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2020 Global Winners

Aishwarya Sriram

American University of Sharjah
Architecture & Design

Zoe Voice

University of St Andrews
Art History & Theory

Shawn Liu

Western University
Business

Jingfei Ren

Nanyang Technological University
Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Edward Foster

National University of Ireland, Galway
Classical Studies & Archaeology

Kayo Yin

École Polytechnique
Computer Science

Alice Walker

Swansea University
Earth & Environmental
Sciences

Ishita Kumar

King’s University College at Western University
Economics

Pearlwe Chau

National Institute of Education
Education

Febby Krisnadi

North Carolina State University
Engineering

Keith Ó Riain

Mary Immaculate College
History

Genevieve Ding

Yale-NUS College
Law

Migara Jayasinghe

National University of Singapore
Life Sciences

Chau Yi (Allison) Cheung

Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Linguistics

Liam Whelan

Trinity College Dublin
Literature

Xi Jie Yeo

National University of Singapore
Mathematics & Physics

Hailey Dall-Proud

Western University
Medical Sciences

Adam Weitzer

Monash University
Music, Theatre & Film Studies

Emily Dingley

University of Leeds
Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Healthcare

Harriet Yates

University of Sheffield
Philosophy

Jasper Friedrich

University of Aberdeen
Politics & International Relations

Catherine Li

Western University
Psychology

Maya Bian

University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Social Science: Sociology & Social Policy

Nathaniel Dylan Lim

Nanyang Technological University
Social Science: Anthropology & Cultural Studies

Benjamin Crocker

University of Newcastle, Australia

Visual Arts

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Sadrila Abbasi

Architecture & Design
American University of Sharjah

Winning Paper: Bee-Ball Deathtrap

Aishwarya Sriram is a graduate from the American University of Sharjah. Having completed her bachelor’s degree in architecture, she is currently interested in furthering her architectural education with a focus on a successful pragmatic intersection of architectural discourse with ethical design. She believes that given the current world scenario, all individuals, regardless of their profession, cannot operate in isolation or without consideration for the broader world context. Outside of her interests in the built environment, she is a keen amateur ceramicist and attributes the development of her conscience towards sustainable design practices to the cyclical and environmentally conscious process of ceramic-making.

Zoe Voice

Art History & Theory
University of St Andrews

Winning Paper: De-faced, not Destroyed: The Targeted Iconoclasm of Rood Screens in Reformation Norfolk

Zoe recently graduated with a degree in Art History from St Andrews in the summer of 2020 and has since begun a master’s degree in Conservation of Fine Art on Paper at Northumbria University. Her primary research interest concerns the physical interactions medieval peoples had with art objects – especially those used in religious or superstitious practices – and the detectable evidence that this left upon their surfaces.

Shawn Liu

Business
Western University

Winning Paper: Opportunity Recognition Regarding the Circular Economy in the Canadian Food Sector

 

Shawn is a graduate from The Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University in Canada, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Currently working at Validere, an Oil and Gas Analytics company, Shawn analyzes and creates software tooling around oil data to provide industry-disrupting data transparency for clients. In the future, Shawn wants to combine his business acumen and data science skills to help organizations solve problems around sustainability and circular economies. Outside of work, Shawn is an avid chess player and weightlifter.

Jingfei Ren

Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Nanyang Technological University

Winning Paper: Thermosensitive chitosan hydrogel loaded with cell-derived nanovesicles for cutaneous wound healing

Jingfei is a graduate from the Class of 2020 at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She has completed a B.Eng. (Honours) degree in Materials Engineering with a specialisation in Medical Materials, Industrial Materials Engineering, and a minor in modern languages. Positioned at the confluence of materials and biomedical research, Jingfei has strived for detailed understanding of interactions between biomaterials and physiological systems for therapeutic applications. Outside academia, Jingfei has a keen interest in Latin and contemporary dances.

