics projects where I worked with large datasets including UKBioBank. For my PhD, I will be studying the rare and low-frequency variants underlying diabetes using data from several biological levels under the supervision of Dr Langenberg. I am very intrigued about this project addressing the knowledge gap in complex disease genomics, given its potential to improve healthcare and stratified medicine. I am very excited to be a part of the influential Gates Cambridge community again.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Genomic Medicine 2018
University College London Human Genetics 2017
Mr Michael Salka
- External Community Officer
- The External Community Officer promotes scholar involvement in the community. Contact the Officer at external@gatescouncil.org
Mr Michael Salka
- External Community Officer
- The External Community Officer promotes scholar involvement in the community. Contact the Officer at external@gatescouncil.org
In the southwest Rocky Mountains, my formative years were spent shaping, and shaped by, non-human nature. My architectural career proceeded to harness environmental forces through the planning, design and construction of communal rainwater catchment pavilions in Rwanda; solar/geo-thermal powered, net-zero energy neighborhoods and mixed-use urban infill projects in the USA; and prototypical, self-sufficient, digitally-fabricated engineered timber homes, greenhouses, public space interventions, and future 'Biocities' in Spain. Presently, my doctoral research investigates how geospatial data can inform nature-based value chains for development which catalyze the sustainable regional economies we’ll need to meet the demand for a worldwide doubling of built floor area by 2060 - while mitigating and adapting to global climate change by advancing carbon neutrality, resource security, biodiversity, and ecologic resilience alongside human health and wellbeing.
Previous Education
Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia Advanced Ecological Buildings 2019
University of Colorado at Boulder Env. Design: Architecture 2014
Links
https://valldaura.net
https://www.instagram.com/mnmnsalka
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsalka
Miss Mahlaqua Noor
- Alumni Officer
- The Alumni Officer works closely with the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association to connect the Scholar and Alumni communities.
Miss Mahlaqua Noor
- Alumni Officer
- The Alumni Officer works closely with the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association to connect the Scholar and Alumni communities.
I want to gain a deeper understanding of how viruses engage with its host (us) and the arsenals we deploy to strike back. I did my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Jacobs University in Germany. Early exposure to research and extensive mentoring from my professors motivated me to pursue both on-campus and international research opportunities. I designed polyelectrolyte microcapsules for T-cell staining at Jacobs University and studied the cytokine-mediated death of intestinal organoids to understand the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease at NYU. For my thesis, I investigated the role of cathepsin K in the choroid plexus of mice brains. I also worked at a start-up company in Frankfurt conducting cognitive and neuroscience research. Simultaneously, I have explored my passions for science writing, education and health access, and community service. I served as an Assistant Editor in ‘The Journal of Young Investigators’ where I reviewed scientific manuscripts submitted by undergraduate researchers. I also served as the President of ‘Explore Bremen’, a student-initiated outreach club that mentors socio-economic disadvantaged and refugee kids. I am actively involved in science communication through blogging and graphic designing to help science reach a wider audience. At Cambridge, I am working in the lab of Dr. Mark Wills to investigate the modulation of Natural Killer (NK) cell responses by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Since HCMV infection can be fatal in immunocompromised patients, therapeutically targeting the viral reservoir via NK cells could have far-reaching clinical implications. I am incredibly honored and excited to be a part of the passionate and dynamic Gates Cambridge community.
