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Muaz Chaudhry
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Pakistan
- 2025 PhD Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies
- King's College
Muaz Chaudhry
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Pakistan
- 2025 PhD Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies
- King's College
The social battles I fight today started in my late teens, facing a world that expected me to fail and sought to isolate me for embracing my true self. But I chose to carve my own path, embrace my identity, and defy societal expectations. My journey has always been about ensuring that marginalized communities don’t endure the same struggles I faced. With relentless determination, I graduated as valedictorian in college, earned the Humanitarian and the Dean’s Distinguished Leadership Awards at UChicago, was named an Obama Scholar, and earned numerous other accolades—now hanging on the wall of my childhood home in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Through Gender Rights Watch (GRW), the organization I co-founded, I continue to advocate and conduct research to improve the lives of millions. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship opens yet another chapter in my mission for justice and equality. My PhD research, focused on the Economics of Gender, explores the determinants and consequences of labor market exclusion for trans and queer communities in South Asia. I dedicate this scholarship to my late Amajan (grandmother), who served as a motivation throughout my journey, and to the oppressed minorities I aim to uplift through this prestigious platform.
Previous Education
University of Chicago Public Policy
University of Chicago Social Sector Leadership
Mercy Chimezie
- Scholar-elect
- Nigeria
- 2025 MPhil Management
- Downing College
Mercy Chimezie
- Scholar-elect
- Nigeria
- 2025 MPhil Management
- Downing College
Growing up in Nigeria instilled in me a strong passion for advancing food security and expanding access to quality education for children in underserved communities. My interest in agriculture is driven by its potential to empower smallholder farmers and strengthen the economy, while my commitment to education is rooted in its power to transform lives and break cycles of poverty. At Ashesi University, where I studied Computer Science, I developed strong problem-solving skills and an ethical, entrepreneurial mindset. Through my undergraduate experience, I came to understand that creating sustainable impact also requires a solid foundation in business and management.At Cambridge, I will pursue an MPhil in Management to prepare myself as a business leader who leverages technology to drive meaningful, scalable change in agriculture and education. I am deeply honored to join the Gates Cambridge community and to collaborate with scholars committed to improving the lives of others around the world.
Previous Education
Ashesi University Computer Science
Kar Yern Chin
- Scholar-elect
- Malaysia
- 2025 MPhil World History
- St Catharine's College
Kar Yern Chin
- Scholar-elect
- Malaysia
- 2025 MPhil World History
- St Catharine's College
Born and raised in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, I grew up enticed by nutritional programs in public schools. I honed my interest in state food programs through my senior thesis on historical conceptions of Malaysian food at Williams College, USA. After graduating with a BA in History and Computer Science, I conducted research on informal hawker economies, palm oil labour, and state milk projects at the ASEAN Research Centre, Asia School of Business, Kuala Lumpur. I am also a team member of the Malaysia Design Archive (MDA), a grassroots archive of Malaysian history and visual culture, where I coordinate programmes for community education. For my master’s program, I look to investigate the labour and political history of home economics education enacted by the Malaysian state in the 1950s and 1960s. I aim to examine the imposition of home economics’ logic of development and productivity on Malay women’s household practices, exploring the ways in which Malay women understood and contended with these ideas. I seek to apply my historical work toward better understanding and shaping contemporary food discourses, systems, and policies in Southeast Asia.
Previous Education
Williams College History, Computer Science
Jane Clarke
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil American History
- Jesus College
Jane Clarke
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil American History
- Jesus College
I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and received my B.A. in American Studies and History from Northwestern University. At university, I developed an interest in the history of American imperialism and the history of popular culture. I was particularly fascinated by the intersection of these fields–what could imperial themes in popular culture tell historians about how everyday people thought about their country’s empire? For my senior thesis, I explored ideologies of imperialism in popular American children’s texts from the first half of the twentieth century. I will continue this research at Cambridge, taking a comparative approach between American children’s books and classic British children’s texts. This research will shed light on the distinctive qualities of US imperialism at the popular level, not just the diplomatic one. I believe strongly in the impact of historical research, and have witnessed firsthand how a greater understanding of history can shape an individual's engagement with the world. After Cambridge, and with the support of the Gates community, I hope to not only share my research with the broader public but also strengthen a public commitment to historical engagement.
