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Naina Agrawal-Hardin
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Canada
- 2025 MPhil Anthropocene Studies
- King's College
Naina Agrawal-Hardin
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Canada
- 2025 MPhil Anthropocene Studies
- King's College
I grew up in Michigan, but my family’s roots are in East Tennessee and Northern Bihar. Although Appalachia and Mithila are a world apart, witnessing climate disasters in both regions has shown me that poor and rural communities across the globe are not only least responsible for climate change, but also most vulnerable to its impacts. My MPhil in Anthropocene Studies at Cambridge will trace the emergence of theories about spatially and socially differentiated climate risks. Drawing on my undergraduate training in History and Energy Studies at Yale University, I will contribute to a growing body of scholarship that documents the history of climate change projections. In particular, I will analyze how those projections were received by a wide range of actors, including governments, fossil fuel companies, and the global public. My research will inform the emerging field of transnational climate litigation and sharpen debates about the distribution of responsibility for today’s climate crisis. I am excited to learn alongside fellow Gates-Cambridge scholars who share my passion for tackling global problems and improving the lives of the people most affected.
Previous Education
Yale University History
Leo Baek
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Social Anthropology
- Queens' College
Leo Baek
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Social Anthropology
- Queens' College
As a prospective curator, my work reflects a belief in the museum as a place of empowering representation in spite of its Western-centric foundation. At Stanford University, I helped develop four exhibitions which simultaneously spotlighted non-Western cultural objects and challenged viewers to consider the ethics of collecting practices. I also gained valuable insight as a collections intern for the Cantor Arts Center, educating young audiences through interactive workshops and helping keep the museum up-to-date with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Through Cambridge’s MPhil in Social Anthropology, I aim to develop a specific expertise in digital museum anthropology. My coursework and collaboration with Cambridge’s museums will culminate in my search for methodologies which better protect the visibility of sacred objects and human remains in digital archives. The revolutionary, inclusive museum is birthed upon the international collaboration of people and cultures. To that end, joining the Gates Cambridge community is not only symbolic but necessary to my growth as a museum worker.
Previous Education
Stanford University Art History and Archaeology
David Baron
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Colombia
- 2025 MPhil Mathematics
- St John's College
David Baron
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Colombia
- 2025 MPhil Mathematics
- St John's College
David Baron was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. At 16, he immigrated to the U.S. with his mother and brother, aspiring to be the first in his family to attend college. To support his family, he left high school to work full-time, yet continued studying mathematics in his free time, driven by a deep curiosity and love for the subject. After a year, he returned to school with renewed determination, excelling academically while giving back to his community as an ESL instructor and conducting materials engineering research at Penn State University. His dedication led him to become a Questbridge Match Scholar, earning a full-ride scholarship to Williams College. Before attending, he served three years as a combat medic in the U.S. Army National Guard, an experience that deepened his resilience and commitment to mentorship. At Williams, he pursued the mathematics major, mentored students from underrepresented backgrounds, and studied at Oxford University during his junior year. Set to graduate with honors in 2025, he will begin a PhD in applied mathematics at Harvard University after completing his MPhil in Mathematics at Cambridge.
Previous Education
Williams College Mathematics
Bianca Berman
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Sociology
- Pembroke College
Bianca Berman
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Sociology
- Pembroke College
I attended Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where I completed a Bachelor’s in Foreign Service with a focus in International Politics and an accelerated Master’s in Security Studies. Following graduation, I gained experience in both the non-profit and private sectors researching hate crimes, misinformation and disinformation, and emerging threats to international security. Throughout my academic and professional career, I developed a particular interest in the overlap between sociology, security studies, and media studies, examining the role film can play in shaping audiences’ perceptions of social issues. Through the MPhil in Sociology of Media and Culture at Cambridge University, I aim to investigate instances in which visual media are used to exacerbate social divisions and promote hate against targeted communities, with the long-term goal of identifying strategies to effectively challenge divisive and harmful narratives.
Previous Education
Georgetown University International Politics
Georgetown University Security Studies
Hana Butler
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Mexico
- 2025 MPhil Micro- and Nanotechnology Enterprise
Hana Butler
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Mexico
- 2025 MPhil Micro- and Nanotechnology Enterprise
I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, and studied Mechanical Engineering at Brown University. As a senior, I joined the Applied Mechanics Lab and fell in love with experimental research on microstructures. I learned that designing lattice architectures can create materials that are stiffer, tougher, or more energy-absorptive. This world of engineering and design felt like a form of sculpture—one where nature’s principles and perfect designs guide material innovation. During my MPhil in Micro & Nanotechnology Enterprise at Cambridge, I hope to deepen my understanding of how micro- and nanostructures influence material performance, with a focus on scalable manufacturing techniques. I believe that microstructures have the potential to revolutionize industries by allowing the development of stronger, lighter, and more efficient components.As a woman in STEM, I want to help redefine who gets to shape the future of engineering. I am proud to represent my family, Mexico, and the US, and hope to pave the way for more women to push boundaries in science and technology. I’m honored to join the Gates Cambridge community and create tiny structures to drive massive advancements that can make the world a better place.
