̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Gates Cambridge Scholars

Gates Cambridge: Class of 2022

mjg209 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 10:30:21 +0000

Meet some of this year’s 79 new scholars from 30 countries – including Sanjiv Ranchod from South Africa who will be starting a PhD in Computer Science in October.

First spaceflight for Gates Cambridge Scholar

fpjl2 — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 13:32:45 +0000

On 10th November Kayla Barron blasted off into space on her first trip to the International Space Station where she is part of a six-month science mission. Kayla, a Gates Cambridge alumna, was one of four astronauts on the SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Gates Cambridge class of 2021

mjg209 — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 09:39:01 +0000

Gates Cambridge, Cambridge's leading international postgraduate scholarship programme, announces its Class of 2021: 74 new Gates Cambridge Scholars-Elect will take up their postgraduate studies in October.

Gates Cambridge Scholars: Facing new frontiers

mjg209 — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 09:00:42 +0000

This year Gates Cambridge celebrates its 20th anniversary which is a good time to look back at the impact the scholarship has had on its alumni. Many have become highly successful in a range of fields from academia, publishing and politics to space flight.

Gates Cambridge Class of 2020

sc604 — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 11:06:50 +0000

̽��ֱ��Gates Cambridge Scholarship is one of the world's most sought after awards. This year's cohort includes 77 Scholars from 30 countries, who will undertake postgraduate studies at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

Gates Cambridge

cg605 — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 13:32:50 +0000

New cohort of Gates Cambridge Scholars announced

mjg209 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 12:00:00 +0000

Minaam Abbas has not yet started his PhD, but he is already co-founder of two businesses with the potential to transform how cancer is treated and how small enterprises are supported.

Minaam, who will start his PhD at Cambridge this autumn as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, is chief operating officer of angioClast, a company aiming to develop drugs that can target blood vessels in the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.

He is also co-founder of Hazina, a social enterprise that aims to turn microfinance on its head by cutting out the middle man and providing an alternative credit rating for the smallest businesses, while also teaching financial literacy.

Minaam's PhD will focus on the new field of epitranscriptomics, looking at how RNA can be modified and how these modifications can be used to fight cancer.

His driving passion is to make a positive impact on people's lives, and through both his research and his businesses he is already doing so. He might not have made it to where he is now, however, without the support of local businesspeople in Pakistan, of individuals and institutions at Cambridge, and now the Gates Cambridge Trust.

Minaam is one of 90 new Gates Cambridge Scholars announced today as part of ̽��ֱ��Class of 2017. It comprises students from 34 nationalities, and includes the first Native American Scholar, as well as the first ever Scholars from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Luxembourg.

Marina Velickovic, the first Gates Cambridge Scholar from Bosnia and Herzegovina, will do a PhD in International Criminal Law focusing on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia through the lens of gender and ethnicity. Marina has co-authored two books and co-founded the only feminist magazine in Bosnia, She is currently a Visiting Fellow at Goldsmiths College, where she is working on a feminist critique of the legal discourse surrounding conflict-related sexual violence.

Sandile Mtetwa, from Zimbabwe, will do an MPhil in Chemistry focused on improving the properties of photo-active materials used in the process of harnessing clean energy. She is founder of the Trust Simuka-Arise Initiative, in Zimbabwe, which aims to empower young women academically, socially and economically.

Norman Wray from Ecuador is a Constituent Assembly Member and once stood for President of Ecuador. He is a strong advocate of the “Buen Vivir” (Good Living) regime, the rights of nature, and the inclusion of access to water as a human right in the Constitution of Ecuador. His MPhil in Conservation will develop a nature-based, evidence-led approach to the resolution of social, economic, ecological and political problems.

Thierry Mousset, the first Gates Cambridge Scholar from Luxembourg, will do a PhD at the Department of German and Dutch on the use of non-dramatic texts by W.G. Sebald, Mathias Enard and Orhan Pamuk in contemporary stage performances. He says: “I believe that in the current political climate, informed by a sharp rise in anti-Muslim and nationalist rhetoric, it is more important than ever to remind ourselves of the shared history of the two sides of the Mediterranean.”

Gates Cambridge is the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s leading award for international postgraduate students and was set up in October 2000 through a $210m donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -the largest single donation to a UK university. Those selected need to demonstrate not only academic brilliance but outstanding leadership qualities and a commitment to improving the lives of others.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, says: “Gates Cambridge Scholars come from all over the world, but they have some important things in common: great leadership potential, a commitment to improving the lives of others and an unparalleled passion for learning. Melinda and I are pleased to welcome the class of 2017. We have no doubt they will have an incredible impact on topics of global importance.”

