Directory

After graduating from St. Petersburg Conservatory as a musicologist, I spent a year in Utrecht and a year in Paris studying the Middle Ages and medieval music in particular. My MPhil project at Utrecht University was dedicated to the study of early medieval notions of hearing, aural perception, and musical ear. For my PhD at Cambridge I plan to continue exploring the problems of hearing, perceiving and memorizing music within the context of medieval plainchant repertories and the earliest Western musical notations.

I graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Molecular Biology and Certificates in Musical Performance and Neuroscience. Neuroscience captures my curiosity unlike anything else. My academic work, including my senior thesis research, and volunteer experiences in the clinic and beyond have motivated me to focus on developing a better understanding of the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders, and by extension elucidating possible molecular mechanisms which would lead to more effective treatment. At Cambridge, I look forward to pursuing an MPhil in Medical Science (Psychiatry) and investigating transcriptional and epigenetic regulation in the autistic brain in the research group of Professor Simon Baron-Cohen. Ultimately, I plan to pursue a career as a physician-scientist in order to develop more effective therapies for such complex neurodevelopmental disorders as autism.

I am extremely grateful to be provided with this opportunity to continue to pursue my studies in Philosophy and to benefit from the enriching community life of Cambridge University, especially in its inter-cultural and international aspects. I look forward to many fascinating conversations with other Gates Scholars and others.

I joined the Gates Cambridge community in 2016 and received my PhD in Film and Screen Studies in January 2021. My PhD thesis examines the ways in which political conflict is reflected and articulated in contemporary Disney animation. I have since joined the faculty of Nanyang Technological University, where I teach topics in film studies. My current research interests span the films of Hayao Miyazaki as well as recent live-action Singaporean filmmaking.

Previous Education

University of Cambridge

I am very priviledged to be part of the Gates Cambridge Community. Being an educationist, I look forward to the exciting adventure ahead, to advance the cause of education and contribute to the society, in the spirit of a Gates Cambridge scholar.

Focusing on the career of John Field, a printer who operated between 1642 and 1668 in London and Cambridge, my MPhil project investigated the methods used for protecting printing rights in seventeenth-century England. I now live in San Francisco, where I work as a litigator at a large law firm. I am currently serving a term as the GCAA Director of Media Relations.

Growing up in Canada, I was fortunate to have teachers who nurtured my passion for both the sciences and humanities. But it was my exposure to history and philosophy of science as a visiting undergraduate at Cambridge which inspired me to pursue a path combining philosophy and medicine. I eventually chose to specialize in haematology-oncology, a field at the forefront of several exciting medical advances. Through my clinical work, I witnessed first-hand enthusiasm over “precision oncology” which many hope will revolutionize how we treat patients with cancer. My training in philosophy, however, also made me recognize the need for critical reflection to ensure that these advances translate into improvements in ethical and equitable patient care. My PhD will draw on my dual background in medicine and philosophy to undertake a philosophical analysis of precision oncology, examining a series of conceptual and ethical issues arising along the trajectory from basic science to clinical research and patient care. I’m honoured by the opportunity to pursue this research as a Gates Scholar and thrilled to return to Cambridge to join this inspiring multidisciplinary community.

Previous Education

Western University Schulich School of Medicine & Rotman Institute of Philosophy 2022
University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine & Inst. for the History & Philosophy of Science & Tech 2017
McGill University Faculty of Science 2013

As a Gates Scholar, I completed an MPhil in Chemistry, by research, in the laboratory of Professor David Klenerman. I studied the application of single molecule spectroscopy towards biomedicine. I am currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in Dermatology at Stanford. My main interest is the development and investigation of novel therapies for epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a severe genetic blistering disorder that can have detrimental effects on both young children and adults. I currently serve as a clinical trialist investigating novel gene therapy interventions for wounds related to EB, along with treatment of itch. I have also continued to work on translational projects focused on chemistry-based approaches to diagnosis of skin cancer. I invite you to read about one our recent projects using a non-destructive mass spectrometry-based imaging technology called desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MSI):
https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2018/06/11/molecular-car-wash-aims-to-make-skin-cancer-surgery-quicker-and-more-accurate/

