Our people
Meet the extraordinary individuals making a difference.
From Olympic speed climbing to academic ascent
From recovering after her first Olympics to moving country for the first time and embarking on a masters degree, Edinburgh student Aleksandra Kalucka has been having a big year.
Dive into the history of the Indian Ocean
Prize-winning academic Dr Mahmood Kooria reveals how he is retelling the history of the Indian Ocean’s Islamic communities, matrilineal culture and female travellers.
Classroom to clinic: Transforming paediatric care in Ghana
Gifty Halidu, a nurse in Ghana, has lowered the infant mortality rate at the hospital where she works, thanks to her experience studying the University’s Paediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) degree.
Peter Mathieson on navigating changes at a historic university
The University’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor on driving culture change, navigating a global pandemic and remembering our shared humanity.
Building family in the student community
More than 400 student-led societies and volunteering groups aim to help build a sense of belonging in the University experience. How did one motivated student leader level up that ambition, even reaching out beyond the campus?
What happens when the stars misalign in Parkinson’s?
Áine Heffernan from the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences is the winner of the University’s 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for research on Parkinson’s disease which aims to understand why some individuals develop the condition.
A community to champion activism
Syjil Ramjuthan uses her activism to provoke positive change. She’s committed to using the power of the student voice to improve the University environment now and for the future.
A journey to the unknown
In December 2023 Dr Claudia Colesie, a terrestrial ecologist in the University’s School of GeoSciences, travelled with a team of scientists to Antarctica. Their destination was the unexplored Zavodovski Island, said to be one of the stormiest places on Earth.
A build-up of little acts, giving back to others
More than 2,000 Edinburgh care home residents receive cards at Christmas from Julie Ann Fooshee’s community wellbeing project. Her aspirations, to reach out to the city’s isolated and vulnerable individuals, go further.
A chain of students paying back to society
Jay Choudhari founded Dhyeya in India’s rural Chandrapur. This non-profit organisation is tackling education inequality, helping children from marginalised sections of society aspire to and access education.
Prioritising community and transparency
Nadine Barakat represents a community of postgraduate research students. Her efforts have been instrumental in bringing the students together, acting on their feedback and instigating change.
On a space mission
As the University’s Space Sector Business Development Lead, Kristina Tamane is on a mission to launch collaborations between academia and industry that are out of this world.
Stepping up
When hundreds of Ukrainian children arrived in Edinburgh’s schools Katia Popova and her students organised tutoring, translation and tunes.
Rebuilding a war-torn country: Meeting the future of Ukraine
A pioneering Twinning Initiative has boosted bonds between Edinburgh and Ukraine, strengthening the cross-border exchange of people and ideas.
Accountability needs you
For history graduate Blair Glencorse, a brief conversation in Nepal was the catalyst for an idea that has become a 25-million-strong global movement of people making the world fairer and more accountable for us all.