Cambridge Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the Gates Cambridge Board of Trustees Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz added: “Cambridge is a global university and the Gates Cambridge programme epitomises both its international, outward-looking nature and its mission to tackle global challenges and to improve the lives of others.”

̽��ֱ��mission of the scholarship is to create a dynamic global network of Scholars who use their intellectual and leadership skills to improve the lives of others. Since 2001 the programme has supported over 1,500 Scholars spanning more than 100 countries. ̽��ֱ��programme has already spawned several multi-disciplinary, international initiatives founded by groups of Scholars. They include the award-winning Simprints, which provides low-cost, fingerprint scanners for frontline workers in fields such as healthcare, finance and education; Favalley, a social hacking enterprise with the mission of turning slums and favelas around the world into the next Silicon Valleys; Action Meter, an e-democracy web platform for running social campaigns in Estonia; and We are Sister Stories, a digital platform that highlights the strength and resilience of women and girls across the globe.

Minaam Abbas is excited about meeting his fellow Scholars in the autumn, and hopes that being part of a diverse network of Scholars working on global issues will lead to interesting collaborations. He says: “ ̽��ֱ��Gates Cambridge community inspires me. Amazing ideas can come from people working together in a common space across different subjects, countries and perspectives. Gates Cambridge actively promotes this and encourages people to get together to brainstorm.”

Ninety new Gates Cambridge Scholars will form the Class of 2017.

Gates Cambridge Scholars come from all over the world, but they have some important things in common: great leadership potential, a commitment to improving the lives of others, and an unparalleled passion for learning.

Bill Gates

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

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African plant scientists develop new skills in Cambridge to tackle problems at home

ag236 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 09:32:25 +0000

Researchers and students gathered at the Sainsbury Laboratory on Tuesday 4 April for the inaugural African Diaspora Biotech Summit.

Among the participants were 17 postgraduate students and academics from six African countries who had earlier taken part in the Molecular Laboratory Training Workshop, held in Cambridge between 27 March and 3 April.

̽��ֱ��Summit and the Laboratory Training Workshop were organised by Carol Ibe, a second year plant sciences Ph.D. student (Newnham College) and Gates Cambridge Scholar.

Carol, who was born in the USA but grew up in Nigeria, is also the founder of JR Biotek, a non-profit organisation that aims to help train future African scientists and build African research capacity.

Opening the day's proceedings, she said:

"Today, we celebrate a unique gathering that brings together more than 70 students, academics and professionals across different disciplines from Africa and the diaspora to discuss the current state of Africa’s bioeconomy, and how we all may work together to find more practical solutions to the problems facing Africa and the African people."

Addressing her fellow African attendees, she added:

"It is time for us to take the lead in encouraging our governments to invest in quality education, training and capacity building, so as to provide our young people and future generations with the right knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global economy.

It is time for us to take the lead in influencing policy decisions that will support industrialisation that will create employment opportunities for our many unemployed graduates.

It is the time for us to take the lead in important discussions and actions that bring about good governance, and which create the right atmosphere for strategic investments in our countries in Africa."

Delivering the day's Welcoming Address, Prof. Eilís Ferran, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional and International Relations, said:

“ ̽��ֱ��narrative is changing – from Africa catching up, to Africa leading. Less brain drain, more brain gain and brain circulation. Research mobility is critical to addressing the global challenges we all face.

̽��ֱ��complexity, the scale, and the urgency of the global challenges demand that we work together.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has developed one model of partnership that illustrates our approach to partnerships with African countries.”

Addressing the Workshop participants, who over the past ten days had gained new knowledge and skills through lectures and practical lab work, Prof Ferran concluded:

“You are the pioneers: not only as participants in this inaugural workshop, but because you will go back to your own countries and lead the way in developing innovative solutions to pressing problems.

And though you have been developing the same skills here, you will each return and apply them to issues that are unique to your own communities.

What you are doing today makes me optimistic for the future –the future of Cambridge, and the future of each of your countries.”

**Watch the film to see what the Molecular Laboratory Training Workshop 2017 was like for its participants.**

̽��ֱ��Molecular Laboratory Training Workshop 2017 and the African Diaspora Biotech Summit 2017 were supported by the JR Biotek Foundation, the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, the Gates Cambridge Foundation, the Global Food Security Strategic Research Initiative, and Trinity College.

Lab training workshop and biotech conference, organised by second year Ph.D. student and Gates Scholar, aim to build African research capacity in agricultural sciences

̽��ֱ��narrative is changing – from Africa catching up, to Africa leading.

Prof Eilís Ferran

African Diaspora Biotech Summit & Workshop 2017

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

Yes