Directory

During my undergraduate studies in Physics at the University of Munich (LMU), I first utilised quantitative data-driven approaches for biological challenges within my Bachelor’s thesis in the field of peptide sequencing. Using my analytical background, I employed novel machine learning methods to study the neuronal activity in neurodegenerative diseases as a Master’s student in Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. Intrigued by the complexity of neurodegenerative diseases, I envision analysing the brain elasticity and neuronal activity correlatively in neurodegenerative diseases during my PhD in Biotechnology. This is achieved through developing multi-modal models on MRI data and electrophysiological recordings, which utilise computer vision and metric learning concepts. By highlighting both properties and possibly establishing a causal link, I hope to contribute to novel insights and progress in this field. This may lead to finding novel biomarkers for earlier diagnosis as well as unravelling unknowns in neurodegeneration, which is urgently needed for the devastating prospects for patients.

Previous Education

University of Cambridge Biotechnology 2022
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen Physics 2021

My main research interests lie in the development of a broad range of new technologies that employ living organisms to make diverse products in an efficient and environmental-friendly way. I’m particularly interested in how interdisciplinary knowledge, large-scale computation and data analytics can lead to new discoveries in the growing field of biotechnology. During my undergraduate studies in Engineering Physics at the University of Iceland I’ve worked on diverse research projects ranging from the design of new bioreactors for growing microalgae to the development of kinetic algorithms for the simulation of nucleic acid reaction pathways. They have consisted of broad cooperation between universities, companies and institutions, where different expertise and resources were used to reach a common goal. I’ve also been a teaching assistant in three different courses, co-founded a small teaching company and taken part in several out-reach programmes to get children interested in science. I think the new MPhil programme in Biotechnology at Cambridge will broaden my vision and improve my possibilities to help seize some of the great opportunities that this emerging field has to offer. I am honoured to join the diverse and vibrant Gates Cambridge community and look forward to being a part of this global network of future leaders.

Previous Education

University of Iceland

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

https://linktr.ee/ct620
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ct620

As a Biochemistry Master’s student, in India, I developed an interest in Plant Sciences. As a Research Fellow, in New Delhi, my research focused on understanding the evolution of photosynthesis, which is useful to plant breeders for varietal trait development and Food Security. Previously, in a collaborative research project at Cambridge, we identified that monocots graft at the root-shoot interface, this pivotal work overturned the long-standing consensus that monocots cannot graft. Further, I am working on translational impact of the grafting approach using perennial monocots, which will be useful in imparting disease resistance in economically relevant crops like banana and oil palms. During my Gates Cambridge PhD Scholarship, I will aim to integrate the most efficient version of photosynthesis, known as the C4 pathway in rice, using the newly developed technique of cereal grafting and hybridisation. Rice is a global food staple and converting rice to use C4 photosynthesis is expected to not only increase yields by 50% but will also enhance water and nitrogen use efficiency. My research vision is to carry out cutting-edge fundamental and translational research that will lead to real impact to farmers both in India and globally.

Previous Education

University of Lucknow Biochemistry 2010
University of Lucknow Botany/Chemistry/Zoology 2008

I had the good fortune to receive my first Gates scholarship to study mitochondria-targeted antioxidants and other related chemicals, which could potentially help in the treatment of diseases such a Parkinson disease or Alzheimer's dementia. In 2008 I will study towards a MPhil in the history and philosophy of science, again supported by the Gates Cambridge Trust. Understanding the philosophical basis of modern science is, in my view, crucial if we are to solve the many problems in modern biomedical science and practice - from cognitive sciences to medical ethics.

My PhD concerns the relationship between abstract problem solving and the cortical motor system, with a special focus on mental arithmetic. The way in which we process abstract knowledge such as numerical symbols is a highly topical field in current neuroscience. Research has found that a child’s level of motor skill, such as performing complex finger movements, can predict arithmetic task performance. It is thought that a sense of numbers might be acquired through finger counting. I am investigating the interactions between brain areas that initiate movement and those that are involved in complex arithmetic. By using EEG/MEG techniques, I am especially interested in the time-course of activation in neural networks of abstract problem solving. I believe my research will impact upon interventions for people with problems processing numbers and has theoretical and practical implications for teaching mathematics.

I am looking to further explore my interest in healthcare policy and business at Cambridge.