Previous Education
Jacobs University Biochemistry and Cell Biology 2019
Ms Tanvi Rao
- Social Officer
- The Social Officers plan a variety of events in Cambridge and trips further afield throughout the year. Contact the Social Officers at social@gatescouncil.org
Ms Tanvi Rao
- Social Officer
- The Social Officers plan a variety of events in Cambridge and trips further afield throughout the year. Contact the Social Officers at social@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 Colin Lee
- Social Officer
- The Social Officers plan a variety of events in Cambridge and trips further afield throughout the year. Contact the Social Officers at social@gatescouncil.org
Mr Colin Lee
- Social Officer
- The Social Officers plan a variety of events in Cambridge and trips further afield throughout the year. Contact the Social Officers at social@gatescouncil.org
Most have a favourite colour, I have a favourite cell. Macrophages are tissue-resident immune cells that are the ‘first ones in and last ones out’ in most tissue insults. This crush started in 2018, while investigating a rare immune disorder where chronic EBV infection drove uncontrolled macrophage activation, corrupting our biggest ally into a fatal enemy. I went on to study these cells in other contexts, including pregnancy, where placental macrophages have a plethora of roles essential for fetal health. By the midpoint of my medical studies at Cambridge University, I was committed to dedicating more time to immunology research, which has the potential to transform all fields of medicine. For my PhD, I bring my interests in tissue-resident immunity to triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and the lack of effective therapies in TNBC is a major unmet clinical need. By combining computational methods with functional disease models, I hope to derive translatable insights to antibody and macrophage-directed responses within tumours, which may yield novel therapeutic strategies in TNBC. Outside of the lab, I am passionate about sports, education outreach and medical education.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Medicine 2020
Olin Moctezuma-Burns
- Communications Officer
- The Communications Officer is the conduit for assembling and distributing information to and about the Scholar community
Olin Moctezuma-Burns
- Communications Officer
- The Communications Officer is the conduit for assembling and distributing information to and about the Scholar community
My research examines kitchen archives from the early modern period into the digital age in England and Mexico. Melding together past and present, I will bring together the perspectives and practices of families and collaborative authors, dealers, archivists, scholars, and members of the public to inquire into the impulse to create, preserve, and use repositories of informal, everyday knowledge and the losses and silences along the way.
Previous Education
University College London Early Modern Studies 2019
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico English Language and lit. 2017
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Mr Stanley Onyemechalu
- Gates Community Officer
- The Gates Community Officers are responsible for fostering an inclusive Gates Community. Contact the Gates Community Officer at community@gatescouncil.org
Mr Stanley Onyemechalu
- Gates Community Officer
- The Gates Community Officers are responsible for fostering an inclusive Gates Community. Contact the Gates Community Officer at community@gatescouncil.org
Growing up in south-eastern Nigeria, a recurring phrase among elderly Igbo people in the region is, “before the War…”, followed by narratives of how things used to be and how things could have been. This piqued my interest in cultural heritage and how they are impacted by tragedies and conflicts. During my B.A. at the University of Nigeria, I studied how prolonged interregnal periods in certain Igbo communities, occasioned by succession difficulties after the death of a king, could impact cultural continuity. Now, I will be exploring the destructive and generative impacts of Nigeria’s 30-month Civil war, remembered as the “Biafran War”, on the cultural identity and patrimony of the Igbo people. At Cambridge, my PhD research will focus more explicitly on the complex interaction of conflict and intangible heritage and the dissonances in memorialisation, canonisation, representation and silencing. I hope to further our understanding of the uses of heritage during conflicts and to help post-conflict communities to develop comprehensive approaches to their heritage in order to inform policies for dealing with the legacies of difficult pasts. I am thrilled to belong to the Gates community and I look forward to an impactful partnership.
Previous Education
University of Nigeria Cultural Resources Management 2020
University of Nigeria Archaeology and Tourism 2016
Miss Bailey Weatherbee
- 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 Bailey Weatherbee
- 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
Since childhood, I was always fascinated by developmental biology. I wanted to understand how a single cell could become a complex organism. After matriculating as an Honors Biology student at the University of Delaware, I joined Dr. Salil A. Lachke’s developmental genetics laboratory where I studied the role of RNA-binding protein-mediated post-transcriptional regulation in mammalian ocular lens development. Simultaneously, I explored my passions for education access and science advocacy. Since 2014, I’ve worked with Leading Youth Through Empowerment – a non-profit that offers accelerated coursework to high-achieving at-risk youth. I also participated in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Advocacy Training Program through which I met with the offices of my senators and representative to advocate for science funding and education.At Cambridge, I will carry out my Ph.D. project in the laboratory of Dr. Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz studying the post-implantation development of human and mouse embryos. Post-implantation stages are referred to as the “black box” of development, and very little is known about these early stages when many pregnancies fail. Recently, Dr. Zernicka-Goetz’s group developed a culture system that opened this “black box” and I look forward to finding what lies within it. I am honored to join the motivated and interdisciplinary Gates Cambridge community.