Edward Foster

Classical Studies & Archaeology

National University of Ireland, Galway

Winning Paper: Boudicca’s Rebellion: A Re-Evaluation of the Popular Narrative

Edward worked as a professional investigator for ten years before a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis forced him to consider a change of career. After enrolling as a mature student through NUI Galway’s Access Programme, he achieved a First Class Honours in Classics & Psychological Studies with Creative Writing, winning the Athenry Prize twice and being awarded the title of University Scholar. His research interests include the application of psychological theory to ancient texts, the placebo effect and the psychology of conspiracy theories. In his spare time, Edward enjoys dictionaries, video games and producing rave music.

Kayo Yin

Computer Science
École Polytechnique

Winning Paper: Sign Language Translation with Transformers

Kayo graduated with a BSc in Math and Computer Science from École Polytechnique. She is now pursuing her Master in Language Technologies at Carnegie Mellon University where she is researching multilingual dialogue translation. Kayo’s long-term research goal is to break down communication barriers between people, and between computers and people using Natural Language Processing. She hopes to improve how computers understand and respond to different human languages so that everyone can benefit from technology. In her free time, Kayo loves playing her 10+ musical instruments, solo traveling, and hiking. She is also a strong advocate for sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

Alice Walker

Earth & Environmental Sciences
Swansea University

Winning Paper: The impact of sunflower crop management on the conservation of foraging bumblebee (Bombus spp.) communities

Alice recently graduated from Swansea University with a BSc in Zoology with a Year Abroad, where within her dissertation she questioned how sunflower crop management affects foraging bumblebee communities and the crop’s usefulness as a potential bumblebee conservation strategy. She is now pursuing a MRes at the University of Leeds in Conservation and Biodiversity and aspires to contribute to the ongoing fight against global biodiversity loss by having a career in this research field. In her spare time, when she is not outdoors hunting for bees or spiders, you will find her running, playing lacrosse, climbing or producing artwork.

Ishita Kumar

Economics
King’s University College at Western University

Winning Paper: Forecasting Canadian Inflation Using Dynamic Model Averaging

Ishita is a graduate from King’s University College at Western University with a Honours B.A. in Economics and minor in Mathematics. Early on in her education, Ishita studied how central banks’ actions define the economic landscape of a country. This made her interested in macroeconomic modelling. This interest is what motivated her to take on this particular research wherein she studied inflation forecasts which are fundamental to the monetary policy formulation in Canada. She is currently studying at the London School of Economics in a M.Sc. in Statistics program and hopes to pursue a doctoral program in Economics in the future.

Pearlwe Chau

Education

National Institute of Education

Winning Paper: A comparative description of Singapore students’ perceptions of school science as an examination subject and as a practice in everyday life experiences

Pearlwe is a graduate from the National Institute of Education, Singapore, with a Bachelor of Science (Education) degree, majoring in Chemistry. She is currently working as a secondary school teacher. As an educator, she hopes to share her interest in Chemistry with her students, and through the experimental nature of chemistry, develop them to become critical and reflective thinkers.

Febby Krisnadi

Engineering

North Carolina State University

Winning Paper: Dielectrophoresis-assisted Formation of Flexible, Stretchable, Healable and Conductive EGaIn Networks

Febby graduated from Nanyang Technological University with a BEng (honours – highest distinction) in Materials Engineering under the CN Yang Scholars Program. As an undergrad, she worked with Mathews’ Research Group on soft actuators and composites. She completed her final year project at North Carolina State University as a visiting student, where she was co-advised by Professor Michael Dickey and Professor Nripan Mathews. Apart from her research interests, Febby enjoys admiring cats, doodling, and reading dystopian fiction.

Keith Ó Riain

History
Mary Immaculate College

Winning Paper: ‘Do b’ait liom-sa spóirt agus amhrán’ The popular aspects of Gaelic Irish mentalité in the mid eighteenth-century

Keith recently graduated with a first class honours degree in Gaeilge and History from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, where he now works as a Departmental Assistant in the Irish Department for the duration of his MA. His current research seeks to produce the first ever edition of the poetry of the eighteenth-century Cork poet, Éadbhard de Nógla, along with textual analysis of the poems and a study of his life and work. Keith is fascinated by eighteenth century Ireland and hopes to continue his research in both historical and literary scholarship in the future.