Previous Education
Northwestern University American Studies & History
Una Corbett
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Public Policy
- Jesus College
Una Corbett
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Public Policy
- Jesus College
My academic training in History and Literature as an undergraduate at Harvard motivated me to pursue a career in government, helping to craft policies that address historically embedded social inequality. This drive has led me to work on the Biden-Harris campaign and transition team, serve as Confidential Assistant to Secretary Miguel Cardona at the U.S. Department of Education, and do research and communications work for the Governor of California. I have also spent a year in Sydney, Australia as a Fulbright Scholar researching gender and higher education policy. I am excited to pursue an MPhil in Public Policy at Cambridge as a Gates-Cambridge Scholar. I hope to develop research expertise and international perspective that will help me pursue a career in policy development and implementation, particularly focused on housing and education.
Previous Education
Harvard University History and Literature
Western Sydney University Policy and History
Nicholas Danby
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Politics and International Studies
- St John's College
Nicholas Danby
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Politics and International Studies
- St John's College
I grew up in Bangor, Maine, and studied history and foreign policy at Harvard. During college, my research examined postwar U.S. national security strategies and how Western governments navigated great power realignments. With a deep sense of duty and a recognition that I could not truly grasp international security dynamics unless I experienced them firsthand, I joined the US Navy as an intelligence officer. During my time on active duty, I advised senior leaders aboard an aircraft carrier and at the Pentagon, liaised with allies, and analyzed America's threats and competitors.These experiences not only underscored the importance and challenge of balancing military capability with diplomatic engagement, but also the need for history, strategic theory, and policy to work in tandem. At Cambridge, I plan to explore how historical models of nuclear diplomacy can guide modern approaches to strategic competition, particularly how countries can strike a stable coexistence amid great tension.As a Gates-Cambridge Scholar, I look forward to engaging with international perspectives while crafting strategic solutions guided by hindsight, insight, and foresight, and a commitment to peace.
Previous Education
Harvard University History and Government
Elijah Darden
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Population Health Sciences
- Clare Hall
Elijah Darden
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Population Health Sciences
- Clare Hall
Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I witnessed the health discrepancies of my family living in urban Illinois and rural Wisconsin. Combined with my maternal lineage and my experience with a genetic cancer syndrome, I was inspired to improve health equity across diverse populations. This led to my undergraduate studies in psychological and brain sciences and music at Washington University in St. Louis, where I learned the importance of finding consilience between diverse fields of study. I applied these philosophies in spearheading community education and public health interventions and conducting research in both the basic sciences and psychology. Drawing upon these experiences, I am excited to continue my studies at Cambridge alongside my fellow Gates-Cambridge scholars, where we are united in our pursuit of leaving meaningful impacts on our communities and the world. As a Population Health Sciences student at Cambridge, I look forward to gaining the expertise to both mean well and do well in my aspirations to improve health equity through research and tailored interventions in medical and community health education.
Previous Education
Washington University Psychological/Brain Sciences
Judith Dehnen
- Scholar-elect
- Germany
- 2025 PhD Psychology
- Trinity College
Judith Dehnen
- Scholar-elect
- Germany
- 2025 PhD Psychology
- Trinity College
"As long as our brain is a mystery, the universe will also be a mystery." – Since encountering this quote from Santiago Ramón y Cajal during the first week of my undergraduate psychology studies, I have been driven to explore the mysteries of the brain. I was particularly fascinated by cases in which changes in the brain led to clinical alterations in behaviour – this encouraged me to pursue a Master's degree in Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Cologne. My particular interest lies in the mechanisms of early neurodevelopment in Autism Spectrum Disorder, which I will investigate during my PhD with Dr. Richard Bethlehem. I aim to analyse neuroimaging data from toddlers using advanced statistical techniques like normative modelling to elucidate this very early period of neurodevelopment. Besides the research itself, I deeply care about science communication and equal opportunities in education, since I believe knowledge and education should not be a privilege, but accessible to all. Outside of my studies, I play the viola in several chamber music ensembles and orchestras, enjoy spending time outdoors and love reading books.
