Directory

I developed a love for neuroscience while studying at Pomona College. Through various research projects, I explored several neurobiology topics during my undergraduate studies. As an HHMI EXROP Scholar, I investigated the neural circuitry of the pain pathway in the spinal cord at Harvard Medical School. During my third year as a visiting student at Oxford, I contributed to the structural discoveries of a novel synaptic formation protein complex involved in autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. In my senior thesis, I examined the role of a neuroendocrine enzyme in peripheral ganglion formation at Caltech. As an aspiring neurosurgeon-scientist, I hope to understand the mechanisms of regeneration in the brain after neural damage. While much current research focuses on neurogenesis, to functionally recover the brain after trauma and illness, remyelination is key. In my PhD, I hope to profile neural-glial communication in health and disease and understand the role of myelin using the optic nerve as a model.

Previous Education

Pomona College
University of Cambridge

My interests lie in the crisis in Spanish politics, society and identity that begins after the loss of the last remaining colonies in 1898. They also lie in the ways in which we as Spaniards can form a modern conception of what being Spanish means. This new conception should come from a re-evaluation of the Spanish liberal tradition and of its relationship with those of England and the United States. For all these purposes, Ramiro de Maeztu is ideal: of the generation of intellectuals of 1898, and all the way until the Spanish Civil War, he was the one most interested in the Anglo-Saxon world. He was very concerned with the institutional and cultural problems of Spain, and for a while tried to apply the English model to them. Maeztu can help us understand why Spain devolved towards the gradual breakdown of institutions and the radicalization that led to the civil war, instead of taking the path of progressive and consensual reforms of the Anglo-Saxon model.

My passion for building bridges combines my academic interests in structural engineering with my love of water and the hope I find in our human ability to overcome physical barriers to build integrated communities. After my bachelors in Civil Engineering, I started a social enterprise producing ISSB bricks in Zambia following my work in MIT’s International Development Lab. After returning for a Master in Structural Engineering, I worked with NGOs in Bolivia and the Philippines where engineering solutions targeting neglected poor communities could alleviate poverty and reduce casualties from natural disasters. After working for an engineering firm in Washington DC, I returned to the Philippines on a Fulbright scholarship to improve indigenous housing to withstand typhoons. My course at Cambridge University will build on my international engineering experiences to support my mission of bridging the gap between engineering solutions and the people who need them most around the world.

Previous Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Masters Structural Engineering 2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology BSc Civil Engineering 2006

I have always admired the incredible resilience, adaptability, and complexity of life. While studying biological engineering and electrical engineering & computer science at MIT, I started to think of nature itself as a master engineer, spending billions of years perfecting the mechanisms that have sustained life. Working at the interface of biology and electronics allows for powerful treatments that can address serious gaps in medicine. For my research in bioelectronics, I plan to develop medical technology for targeted drug delivery to the brain. This approach opens up a myriad of applications—improving treatment for brain cancers, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. I look towards building networks of problem solvers as a Gates Scholar to adapt medicine around the world.

Previous Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Biological Engineering 2021

I was raised by my aunt and uncle in a small town in the northeast corner of Tennessee. Throughout my childhood, I developed a growing interest in the world beyond my tight-knit community. I tailored my undergraduate studies to create an interdisciplinary education that explored subjects in international politics, language-learning, economics, world history, and human rights. During my undergraduate years and subsequent experiences as a Gilman scholar in Chile and a Fulbright grantee in Galicia, Spain, I deepened my understanding of the crucial role that education equity plays in society and the economy. As a first-generation student, I understand firsthand the transformative potential of education in personal and professional growth. Through research and classroom instruction at Cambridge, I aspire to delve into the development and implementation of policies that advance equity and inclusivity within educational systems. I am deeply honored to become a part of the Gates Cambridge community and am excited about collaborating with other young minds committed to driving global change in their respective fields.

Previous Education

Middle Tennessee State University Global Studies 2020
Middle Tennessee State University Spanish 2020

Following completion of the Part III Maths programme at Cambridge, I worked as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. In 2008, I enrolled at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, working towards a PhD in policy analysis. Upon completion of the PhD in 2013, I remained working as a mathematician at RAND to develop new methods for long-term decision-making under deep uncertainty. Applications are typically related to climate change adaptation, ranging from flood risk management and water economics to renewable energy policy and life cycle assessment. My work is highly interdisciplinary, incorporating economics, statistics, engineering, operations research, and decision analysis. Most notably, I have developed the model of flood risk and economic damage used by the state of Louisiana to evaluate the benefits of hundreds of protection projects for their 50-year, $50 billion Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast.

Currently, I am an assistant professor of industrial engineering and political science at Purdue University, where I was part of the university's Building Sustainable Communities cluster hire. I also retain an adjunct mathematician posting at RAND Corporation as part of my continuing flood risk management work in Louisiana.

Previous Education

North Carolina State University B.S. Mathematics 2003

My name is Donielle Johnson and I am from Alexandria, Virginia. I recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where I studied psychology and the biological basis of behavior. At Cambridge, I am pursuing a research MPhil in medical science. My research looks at synaesthesia in adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome.

I was born in South Africa in 1994, as the country transitioned into an independent democracy. Issues of systemic inequality have shaped the way I engage with the world. I studied an undergraduate degree at the University of Cape Town. There, I became passionate about teaching through the Thethani Debating League, coaching debating to high-school children in under-resourced schools around the Western Cape. I also fell into and in love with the discipline of archaeology, and synergized the two to think critically about the past and present in southern Africa.In 2016, I returned to my home town of Johannesburg to study an Honours degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. I worked to better understand concepts of monstrosity through the paintings of the San. My Masters explored the frontier of the Northern Cape province, challenged by marginal aridity and harsh conditions, low population, vast distances, and historical poverty and socioeconomic disparity. This research has directed my PhD, which will explore pastoral transhumance and sustainable land use in arid regions, in a context of colonization in frontier spaces. I hope to extend my research to interact with modern issues of climate change on a global scale.