Choral music has been an integral part of my life since childhood. Spurred by the intrepid spirit of my hometown, the San Francisco Bay Area, I seek to explore music that lies off the beaten track. This journey has taken me from medieval music, with its strikingly different conception of text and authorship, to avant-garde works examining such controversial topics as same-sex marriage or mass surveillance. Through choral music, I aim to humanize the abstract for performers and listeners alike, opening minds to different cultures and new perspectives. Since graduating from university, I have served as music director for an Episcopal church and the new chamber choir Convivium, alongside performing with San Francisco Lyric Opera, Philharmonia Baroque, and Volti. At Cambridge, I hope to combine my academic interest in early music with practical conducting training. I look forward to experiencing the university’s rich musical culture and gaining a global perspective on the choral art.

After graduating from Cambridge’s Development Studies M.Phil. programme in 2002, I worked at Public Citizen and CEPR in DC. There, I worked to ensure that U.S. policies allow countries to grow adequately and sustainably. In the fall of 2012, I will begin writing my PhD dissertation on the implications of the investor-state dispute settlement system for development policy. Few social scientists have studies this mechanism – whereby corporations can sue governments over financial and environmental policies. Rightsizing these agreements – mostly written before recent natural and man-made disasters reminded us of the virtues of sensible public interest safeguards – will be one of the central tasks for international governance in the 21st century. I hope to help train the next generation of policymakers, business leaders and advocates on how to design democratically accountable and effective global solutions to our most pressing problems, from climate change to income inequality.

In 2009, I graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). I assisted my department in the exploration of rehabilitative programs for juvenile sex offenders. I also interned for the Attorney General's Office for the District of Columbia and served as chapter vice president of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). During my last year at UCI, I carried out a brief qualitative study on women serving life sentences in a southern California prison. I am interested in researching the criminalisation of women, specifically those who are seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. My study will evaluate the efficacy of the asylum system in addressing women's claims of gender persecution. More specifically, I will be looking at the discretionary power of immigration officials in detaining and criminalising female asylum applicants.

Previous Education

The University of Auckland BMus (Classical Performance) / BSc (Psychology); BMus (Hons, Musicology) 2014

Domiziana is a DPhil Candidate in Migration Studies and Clarendon Scholar investigating how families shape and are shaped by onward migration. Her doctoral research focuses on the experiences of onward Colombian families who moved from Spain to London.

Between June 2020 and June 2021, Domiziana co-led the project “Enhancing the impact of migration research with Latin Americans in London”, which sought to understand the impact of Brexit and COVID-19 on London’s Latin American migrants by building links with the community through knowledge exchange and engagement activities. The findings were published in the form of an executive summary geared towards the general public and available here.

In 2020, she worked as a research consultant for the project ‘Promoting Inclusion to Combat Early School Leaving’ co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and promoting inclusive intercultural pedagogies for student engagement by bringing together researchers and teachers from schools from four EU countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia).

As of September 2020, Domiziana was appointed convener of the interdisciplinary Oxford Migration and Mobility Network which draws together researchers of migration and mobility from across the University of Oxford. From 2019 to 2021, she served as editor and then co-editor-in-chief of the Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration Journal.

Domiziana completed her MPhil in Sociology at the University of Cambridge in July 2019 with a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Prior to moving to the UK, she completed her BA in Liberal Arts and Science at Amsterdam University College, where she ventured to understand the educational experiences and the peer culture of Moroccan-Dutch youth in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Previous Education

University of Amsterdam

Links

https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/people/domiziana-turcatti
https://www.facebook.com/domiziana.turcatti
https://www.linkedin.com/in/domiziana-turcatti-711835191

After studying International Relations and History at Wellesley College, I spent eight years working on global gender policy in Washington, DC at the National Democratic Institute, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security, and the Council on Foreign Relations. My research on gender, conflict, and foreign policy focused on women's political agency and organizing—from their contributions to Track I peace negotiations, to their roles in terrorist groups. Through field work in Tunisia, Northern Ireland, Kenya, and China, I recognized how critical women's networks are to advancing change. During my History PhD at Cambridge I plan to study how women's transnational organizing influenced global policy in the 20th century, focusing on the contributions of women from the Middle East and North Africa. Understanding how women built and leveraged global networks offers an important perspective on rising international feminist activism today. 

Previous Education

Georgetown University Security Studies 2017
Wellesley College Internatnl Relations-History 2012