Previous Education
University of Würzburg Psychology
University of British Columbia Psychology/Neuroscience
University of Cologne Exp. and Clinical Neuroscience
Élisabeth Demers-Potvin
- Scholar-elect
- Canada
- 2025 PhD Medical Science at MRC Epidemiology Unit
- Newnham College
Élisabeth Demers-Potvin
- Scholar-elect
- Canada
- 2025 PhD Medical Science at MRC Epidemiology Unit
- Newnham College
My passion for food and sharing meals with loved ones led me to pursue a BSc in nutrition at Université Laval (Québec City, Canada). During my studies, I worked with various research teams at Centre NUTRISS, where I discovered my interest in dietary public health. I quickly became passionate about researching ways to tackle global public health challenges, such as the rising prevalence of obesity, by creating healthier food environments through policy. My MSc research examined the exposure of children to sugary beverage marketing in six countries with different marketing policy environments. The UK’s upcoming advertising restrictions for less healthy foods on TV and online are seen as global forerunners to improve population health. During my PhD at Cambridge, I will examine changes to marketing strategies following the implementation of the globally novel UK advertising restrictions, which may undermine their public health impact. Findings will help refine UK policy and inform policymakers internationally to develop comprehensive marketing restrictions that can support healthier food environments. I am thrilled to join the vibrant and diverse Gates Cambridge community that shares my vision of leading large-scale change.
Previous Education
Université Laval Nutrition
Eréndira Derbez
- Scholar-elect
- Mexico, France
- 2025 PhD Latin American Studies
- Sidney Sussex College
Eréndira Derbez
- Scholar-elect
- Mexico, France
- 2025 PhD Latin American Studies
- Sidney Sussex College
I grew up in Veracruz in Mexico and I completed a BA in Art History and a fully funded MA in Art Studies in Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City where I also worked as an academic assistant. Afterwards, I competed a MSc in Gender, Media and Culture in LSE. As an author and a researcher I focus on the relationship between art, gender and politics. During my MA and MSc I focused on the historical role of Inés Amor and Leonora Carrington. Furthermore, I co authored the books No son micro. Machismos Cotidianos (2020), Mapas Corporales (2023) and authored Inés Amor y los Primeros Años de la Galería de Arte Mexicano (2024), among other publications. My recent work focuses on art, resistance and protest. During my PhD in Latin American Studies, I will explore the role of artistic interventions and public art within the context of Mexican civil society's response to extreme violence over the past decade. My research aims to enhance contemporary art studies by examining artistic expressions beyond traditional galleries or museums, incorporating protest expressions integral to the visual imaginary that significantly influence cultural studies in Latin America.
Previous Education
Universidad Iberoamericana (Iberoamericana Univers Art Studies
London School of Economics & Political Science (Un Gender Studies
Niño Jan Pol Dosdos
- Scholar-elect
- Philippines
- 2025 MPhil Social Anthropological Research
- Homerton College
Niño Jan Pol Dosdos
- Scholar-elect
- Philippines
- 2025 MPhil Social Anthropological Research
- Homerton College
Born and raised in Pagadian City, Mindanao, my volunteer work with indigenous, urban poor, and rural communities has inspired my academic pursuits. At the University of Toronto, my studies in Anthropology and Public Policy, along with a minor in Contemporary Asian Studies, have provided me with a rigorous and supportive research environment. From my hometown, where I supported the revitalization of culinary traditions, to Newfoundland, where I employed walking methodologies to study the Filipino diaspora, my passion for connecting and engaging with people complements my background in anthropology—a discipline that seeks to make sense of human differences and interrogates what it means to be human. My MPhil in Social Anthropological Research aims to pioneer an anthro-historical inquiry into the North Borneo/Sabah territorial dispute. I hope to explore how competing colonial interpretations of a contract have laid the groundwork for post-war contestations that obscure indigenous understandings of land and water. As a Gates Cambridge scholar, I aspire to contribute to decolonial efforts by analyzing language and power structures and re-centering local communities in discussions about the pressing issues of our time.