Previous Education
University of Delaware Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences 2019
Mr Juan Rueda Silva
- Technology Officer
- The Technology Officers are responsible for maintaining the electronic hardware and software in the Scholars' Common Room. Email: tech@gatescouncil.org
Mr Juan Rueda Silva
- Technology Officer
- The Technology Officers are responsible for maintaining the electronic hardware and software in the Scholars' Common Room. Email: tech@gatescouncil.org
I became passionate about biological systems and epigenetic regulation while I was studying my B.Sc. in Biotechnology Engineering at Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey – Campus Estado de Mexico, but also intricated with the complexities of these systems. I am convinced that they hold the key for treating diseases with clinical unmet needs, as such during my undergraduate program I conducted research related with RNA biology and gene silencing. During my PhD in genetics at Cambridge I will work on conducting research on RNA epigenetics and posttranscriptional gene regulation, as I strongly believe that these areas of research will allow us to gain a better understanding of the functioning of biological systems and to search for potential treatments for diseases, such as Cancer. I am very proud and excited to be a part of the Gates Cambridge Community, a community of scholars who believe in the power of knowledge for transforming societies.
Previous Education
Inst Tecnológico de Monterrey Estado de Mexico Biotechnology Engineering 2020
Mr Phillip Kieval
- Learning for Purpose Co-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 Phillip Kieval
- Learning for Purpose Co-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
My work focuses on the structure and content of representations in deep neural networks. State-of-the-art machine learning systems are ubiquitous in modern life. Deep neural networks exhibit a remarkable level of predictive success worthy of the popular label of artificial intelligence (AI). These systems find applications in everything from algorithmic decision assistance in medicine and criminal justice to playing board games like chess and Go. Our epistemic networks are increasingly intertwined with machine learning algorithms, and scientists rely on them in computational models. However, deep learning systems are opaque in ways that make explaining their capacities intractable. Philosophers of science are uniquely positioned to investigate critical questions concerning the widespread implementation of AI systems. How can deep neural networks teach us about the brain? How do these models generate explanations in science? To what extent does science demand transparency in AI? How should rapid technological advancements in AI inform public policy? How can we promote more humane and egalitarian implementations of AI in public life? Understanding how AI exploits abstract representations can shed light on these important questions.
Previous Education
University of Houston Philosophy 2021
University of Houston Philosophy 2019
Ms Zsuzsanna Ihar
- Learning for Purpose Co-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
Ms Zsuzsanna Ihar
- Learning for Purpose Co-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 on one of the most fertile river islands in Europe, surrounded by industrial-scale farms and greenhouses, I had the chance to witness the workings of the commercial agro-food sector firsthand. It seems everyone around me was incorporated within the agricultural apparatus in some shape or form. Childhood friends grew imported seedlings in high-tech hothouses; cousins gained employment as seasonal labourers; whilst older relatives regaled stories of unified agricultural cooperatives and lamented the loss of collective farms. Hearing these stories, it soon became apparent that any account of agricultural history or theory entailed noticing material relations and affective encounters - drawing humans, machinery, crops, chemicals, and animal beings into a complex fold. This observation led me to study both plant pathology and immunology in tandem with sociology and cultural studies, granting an intimate view into scientific knowledge production. During my PhD, I hope to examine the biopolitics of historical and contemporary seed banking initiatives, with special emphasis on patent laws and ownership structures surrounding wild landrace varieties. Additionally, I am also interested in anti-capitalist, non-institutional, and insurgent forms of agroscience. I am grateful to be a part of the Gates program and its interdisciplinary community of scholars.
