Welcome to our Rotary Global Scholars 2026-27
Casey Platkin
Hello everyone! Thanks to the Rotary Global Grant, I am starting an MPhil in Political and Economic Sociology at Gonville & Caius College. My research examines how AI is transforming work, particularly how algorithmic management (the automation of management) erodes good-quality jobs within blue-collar and service sectors. I grew up in San Francisco before studying Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University in New York, and I spent a year as a visiting student at Oxford studying Politics and Philosophy. I am very grateful to Rotary for making this year possible and look forward to meeting all of you!
Watch Casey’s video here: https://youtu.be/gK9C9bMjHGk
Amina Patricia Anekwe (Ah-neck-way)
Amina is a Truman Scholar and Rotary Global Scholar pursuing an M.Phil. in Health, Medicine and Society at the University of Cambridge. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of New York University, where she earned Highest Distinction in Sociology and English, her research examines how medical trust and mistrust shape healthcare-seeking behavior, with a focus on racial inequities, patients’ rights, and institutional accountability. She plans to pursue a J.D. and build a career at the intersection of health and law, strengthening accountability within U.S. healthcare institutions and advancing more equitable access to care.
Watch Amina’s video here: https://youtu.be/vyu3AVlVEkQ
Leyan Albustami
Leyan is a recent graduate of the University of Florida and an MPhil candidate at the University of Cambridge, where she will study Politics and International Studies. Her academic interests focus on conflict, forced migration, and international law. In the future, Leyan hopes to pursue work focused on international law, conflict prevention, and advancing accountability in conflict-affected regions in the Middle East.
Watch Layan’s video here: https://youtu.be/EYmZ32lKbUk
Ying-Fang (Francesca) Chen)
Ying-Fang is a Cambridge PhD researcher in the Howarth Lab, specializing in virus-like particle (VLP) platforms for vaccine technology. Born and raised in Taiwan, my background spans academic research at National Taiwan University as well as entrepreneurial experience in the biotech space. I love combining protein engineering with innovative technology to address global health challenges.
Watch Ying-Fang’s video here: https://youtu.be/HSOthSIf55w
Lara Anouk Wiegand
I´m Lara Anouk Wiegand, 25 years old and born and raised in Regensburg, Germany. I studied Molecular Medicine for both my B.Sc. and my M.Sc. at the University of Regensburg. Following my Master´s thesis at the University of Cambridge, I have now started my PhD on ER stress-related immune responses following brain cell infection with flaviviruses.
Watch Lara’s video here: https://youtu.be/jiHBBYKD19w
Araha Uday
Lucy McArthur
Lucy McArthur, from Somerset, Kentucky, is a Rotary Global Grant Scholar reading for the MPhil in Education, Globalisation and International Development at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Citadel in 2026 in English and Intelligence and Security Studies with a focus in Counterterrorism, where she served as 1st Battalion Commander. Having worked on national security in the U.S. Congress and conducted research in Kenya and Tanzania, she studies how governments use education to rebuild after conflict in East Africa.
Watch Lucy’s video here: https://youtu.be/BVPrqJsRPu0
Calvin Truong
Calvin is from Melbourne, Australia and graduated as valedictorian from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. To date, his career and research have focused on public health policy, including serving as an Advisor on social policy in Australia’s Cabinet Office and most recently leading policy advocacy for the Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Strategy. He is most passionate about mental healthcare reform for children, having submitted to several high-profile Australian Government inquiries, and has had the privilege of collaborating with young people to co-design evidence-based interventions.
Kiichi Fujisawa
Kiichi Fujisawa is beginning his PhD studies in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge, researching Japan’s relations with South and North Korea since the end of the Second World War. Prior to coming to Cambridge, he served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for twelve years, specialising in Korean Peninsula affairs. He received his BA from Waseda University in Tokyo and his MA from Yonsei University in Seoul.
Watch Kiichi’s video here: https://youtu.be/ItWxw3NmI7c