Previous Education
University of Toronto Anthropology and Public Policy
Maria Jose Espinosa Castañeda
- Scholar-elect
- Colombia
- 2025 PhD Spanish and Portuguese
- Trinity Hall
Maria Jose Espinosa Castañeda
- Scholar-elect
- Colombia
- 2025 PhD Spanish and Portuguese
- Trinity Hall
I am drawn to literature for its profound engagement with every aspect of life, from the existential to the everyday, and for its capacity to bring forth alternative ways of existence. In my MPhil dissertation at Cambridge, I explored the concept of spatial dignity in the way marginalised subjects conceived and practiced space in Mexico during the Porfiriato. For my PhD project, I aim to challenge prevailing notions of the Latin American desert as an empty, desolate space, and to interrogate how such representations have contributed to the disposability of both human and non-human life. Bringing together contemporary Latin American texts and diverse aesthetic forms, I explore how imaginaries of emptiness have underpinned extractivism, epistemicide, and the dehumanisation of migrants. I believe the stories we tell are inextricably linked to our epistemological and affective engagements with the world, placing literature in a unique position to stir the imagination and reshape our collective consciousness.
Previous Education
Universidad de Los Andes Literature
University of Cambridge ELAC
Mahya Fazel-Zarandi
- Scholar-elect
- Canada
- 2025 PhD Medical Science at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
- Homerton College
Mahya Fazel-Zarandi
- Scholar-elect
- Canada
- 2025 PhD Medical Science at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
- Homerton College
I am a senior at Princeton University, majoring in Molecular Biology with a minor in Quantitative and Computational Biology. My senior thesis, advised by Professor Joshua Rabinowitz, is focused on investigating the structure-function relationship of thymidine analogs in cancer therapy. On campus, I am the co-founder and co-president of the Princeton Association of Women in STEM and serve as a science writer for The Daily Princetonian. From the lab bench to the newsroom, I have cultivated a deep passion for scientific discovery and sharing the joy of science by making it accessible to broader audiences. I hope to build on these experiences at the University of Cambridge by developing new therapeutic approaches for high grade serous ovarian carcinoma, while also engaging with a global network of thinkers dedicated to scientific dialogue and communication. I am excited to expand my scientific toolkit, deepen my understanding of translational medicine, and explore the natural and historical beauty of Cambridge alongside fellow Gates scholars.
Previous Education
Princeton University Molecular Biology
Ana Luisa Ferreira Granja
- Scholar-elect
- Brazil
- 2025 PhD Chemistry
- Corpus Christi College
Ana Luisa Ferreira Granja
- Scholar-elect
- Brazil
- 2025 PhD Chemistry
- Corpus Christi College
I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and later moved to Vancouver to pursue a BSc. in Chemistry at the University of British Columbia. In my research, I combined my interests in fundamental reactivity with my passion for sustainability by developing ways to make new biodegradable materials, and studying catalysts for energy storage and carbon dioxide conversion. During my PhD, I hope to leverage biological principles to develop artificial metalloenzymes with novel reactivity. With this research, I seek to harvest nature’s catalytic abilities and use them to tackle global issues such as access to medical treatment and water remediation. I am thrilled to join the Gates Cambridge cohort and work with driven scholars from all over the world!