Previous Education
University of Sydney Environmental Sociology 2020
University of Sydney Sociology, Cultural Studies 2017
University of Sydney Faculty Scholars Program 2017
Links
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Ms Charikleia Triantafyllidou
- 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
Ms Charikleia Triantafyllidou
- 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
The goal of my PhD research is to explore prosody (stress, rhythm, intonation) and socioeconomic status as factors influencing the development of reading abilities, and I am particularly interested in silent reading (implicit prosody). During my undergraduate studies in English Language and Literature at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, I was exposed to aspects of first and second language acquisition, and as an Erasmus+ student at the University of Edinburgh, I became increasingly interested in language processing and psycholinguistics. During my MPhil in Applied Linguistics at Trinity College Dublin, I focused on dyslexia, prosodic processing, and Computer-Assisted Language Learning. By investigating reading abilities among typically developing readers, my aim is to shed light on the role of prosodic processing and production in reading comprehension, to unveil the impact of hidden socioeconomic inequalities on literacy acquisition, and to investigate the extent to which reading difficulties remain undiagnosed. This research will aid in the diagnosis and the development of accommodations for reading difficulties and a more thorough understanding of how these difficulties can go undetected by educators.
Previous Education
University of Dublin Trinity College Applied Linguistics 2020
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki English Language & Literature 2018
Links
Mr Facundo Rodriguez
- Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Scholar magazine
- The DEIC supports the EIC in the production of The Scholar magazine. Email: deic@gatescouncil.org
Mr Facundo Rodriguez
- Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Scholar magazine
- The DEIC supports the EIC in the production of The Scholar magazine. Email: deic@gatescouncil.org
I grew up in the beautiful city of Pilar in Argentina but left to pursue a BSc Politics and Philosophy at LSE. As an undergraduate, I became particularly intrigued by questions regarding the nature of goodness and evil and dedicated my dissertation to the (apparent) incompatibility between the existence of God and the evil in our world. During my MSc Political Theory at LSE, I continued to inquire into the intricate nature of moral properties and their normativity through the close study of Kant, Hobbes, Marx and Aristotle. I ultimately came to think that the normativity of ethics might not spring from rationality but from requirements of interpersonal relations. With this in mind, I devoted my MPhil Philosophy research at Cambridge to uncovering what love and friendship are all about. I will continue this study in my PhD by asking whether acting ethically is a necessary presupposition of acting with someone. I hope my project will offer a framework to understand not only the source of the normativity of moral demands but also the moral dimension of our personal and political relations with each other. I am humbled to join the Gates Cambridge community and look forward to working with such a talented group of scholars.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Philosophy 2021
London School of Economics & Political Science (Un Political theory 2020
London School of Economics & Political Science (Un Politics and Philosophy 2019
Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frodriguezx2
https://facundorodriguez.site
Ms Adaiah Hudgins-Lopez
- Assistant Editor of The Scholar magazine
- The Assistant Editor is part of a three-person team which produces The Scholar magazine. Email: ae@gatescouncil.org
Ms Adaiah Hudgins-Lopez
- Assistant Editor of The Scholar magazine
- The Assistant Editor is part of a three-person team which produces The Scholar magazine. Email: ae@gatescouncil.org
I am from Detroit, Michigan and spent my teenage years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During my studies in Anthropology and English at Bowdoin College, I explored how humans express differences in their lived experiences to each other. I was a recipient of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, where I studied how storytelling can facilitate communication across differences in the context of school district community engagement. My professional experiences after Bowdoin solidified and honed my commitment to serving people while introducing me to the intersections of law, community engagement, and the American immigration system. During my PhD in Social Anthropology, I will build on my MPhil research and continue learning about the relationship between legal systems and immigrant communities in Detroit (USA) and Windsor (Canada). By researching immigration law, legal consciousness, and how undocumented immigrants form collective identity, I hope to elevate immigrant voices and promote the autonomy of immigrant communities. I am honored to be a part of the Gates Cambridge community, where we all strive to learn how to serve people better.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Social Anthropology 2022
Bowdoin College Anthropology, English 2018
Mr Nicholas Goldrosen
- Orientation Co-Director
- The Orientation officers lead and organise the new Scholar orientation activities. Contact the Orientation Committee at orientation@gatescouncil.org
Mr Nicholas Goldrosen
- Orientation Co-Director
- The Orientation officers lead and organise the new Scholar orientation activities. Contact the Orientation Committee at orientation@gatescouncil.org
In much of my own work — interning with the Inspector General for the New York Police Department, analyzing local criminal justice data in Massachusetts (where I attended Williams College for my BA in political science and mathematics), and serving on a user group for the US Administrative Office of the Courts — I have seen how transparency and data can enable reform in the criminal legal system, particularly with regards to racism and inequity. As a current criminology MPhil student, I research how police react to criminal legal reforms, such as progressive prosecution, and how these reactions affect the efficacy of reform. For my PhD, I will study how misconduct and discrimination spread throughout police peer networks. I have seen, through my own and my family’s experiences, that the criminal legal system does possess the ability — though used inequitably and too infrequently — to treat people with minimal intrusion and punishment. I hope that by using quantitative tools to identify barriers to reform, I can contribute to a reimagining of how we prevent and respond to harm as a society. I am immensely grateful for the support and grace I have been shown along the way by so many, including the Gates Cambridge Trust.