Genevieve Ding

Law

Yale-NUS College

Winning Paper: The Legal Legibility of Genocidal Suffering

Genevieve studies Literature and Global Affairs at Yale-NUS College, Singapore. She is interested in the genre of jurisprudence, the rhetoric of humanitarianism, and the narrative of international law in transitional justice processes. She wrote The Legal Legibility of Genocidal Suffering in reflection of her field experience in Rakhine State, Myanmar, and policy engagement with international legal accountability mechanisms in Washington, D.C. following the Rohingya genocide.

Migara Jayasinghe

Life Sciences

National University of Singapore

Winning Paper: A Novel Enzyme-mediated Method for Generating Engineered Extracellular Vesicles for Targeted Drug Delivery

Migara is a final year undergraduate from the City University of Hong Kong. His research in the past three years has focused on oncology and extracellular vesicles. During his exchange program at the National University of Singapore, Migara worked on developing a platform for engineering extracellular vesicles for safe and efficient drug delivery. He is currently finishing up his undergraduate studies while working on improving this drug delivery platform for the treatment of a range of conditions. Migara is interested in gene therapy and cancer immunotherapy and plans to pursue a PhD in a related field.

Chau Yi (Allison) Cheung

Linguistics

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Winning Paper: A Spoken English Wordlist

Allison graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a specialisation in English linguistics. After graduation, she spent a year gaining hands-on experience of research in language education at the University of Hong Kong. She is now embarking upon her postgraduate journey of the same field at the University of Cambridge. Allison has enjoyed research taking a linguistic approach to complement English education. Her research interests include, but are not limited to, corpus linguistics and computer-assisted language learning in English language teaching. She aspires to conduct impactful research that could bring about positive changes to English education around the globe.

Liam Whelan

Literature

Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Winning Paper: Hamlet, the Reformation, and the Spectre of the Unassuaged Father

Liam is a graduate of English Studies at Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded a Foundation Scholarship. At Trinity, his work focused on Early Modern literature: Liam wrote his dissertation on social complaint in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and Heywood and Rastell’s Gentleness and Nobility. His interests include rhetoric, ethics and intellectual history.

Xi Jie Yeo

Mathematics and Physics
National University of Singapore

Winning Paper: Spectral Compression of Narrowband Single Photons

Xi Jie is a BSc physics graduate from the National University of Singapore and is now a PhD candidate in Prof. Christian Kurtsiefer’s group at the Centre for Quantum Technologies in Singapore, where he has worked in since he was an undergraduate. Currently, Xi Jie’s research is on developing single photon sources towards network-based quantum computing. Apart from research, he is also passionate to help others reach their full potential, by mentoring budding scientists and facilitating peer support groups at the university. Outside of the university, he spends his free time reading and learning new languages.

Hailey Dall-Proud

Medical Sciences
Western University

Winning Paper: Inflammation Mediators in Ovarian Cancer Spheroids

Hailey recently graduated from Western University with an Honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) specializing in Biochemistry and Cancer Biology, with a Minor in Genetics. During her undergraduate studies she had the opportunity to conduct research at the London Regional Cancer Centre in the Shepherd Lab, focusing on epithelial ovarian cancer. This experience led to her award-winning thesis: “Inflammation Mediators in Ovarian Cancer Spheroids” and ignited her passion for research into the molecular basis of cancer. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Biochemistry at McGill University and conducting breast cancer research at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre.

Adam Weitzer

Music, Film and Theatre

Monash University

Winning Paper: Performing Pasts: Reading Collective Memory in Shostakovich’s Thirteenth Symphony in B flat minor, Op. 113 ‘Babi Yar’

Adam completed a Bachelor of Arts (History/Literature) and a Bachelor of Music (Clarinet) at Monash University, followed by a First Class Honours in Musicology. Continually interested in the interdisciplinary connections between music, literature, and history, his recent research considers the complex interactions between art and narratives of cultural memory. He has presented his research at the Musicological Society of Australia and the International Conference of Undergraduate Research. Outside his academic studies, Adam has worked with the Australian Youth Orchestra, and is a passionate clarinetist. In 2021 he will begin a Master of Music (Musicology) at the University of Melbourne.