Previous Education
University of British Columbia Chemistry Honours
Markey Freudenburg-Puricelli
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Environmental Policy
- Murray Edwards College (New Hall)
Markey Freudenburg-Puricelli
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Environmental Policy
- Murray Edwards College (New Hall)
As an MIT undergraduate in geoscience, I have travelled to different corners of the world to conduct geologic fieldwork. These experiences have made plain to me the need for policies that protect those most vulnerable to environmental change. I remember, for instance, the lingering damage from a devastating El Niño that brought unprecedented flooding to my Peruvian host town. I recall the vulnerability of small Andean villages nestled in the shadows of active volcanoes. Resolving the consequences of environmental catastrophe is no longer a question of science, but a question of society. We don’t lack scientific skills— we lack people skills. This is the gap I want to fill in my academic work and future career: I want to leverage the relationship between science and policy to make a visible, discernible impact on the Earth, particularly considering the urgency of our modern climate crisis. At Cambridge, I seek an education in the economic and political dimensions of environmental regulation, one which will equip me with the tools to harness the promise of scientific advancement. With the necessary political, legal, and economic context, I will escort trusted Earth science out of the realm of the laboratory and into the real world.
Previous Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Geoscience
Benjamin Friedman
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 PhD Film and Screen Studies
- Peterhouse
Benjamin Friedman
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 PhD Film and Screen Studies
- Peterhouse
I graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video while minoring in African/African American Studies. I continued my education by earning a Master of Arts from the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies at New York University, where the study of filmmaking on the African continent became my focus. When conducting research on filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo, I learned about international omnibus films, or anthology works which feature contributions from directors around the world. At Cambridge, I look forward to crafting a thesis dedicated to omnibus segments produced by filmmakers from African countries and the nature of being asked to represent a nation or perhaps even an entire continent. My goal is to reevaluate the omnibus voice as a space where filmmakers speak alongside one another, challenging the academic perception of a homogeneous, African film language. Finally, I would not be a Gates Cambridge Scholar without the help of faculty references. I thank Dr. Faye Ginsburg, Dr. Manthia Diawara, and Dr. Marina Hassapopoulou for supporting my applications to the PhD in Film and Screen Studies course and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Previous Education
Grand Valley State University Film and Video
New York University Cinema Studies
Pranav Ganta
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Global Risk and Resilience
- Wolfson College
Pranav Ganta
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Global Risk and Resilience
- Wolfson College
Originally from Texas, I earned a Bachelor’s in neuroscience and a concurrent Master’s in chemistry at Harvard, where I adopted a “cell to society” approach, combining medicine, law, and policy as instruments for advocacy across different scales of change. At Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, I researched the development of a novel oncolytic virus to treat glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. I have also conducted policy research on AI-equipped medical devices, brain-machine interfaces, and healthcare access for refugees, presenting findings to key government and private sector stakeholders. Pursuing an MPhil in Global Risk and Resilience at Cambridge, I aim to leverage my background in science and policy to develop frameworks for governing and de-risking emerging technologies at the intersection of the digital world and life sciences— a field called cyberbiosecurity. Ultimately, I aspire to advocate for patients on a broader scale, ensuring advances in biotechnology are safeguarded through responsible governance and resilient health systems. I am honored and excited to join the Gates Cambridge community.
Previous Education
Harvard University Neuroscience
Snigdha Gupta
- Scholar-elect
- India
- 2025 PhD Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Wolfson College
Snigdha Gupta
- Scholar-elect
- India
- 2025 PhD Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Wolfson College
“So, how did you end up here?”I hear this often—an Indian woman working in the Korean government, researching rural Korean women’s lives, translating Korean literature. But for me, the journey has felt like a thread pulling gently and insistently across borders. I grew up in New Delhi, in a Bengali household shaped by the quiet shifts of rural-to-urban migration. Years later, while learning Korean out of curiosity, I recognized the same patterns—displacement, development, resilience—echoing in a language and history far from my own.That recognition brought me to Seoul National University as a Korean Government Scholar, where I studied rural women’s seed-saving movements and saw how, in both Korea and India, the cost of progress is often paid by women who quietly keep traditions—and food systems—alive. At Cambridge, I will study the gendered impacts of rural decline in South Korea, focusing on older women farmers, marriage migrants, and young gwichon returnees. I hope my work helps reimagine rural futures—not just in Korea, but in other fast-developing nations where women quietly carry the weight of change.
Previous Education
University of Dehli (Lady Shri Ram College) English Literature
Seoul National University Int. Studies(Korean Studies)