Previous Education
Brown University Mechanical Engineering
Yiyi Cai
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Advanced Computer Science
- Churchill College
Yiyi Cai
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Advanced Computer Science
- Churchill College
Growing up in Beijing, China, before moving to the U.S. for high school, I have been drawn to the fundamental questions of nature—both how we can use computation to understand it and how nature itself can be harnessed as a computational resource. This curiosity led me to quantum information theory, where I have been excited to explore the fundamental capabilities of quantum computers with theoretical guarantees. Throughout my undergraduate career at the California Institute of Technology, I worked on quantum simulations, quantum algorithms, and quantum error correction, where I have been fascinated by how techniques in theoretical computer science could be applied to help illuminate physical phenomena. At University of Cambridge, I will be pursuing a MPhil in Advanced Computer Science to further my understanding of interdisciplinary approaches that integrate physics, computer science, and mathematics to push the boundaries of quantum technology. I am excited to contribute to the future of quantum computing as both a researcher and, hopefully, one day as an educator, and I look forward to being part of the Gates Cambridge scholar community.
Previous Education
California Institute of Technology Electrical Engineering
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
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
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
Erica Hogan
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Japan
- 2025 MPhil Development Studies
- Murray Edwards College (New Hall)
Erica Hogan
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Japan
- 2025 MPhil Development Studies
- Murray Edwards College (New Hall)
I hope to use research to help create an international financial system that meets the needs of the world’s most vulnerable. I studied Economics and Political Philosophy as an undergraduate, focusing on the post-colonial economic development of African states. While researching corruption in the Kinshasa traffic police, studying abroad in Senegal, and working at a school in Zambia, I came to see how policy made in New York, Washington D.C., and London shaped the financial realities of people far away, often with tragic consequences. Now, as a policy researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, I study structural inequalities in the international financial system. I use my research to develop and advocate for policies that restructure international finance to support rather than suppress the development aspirations of post-colonial states.
Previous Education
University of Chicago Economics/Political Theory
Kalena Holeman
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Classics
- Trinity College
Kalena Holeman
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 MPhil Classics
- Trinity College
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, I am a mixed-race scholar who has always been interested in narratives of identity. I attended the University of Houston where I completed a BA in English Literature with minors in Classics and Creative Work. In various research projects at the University of Houston and Harvard, I have explored why and how Black artists engage with antiquity to reimagine new art forms and critique the historical whiteness of these spaces from the inside. At Cambridge, I am pursuing an MPhil in Classics to study at the intersection of Black feminist theory and classical reception to better understand antiquity’s influence on modern conceptions of race, literature, and culture. I will explore how contemporary Black women writers across the African diaspora engage with Homer’s Odyssey to grapple with complex paradoxes of home and movement throughout histories of oppression. Moreover, I integrate the study of Homer's texts themselves to demonstrate how a Black feminist framework can reveal new interpretations of the Odyssey. I am incredibly honored to join the Gates Cambridge community and excited to learn from and collaborate with scholars invested in building a better future.
Previous Education
Harvard University Classics
University of Houston English Literature
Isabelle Hoover
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 PhD History of Art
- Jesus College
Isabelle Hoover
- Scholar-elect
- United States
- 2025 PhD History of Art
- Jesus College
I grew up in central Ohio and completed my undergraduate studies in Art History and Classical Languages at the College of Wooster. While there, I was exposed to the study of art and its historical and cultural importance. Entering Cambridge’s MPhil Program in Art History upon my graduation ingrained in me a love for research and writing, and I am honored to be studying once again at Cambridge. During my PhD, I will examine the presence of painted fictive stone in Italian Renaissance altarpieces and the notion of pseudo-materiality, engaging with ancient and medieval ideas concerning natural and holy matter, reality, and the divine. Through this research, I hope to glean greater insight into our own contemporary relationships with reality, meaning, and systems of belief in the face of rapidly evolving methods of communication and the development of artificial intelligence.
Previous Education
The College of Wooster Classics/ Art History
University of Cambridge History of Art
Tristan Jafari
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Germany
- 2025 MPhil Population Health Sciences
- Hughes Hall
Tristan Jafari
- Scholar-elect
- United States, Germany
- 2025 MPhil Population Health Sciences
- Hughes Hall
I am a biochemistry student at the University of Washington and am sincerely honored to be selected as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Raised in a German-Iranian household near Seattle, I developed a deep appreciation for cultural identity, global perspectives, and bridging differences to solve complex problems.I work as a researcher to understand mechanisms underlying cardiometabolic disease, as an EMT providing care to underserved communities, and as a public health advocate focused on harm reduction and increasing access to lifesaving resources.At Cambridge, I will pursue a Master in Philosophy in Population Health Sciences. I aim to further my expertise in epidemiology and public health strategy, equipping myself with the tools to address the most pressing health challenges of our time, including addiction, chronic illness, and emergency response.Afterward, I hope to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD), bridging clinical expertise with population-level interventions to drive systemic improvements in healthcare accessibility and outcomes.I’m grateful for this opportunity, incredibly excited to learn at Cambridge, and committed to using this gift of education to improve lives.
Previous Education
Everett Community College College In The High School
North Seattle College Emergency Medical Technician
University of Washington Biochemistry