Emily Dingley

Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Healthcare

University of Leeds

 

Winning Paper: The effect of dance on risk factors associated with falls in older adults

Emily recently graduated from the University of Leeds with a first class honours in Sport and Exercise Science. During her degree, she was awarded the Laidlaw Research and Leadership Scholarship where she completed a two-year research project, undertook leadership development and presented at national and international conferences. Emily’s experience of playing football on a scholarship in America for three years prior to her degree, ignited her passion to support others. She has provided sports coaching to youths in Fiji, strength and conditioning coaching to university and Great Britain rowers and engaged older adults in dancing, which provided inspiration for her paper.

Harriet Yates

Philosophy

University of Sheffield

Winning Paper: Accounting for Problems in the Philosophy of Fiction: Is it necessary to posit i-desires to solve the paradox of fiction and the puzzle of imaginative resistance?

Harriet recently graduated from The University of Sheffield with a first-class degree in Linguistics and Philosophy. She will continue at this institution in the coming semester, with a postgraduate course in Cognitive Studies. Harriet is fascinated with cognition in all respects, as demonstrated in her essay concerning mental attitudes towards imagination and particularly enjoys cognitive linguistics (she is a firm fan of Chomsky) and hopes to progress her studies with a PhD relevant to this field. She is also an active member of the student community, having acted as social secretary, charity secretary, and inclusions officer for the Philosophy and Tennis societies.

Jasper Friedrich

Politics & International Relations

University of Aberdeen

Winning Paper: Imagined speech communities: A new perspective on language and nationalism

Jasper recently finished his undergraduate degree in International Relations and Linguistics at the University of Aberdeen, where he focused his work on the intersections between language and politics, especially from a theoretical point of view. He is now continuing this work through a master’s programme in Political Theory at the University of Oxford. He is passionate about combining insights from different disciplines, and in his work, he draws on theories from politics, linguistics, discourse studies, sociology and philosophy. Jasper believes that an imaginative and critical approach combining different approaches and disciplines is what drives social science forward.

Catherine Li

Psychology

Western University

Winning Paper: Seriousness of Humour: Examining the Relationship and Pathways Between Sexist Humour and Dark Tetrad Traits

Catherine is currently completing her Honours B.A. in Psychology and minor in French Studies at Western University. She is interested in identifying psychosocial and biological markers that predict risk for/maintenance of psychopathology, and how to attenuate their associated negative effects. She wants to make a positive impact in both mental health research and care in her career and hopes to pursue graduate studies in Clinical Psychology to help her reach this goal. She also hopes to make evidence-based research/interventions more applicable to socioeconomically and culturally diverse groups, and to make psychology more accessible to an everyday audience.

Maya Bian

Social Science: Sociology & Social Policy

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Winning Paper: Neoliberalism and the Burden Narrative: A Case Study in a Private Long-Term Care Facility in Northeastern China

 

A native of Alabama, Maya Bian recently graduated from the University of Tennessee, where she studied global health equity through the College Scholars Program. She is currently a Yenching Scholar at Peking University, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in China Studies with a focus in Law & Society. She hopes to continue her undergraduate research on eldercare in China and deepen her understanding of the intersection of care, culture, and social policy. She plans to eventually pursue an MD-PhD in the U.S. and work as a physician, researcher, and organizer in the American South.

Nathaniel Dylan Lim

Social Science: Anthropology & Cultural Studies

Nanyang Technological University

Winning Paper: “Without water, we cannot survive” – Entanglements of water and young people in high-tech Hyderabad

Nathaniel graduated from the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University with a BA (Education) in Geography. His final-year thesis focused on understanding the everyday politics of water insecurity through ethnographic fieldwork conducted in India. Currently, he is teaching Geography at a secondary school in Singapore. As an educator, he firmly believes in the use of fieldwork and inquiry to develop his students’ interdisciplinary and inquisitive minds. Outside of teaching, he enjoys running and exploring the world.

Benjamin Crocker

Visual Arts

University of Newcastle, Australia

Winning Paper: Portraits of Ghosts

Benjamin is an artist-designer studying Visual Communication Design at the University of Newcastle where he develops his love for all things strange, subtle and stylish. When he’s not parading new outfits around campus he’s working to realise projects that combine the authenticity of visual arts with the refined realisation of design. He also has a wicked mullet.