Meet the scholar speakers

Aarti Lila Ram

Presentation topic:

Community-led accountability and women’s leadership in gender-sensitive climate financing (Environment)

Aarti Lila Ram is a development practitioner, gender trainer, and community organiser dedicated to empowering communities and building ecosystems.

She is pursuing her master’s in gender, policy, and inequalities at LSE and is deputy manager of sustainability at the Engro Foundation.

This presentation will explore the connections between gender, climate change, financing, and how community-led approaches can ensure accountability.

Khadija Kazmi

Presentation topic:

Empowering women through football: Reclaiming agency and transforming lives (Education)

As a passionate advocate for women’s football with international playing experience, Kadija has spent the past decade creating inclusive and high-performing football movements in Pakistan.

Khadija is committed to driving growth and unlocking opportunities for women in sport. Her presentation will focus on how engaging women in recreational sporting programmes can impact society and culture.

Akshay Viswanathan

Presentation topic:

Social entrepreneurship and leveraging technology for good (Technology)

Akshay is a social entrepreneur and Chevening scholar pursuing a master's in social innovation and entrepreneurship at LSE.

From working in technology to the nonprofit sector and founding EdZola, Alshay's helped social impact organisations leverage technology to drive scalable and sustainable change.

Akshay's presentation will focus on lessons learned across sectors and how technology can be a powerful tool for social entrepreneurs, enabling impact-driven organisations to amplify their reach and efficiency.

Naomi Koinase

Presentation topic:

Advocating for indigenous children's education and empowerment (Education)

As an advocate for education and gender equality from the indigenous Maasai community in Tanzania, Naomi holds a master’s degree in gender and development from Sussex University and is the founder of the Omom Maasai Community Foundation.

This presentation will focus on Naomi's journey from overcoming educational barriers and the work of her foundation.

Muhammad Farhan

Shahmi Abdullah

Presentation topic:

Discursive Politics in TikTok during the Malaysian 15th general elections (Media Communications and Culture)

Farhan Shahmi is a media literacy advocate from Malaysia, championing media literacy as an essential skill for youth in combating misinformation and hate-speech, having run youth-centred campaigns for critical and empathetic information consumption in digital environments.

He is pursuing an MPhil in sociology at the University of Cambridge, where his research examines political campaigning and digital persuasion tactics on emerging platforms.

Randa Ahmed Abdalrheem

Altamih

Presentation topic:

Post-Chevening reality shock: Building mental resilience for working back home (Health)

Randa is a medical doctor from Sudan. She is a global mental health advocate, activist and researcher, as well as a TEDx speaker and content creator, driven by the vision that 'there is no wealth without mental health’.

The presentation will give you tips on how to combat professional shock and burnout.

Shagun Attri

Presentation topic:

The science of social inaction and how leaders can transform hesitation into action (Public Policy)

Shagun is a behavioural scientist in training at LSE, with a background in psychology and human resource management.

Shagun is passionate about shaping evidence-based behavioural interventions for healthier, happier and more resilient communities.

The presentation will explore the psychological and social forces behind hesitation and how a leader can turn passive inaction into purposeful change.

Trishaa Bhattacharya

Presentation topic:

Can there be better alternatives to the societal impacts created through the current system of community benefits from wind energy in United Kingdom? (Development)

Trishaa Bhattacharya is a socially responsible engineer with aspirations to promote a just energy transition, pursuing a master's in energy, society and sustainability at the University of Edinburgh.

Alejandro Álvarez

Presentation topic:

Beyond the numbers: documenting human rights violations in communities controlled by criminal groups in the south of Venezuela (Law and Human Rights)

Alejandro Álvarez is a Venezuelan lawyer and human rights advocate. His research focuses on modern slavery and its impact on vulnerable groups including women, children, indigenous people and migrants.

This presentation will provide strategies about how to access hard-to-reach communities, documenting human rights violations in high-risky and complex contexts, and how to impact beyond research.

Ana-Maria Railean

Presentation topic:

Disrupt or be disrupted (Technology)

Ana-Maria is an MBA student at the University of Edinburgh with nearly a decade in tech, over five years leading AI projects, a Tech Women Moldova Ambassador, mentor and aspiring entrepreneur.

Ana-Maria's presentation will discuss how AI is disrupting industries and what future leaders must do to stay agile, innovate, and avoid the mistakes of companies that failed to adapt to technological change.

Ana Victoria Ponce La Rosa

Presentation topic:

From growing up to growing impact: Unlocking the power of adolescence (Education)

Ana Victoria is a Venezuelan lawyer and youth outreach specialist.

She has ten years of experience advocating for interdisciplinary approaches to guide and empower youth as agents of change and sustainable development.

Her presentation will address the age gap in youth-oriented programs and explore how engaging teens aged 10-18 with the Positive Youth Development Framework destigmatises and empowers adolescents.

André Carvalho

Presentation topic:

From cyber threats to cyber policies – Shaping Africa’s digital future (Public Policy)

André Carvalho is a master's student in cybersecurity and machine learning at the University of Aberdeen, focused on improving Africa’s digital resilience through innovation and policy.

André's presentation will explore Africa’s cybersecurity challenges and the role of policy in building a secure and resilient digital economy.

Anne Njoroge

Presentation topic:

Africa's regional integration as a tool to facilitate renewable energy development under the Paris Agreement (Environment)

Anne is an experienced policy influencer in the energy transition and carbon markets policy space. She is currently pursuing an LLM in energy transition at the University of Dundee.