Previous Education
University of Cambridge Criminological Research 2021
Williams College Political Science and Math 2020
Mr Henry Taylor
- Orientation Co-Director
- The Orientation officers lead and organise the new Scholar orientation activities. Contact the Orientation Committee at orientation@gatescouncil.org
Mr Henry Taylor
- Orientation Co-Director
- The Orientation officers lead and organise the new Scholar orientation activities. Contact the Orientation Committee at orientation@gatescouncil.org
As an undergraduate at Duke University, I developed a keen interest in utilizing computational models to investigate the underlying mechanisms of human disease. I resolved to concentrate my career on connecting biology, mathematics, and computer science, with a focus on applications to human health. Shortly after graduating from Duke with a BSc in Computational Biology, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Francis Collins at the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), where I studied the molecular underpinnings of diabetes using genetic and genomic techniques. While at the NIH, I became acutely aware of the health inequities that persist worldwide, and I pursued training to prepare myself for a career focused on addressing systemic health inequities. During my doctoral training at Cambridge, I plan to combine my interests in human disease and health inequities to study the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) across diverse ancestries. It is my hope that my doctoral research will enhance the treatment and prevention of T2D for all people. I am immensely grateful and humbled to join the Gates Cambridge community, and I look forward to learning from the other scholars across diverse disciplines.
Previous Education
Duke University Computational Biology 2018
Alumni Association
All Scholars automatically become members of the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association (GCAA) at the end of their award. The GCAA Board (whose work is funded by the Trust) aims to build a global network of alumni dedicated to improving the lives of others, to promote the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and to engage alumni through the exchange of knowledge, academic ideas and professional development.
You can find out more information on the Alumni page.
Core funding
Your Gates Cambridge Scholarship includes the following core components:
- Tuition Fee
- Maintenance allowance (£17,848 for 12 months at the 2021–22 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 detail 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: up to £500
- Two-year degree: up to £1,250
- Three-year degree or longer: up to £2,000
Please note that (a) you can only apply for a maximum of £500 in the probationary first year of your PhD and (b) 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. For PhD students: Academic Development activities may not be applied for during a period of writing up (4th year), however you may attend an activity during your period of writing up if you apply to attend and register for the event whilst in your third year.
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, laptops, cameras etc.). 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.
**Updated Policy during Coronavirus Pandemic** – During the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Trust will consider Academic Development Funding requests from scholars in their 4th year (not 5th year) who were unable to attend a conference last academic year because it was cancelled. 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 exceptionally 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.
Please note this is a temporary agreement and the Trust has the right to end this scheme at any time.
Apply for Academic Development Funding
Family Allowance
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.
The Trust reviews all applications for discretionary funding individually and reserves the right to request supporting evidence for an application. Scholars should not assume that the Trust can always assist them and must therefore seek pre-approval before incurring any costs that they cannot cover. The Trust retains final discretion over whether funding is awarded and the total amount.
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.