I am fascinated by the biological processes that underlie how plants interact with their environment, especially the symbiosis between plants and beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Evolved when plants first moved onto land, AM symbiosis is crucial to global carbon and nutrient cycles. The perception of AM fungi often enhances root growth, increasing the interface for symbiotic nutrient exchange. As an undergraduate at Cambridge, I identified the first receptor kinase required for this response in rice. As a Ph.D. student, I aim to pursue this exciting lead and elucidate the mechanisms of fungi perception and the signalling pathways that lead to enhanced root growth. This will also contribute to ongoing endeavours to engineer nitrogen-fixing symbiosis into cereal crops (e.g. rice) as it evolved from the older AM symbiosis and also involves reprogramming of root development. Nitrogen fertilisers produced from the Haber process have a substantial carbon footprint and realising this grand challenge will contribute towards sustainable, productive agriculture for food security. I am honoured to join the intellectual community at Gates Cambridge and aspire to contribute to work with transformative impacts on the society.

Previous Education

University of Cambridge

I am currently pursuing an MSc in Experimental Psychology. My project involves a close examination of various subcomponents of the word production pathway (e.g. semantics and phonology), as a function of age or brain-damage. I completed my bachelor’s degree in biology, with a concentration in neuroscience, at Williams College. As an aspiring physician-scientist, I see myself playing a role in the vast effort in combating degenerative brain disorders.

I am at Cambridge reading Part III Maths. Last year I graduated from Stanford University, with degrees in mathematics and physics. I spent most of my childhood in Edmond, Oklahoma, but more recently spent time in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After finishing Part III, I plan to return to Stanford to complete my PhD in pure maths, probably studying Geometric Analysis, Differential Geometry and/or Geometric PDE. After my PhD, I hope to enter academia as a research mathematician.

I'm a history PhD, focusing on reserve currency politics and economic thought in the Bretton Woods period from 1945 to 1971. The greater part of the present Bretton Woods literature deals with high political and high bureaucratic narratives. My goal is to deepen our understanding of the politics of the Bretton Woods era by uncovering neglected narratives of global imbalances from trade unions, business associations, and the financial press.

During my undergraduate work I have been involved in extra-curricular independent research with Mobilab Technologies, a biotech company founded by a partner and myself. As its V-P I have been responsible in large part for the development of a bioelectric solar cell, offering a much lower cost alternative to conventional solar technologies by using robust, renewable biological materials. Within the academic sphere I have researched towards the improved characterization of the Stearoyl-CoA desaturase enzyme, responsible for regulation of fat storage and widely pursued potential drug target. At Cambridge I intend to develop and characterize targeted antioxidant small molecules to provide improved therapies for age-related dysfunction, as well as to further understand the role of oxidative stress in the aging process. I believe this research provides an excellent balance of entrepreneurial potential with a desire for better understanding of fundamental biochemical processes.

I am a Bangladeshi American and first-generation college student who was born and raised in New York City. Growing up as a child of immigrants in one of the world’s largest public school systems, I witnessed first-hand the disparities that existed for students with immigrant backgrounds in the public educational system. South Asian immigrants, like myself, often come from a culture where disability education and female education is stigmatized, and this creates further barriers for first-gen students in the educational system. Knowing this, I knew I wanted to make a difference in the field of education. For the last four years, I have been teaching K-12 and helping thousands of first generation students with college matriculation. I am proud to say this May, I will be graduating with a teaching certification and undergraduate dual degree in adolescent education & history from CUNY Hunter College. At the University of Cambridge, I will be receiving my MPhil in Education from the Knowledge, Power and Politics program in order to research the ways that inclusive curricula that work for multicultural students. I am honored to be among the brilliant network of Gates Scholars, who will mobilize me in my pursuit for educational equity.

Previous Education

Hunter College Adolescent Education & History 2023

My PhD research will focus on various lifestyle, behavioural and genetic risk factors of cardiovascular disease in South Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, based on collaborative primary studies between Cambridge and local leading cardiovascular facilities. These are countries which, despite huge vascular disease burden, remain largely unaddressed. Comprehensive evidence expected from this work should contribute importantly to scientific understanding, to the development of locally appropriate strategies to prevent and control the disease, and to the efficient use of scarce resources for vascular prevention in low-income countries. Additionally, as a scientific coordinator of a large consortium of UK-based cohorts (CNC, comprising over 100,000 participants), I am investigating the roles of diet and nutrigenetics to increase cardiovascular risk in Western population.

Previous Education

University of Cambridge MPhil in Epidemiology 2007
University of Dhaka MBBS 2002

Links

http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/people/ceu-group/ceu-senior-research-staff/rajiv-chowdhury