Anne’s presentation interrogates how Africa’s regional integration can be used as a tool to fast-track renewable energy development to meet the Paris Agreement’s commitment to mitigate climate change impacts.

Argjenta Svirca

Presentation topic:

Why Aid Matters (Development)

Argjenta Svirca is studying a MSc in international development and humanitarian emergencies at LSE. She holds a law degree from the University of Prishtina and worked at the National Democratic Institute.

Her interests focus on reconciliation and justice in post-atrocity contexts, as well as the politics of development and humanitarian aid allocation.

Svirca's presentation will focus on the role of aid in europe and the U.S., where funding cuts and increased defence spending threaten global stability and development.

Culton Scovia Nakamya

Presentation topic:

Feminism in the 21st Century: Why the world must adopt an intersectional approach (Law and Human Rights)

Culton Scovia Nakamya, a Chevening scholar at LSE, is a Ugandan journalist and founder of Her Story Uganda, challenging gender stereotypes and bridging representation gaps in through feminist media.

The backlash against feminism stems from postfeminist claims that equality is achieved despite the systemic marginalisation of women, girls, and minorities.

This presentation argues intersectional feminism is vital to address barriers and ensure equitable policies for all.

Clarissa Say

Presentation topic:

Tackling the burnout problem through collective mental health (Health)

Clarissa Say is an impact journalist, documentary producer and liberation mental health advocate.

She is a member of the Environmental Reporting Collective. Her work has won a Peabody nomination, UN Malaysia award and World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers prize.

Gloria Agyare

Presentation topic:

Local market, lasting change: Ghana’s path to a sustainable food future (Environment)

Gloria Agyare is a Ghanaian environmentalist and a leading voice for sustainable agri-food systems, collaborating and empowering youth and local farmers to champion climate-friendly food systems.

Gloria's presentation examines how consumer demand, industry practices, and policymaking interconnect within the agri-food system, highlighting consumers’ role in driving sustainability for positive impact.

Fahmida Akter

Presentation topic:

SCOPE mental health literacy toolkit: A pathway to optimal well-being for everyone (Health)

Fahmida is pursuing a MSc in global mental health at King’s College London and LSHTM, with a passion for multidisciplinary health research and lived experience advocacy.

Fahmida's presentation explores the S.C.O.P.E Digital Mental Health Literacy Toolkit, an interactive, research-driven platform grounded in the Life Transition Model, designed to enhance self-guided mental health literacy through culturally adaptive, solution-focused, and competency-based digital learning for individuals navigating key life transitions.

Kavya Mukhija

Presentation topic:

Meme-ing Change: Using Humour to Drive Disability Awareness (Media Communications and Culture)

A 2024 Diana Award recipient, Kavya Mukhija is a disability rights advocate, content creator and writer pursuing an MSc in disability, design, and innovation at UCL.

Kavya’s presentation explores how content creation, including memes, can be a powerful tool for disability awareness, blending humour with advocacy to challenge stereotypes, spark conversations, and engage diverse audiences in disability discourse.

Li-Yun Cheng

Presentation topic:

Reimagining leadership in climate advocacy: Developing Taiwan’s climate sci-fi narrative through creative engagements (Media Communications and Culture)

Li-Yun is a postgraduate student in climate change at King’s College London, with a background in climate policy research, youth advocacy and international environmental governance.

This presentation explores how creative engagements in climate science fiction shape climate advocacy and leadership in Taiwan, examining their role in mobilising collective action and developing narratives.

Nowshin Noor

Presentation topic:

From ideas to action: Just transition as a pathway to inclusive climate leadership (Public Policy)

Nowshin Noor is pursuing an MSc in public policy at UCL and holds an LLB and LLM on international law and Human Rights from the University of Dhaka.

Nowshin's presentation will explore the intersection of climate change, labour rights, and gender equity in developing economies.

It outlines a framework for Just Transition for labour-intensive countries to enhance worker protections, supply chain accountability and sustainable growth.

Maria Fernanda Rivera Flores

Presentation topic:

Beyond the commute: Care-related activities and women’s transport justice (Law and Human Rights)

Fernanda Rivera is a sustainable mobility and public policy specialist with over 12 years of experience advancing cycling, public transport, cycling and road safety initiatives in Mexico City, focusing on gender-inclusive and feminist approaches to create more equitable, accessible cities. She is currently pursuing a master’s in transport and city planning at UCL.

This presentation highlights the importance of addressing women’s unique care related travel needs, combating gender-based violence, and empowering women in the transport sector to drive global change.

Wanying Bai

Presentation topic:

Leadership from neuroscience perspective and the power of self-leadership (Development)

Wanying Bai has an engineering background with working experience in Apple business, now studying psychology at the University of Edinburgh and is passionate about applying organizational psychology to enhance employee well-being.

Yi Feng Khoo

Presentation topic:

Through the netnographic lens of a community manager: Engaging effectively in virtual community (Technology)

Known to friends as the "Mental Health Guy," Yi Feng Khoo bridges clinical and organisational worlds, translating evidence-based practices to uplift community mental health in southeast asia through fostering thriving, inclusive workplaces.

The presentation will focus on understanding networked psychology, e-engagement best practices and netnographic insights from the Working Well Community of 600+ workplace well-being leaders.