Previous Education

University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Archaeology 2020
University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Archaeology 2016

Dr. Matthew Kuan Johnson works at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and theology on topics related to ethics, empathy, embodiment, and the emotions. He earned his Ph.D. in Moral Philosophy earlier this year from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar, and also holds an MPhil in Social Psychology from the University of Cambridge (with high distinction) and a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Yale University (magna cum laude). Previously, he was a Contributing Scholar at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University, and has taught in the University of Cambridge’s Philosophy and Psychology Departments.

Earlier this year, he wrote the target article for a special issue (on Joy) of the Journal of Positive Psychology:
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpos20/15/1?nav=tocList

My PhD project involves imaging live cells at high resolution. I am attempting to see features the size of nanometres, approximately 10,000 times smaller than a human hair. To achieve this goal, I am working with a relatively new technique called Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM). SICM is specifically designed to image soft surfaces in salt buffer solutions. I am also working on extending this capability to apply localised forces to cells and monitor how they react. This project is especially exciting to me because it involves biology, chemistry, physics, and electrical engineering.

I am interested in the neurobiological processes that lead to retinal ganglion cell death and dysfunction in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies. In particular, I seek to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying axonal degeneration, dendrite retraction and afferent synapse loss, and cell body death in glaucoma. My goal is to utilize knowledge of these processes to develop targeted neuroprotective strategies to slow or halt RGC death and preserve vision for patients with glaucoma. I am also actively investigating the use of stem cell transplantation to achieve retinal ganglion cell placement, as a potential regenerative treatment for optic nerve disease, with a focus on anatomic incorporation of cell grafts, neurite growth and synapse formation, and electrophysiological retinal circuit integration.

Previous Education

Northwestern University BA Biological Sciences 2005

Links

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/results/directory/profile/10004407/thomas-johnson
http://johnsonlabjhu.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-v-johnson-70210311

My research will be motivated by some of the most fundamental questions in science: how did our universe form, why does it look like it does, and what is its ultimate fate? Specifically, I'll be looking at how fluctuations in the early universe grew and evolved, acting as primordial 'seeds' for the large scale structure we see in the universe today. In Cambridge, I'm looking forward to joining the Gates community, and to beginning what I hope will be a diverse and challenging career in research.

My familial experiences with health inequity animate my passion for public health law and policy. As an undergraduate studying political science, global health, health policy, and the Spanish language, I have explored this passion in an interdisciplinary way. My research at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and T.H. Chan School of Public Health — coupled with my service as an Arthur Liman Public Interest Law Summer Fellow — have also allowed me to translate my studies into practice. Now, with an MPhil supported by the Gates Cambridge Trust, I aim to jumpstart a career in health law and policymaking by honing the important skills of developing and critically examining population health evidence. I wait in earnest to join a global network of Gates Cambridge Scholars at the University of Cambridge to understand better how to augment our collective wellbeing.

Previous Education

Harvard University Government, Data Science Track 2024

I have a unique background that allows me to tie together leadership, technical expertise, and grit to get any job done. I value innovation and accretive change. I place a strong emphasis on inspiring the consumer or end user; making lives a little bit better. I have experience delivering results across multiple industries (retail, power / utility, and start-ups) and organizations (front & back of house). I believe in change through technology and enabling people to spend their time innovating, inspiring, and building relationships. I am a demanding but fair leader that delivers results while encouraging individuals to be their best. Specialties: Leadership and management, empowering teams to succeed, P&L responsibilities, Operations and General Management, global experience / awareness, creating and translating complex data sets into action, automation and automated system adoption, and interpreting / managing technical programs. I enjoy organizations that are willing to take calculated risks and continuously strive to be better.

During my undergraduate studies in anthropology and sociology, I developed a strong interest in medical anthropology, expanding my understanding of social inequality and the impacts of health disparities in Australia and around the world. Since completing my honours degree, I have been working as a Research Officer at the Social Ageing (SAGE) Futures Lab at Edith Cowan University, where I have contributed to research on social and cultural care, and diversity in ageing. I am thrilled to become a member of the Gates Cambridge community. During the MPhil in Health, Medicine, and Society at Cambridge, I will undertake a research project exploring the experiences of trans and gender diverse people who have accessed assisted reproductive technology, drawing on the fields of medical anthropology, the sociology of reproduction, and gender studies. Following this, I intend to pursue doctoral studies and continue a career in social research that allows me to advocate for improved access to health and social care for marginalised and medically underserved communities.

Previous Education

Australian National University Public Health 2023
University of Western Australia Anthropology and Sociology 2021

My research focuses on the evolution of non-state threats and state responses to the changing security environment. At Cambridge, I plan to study how networked non-state actors have clashed with states, tracking their competing identity structures, conceptions of leadership, and tactical innovation, among other dimensions of conflict. My interests are interdisciplinary, reflecting my exposure to different academic fields and diverse life experiences. As an undergraduate at Columbia University, I majored in philosophy and minored in computer science. After graduation, I spent a year working in international development, with field assignments in Vietnam and the Balkans, before earning a masters degree in information management at UC Berkeley. My masters research critiqued the logic of information sharing guiding US intelligence reform in response to networked non-state threats. I hope to continue my research as a PhD student after earning the MPhil.