 Samuel Cohen 24 Visiting Fellow, Harvard GSAS & SEAS Sam is interested in the overlap between Physics and the Life Sciences. He is currently mid-PhD at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Chris Dobson. The group’s expertise and methodology spans chemistry, genetics, medicine, engineering and physics, with the overall aim being to develop quantitative approaches to defining normal and aberrant protein homeostasis. Sam is working towards a better understanding of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and the prion disorders, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In particular, Sam has worked on developing a framework for identifying the molecular mechanisms that drive aberrant protein aggregation, which is a crucial process in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Sam will be working with Professor L. Mahadevan whose own work spans Applied Mathematics and the Life Sciences. Away from academia, Sam’s interest in climate change and energy policy led to his representing the UK as a Global Leader at the Institute of International Education in New York in 2008. |
 Mahiben Maruthappu 23
Special Student, Harvard GSAS Having read Medical Sciences at Cambridge, Mahiben is now completing his medical degree at Oxford. His aim is to transform healthcare by blending academia, policy, clinical practice and technology. He is consequently embarking on the Special Student programme, which provides a unique degree of flexibility in which to pursue these different interests. Mahiben will be taking courses in public health, economics and entrepreneurship, while conducting data-driven research at Harvard's Medical and Business schools. He is a passionate innovator, launching several initiatives ranging from the UK Medical Students' Association (UKMSA) to organisations supporting the training of doctors in resource-limited countries. |
F Junaid Mubeen 26 Ed M, International Education Policy, Harvard School of Education Junaid was the first student in the history of his school to study Mathematics at Oxford. Now that he has completed his Doctorate, he wishes to enter the debate about mathematics education policy, seeing the crucial role maths has to play in scientific and technological innovation, economic development and as an absolute language for cross-cultural communication. Junaid has developed his own communication skills and sees this as a major need within his subject, as it seeks to protect its identity and preserve its role. He has also worked extensively in educational access schemes and is keen to bring issues of equity and social justice to the forefront of the education policy discourse. He has recently developed an interest in marathon-running, competing in Paris this year.
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 Olayinka Dosekun 24
M Arch, Harvard School of Design Olayinka read Classics at Oxford and then worked as an investment analyst. She now wants to move from being an observer in her family’s building and construction firm to train as an architect, intending to find contemporary interpretations of African vernacular architecture and to reinterpret traditional styles and materials for a modern city, with particular reference to sustainability and with Lagos as her longer-term focus. She is looking forward to the opportunity this programme provides for students from non-architectural backgrounds. |
 Patrick Johnson 26
Masters in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School A linguist who has travelled widely, Patrick read European Social and Political Studies at UCL during which time he spent a year in Naples. Moving to Damascus to improve his Arabic he has been working as a consultant in the resettlement unit of UNHCR for the past fifteen months, as well as a stint working as an Arabic-language media monitor for the FCO in Beirut. His additional experience as a speech-writer within the EU gave Patrick an interest in emerging economic spheres and the ‘soft’ political influence of their trading relationships. He welcomes the opportunity to bring his varied experiences to bear whilst the MPP enables him to face the challenges of contemporary international policymaking and hopes eventually to return to the EU as a policymaker in the Directorate of External Relations. |
 Oliver Kerr 23
AM Regional Studies, E Asia, Harvard GSAS Originally drawn to learning the Chinese language, Oliver now has a much broader interest in the history, culture and politics of the Chinese nation. A research project on the effects of tourism in Yunnan province has left him keen to exploit the breadth of the Regional Studies East Asia course with its opportunity to pursue individual research alongside the perfecting of his language skills and knowledge of contemporary China. Oliver also expects to cross-register with the Kennedy School and the Business School, being interested in the environmental issues arising from China’s economic growth. Outside of the classroom, he is a karate black belt and a journalist. |
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 Daniel Susskind 23
Special Student, Harvard GSAS Daniel read Economics and Management at Oxford and has since worked as a policy adviser to the Prime Minister, first at the Strategy Unit and then in the No 10 Policy Unit. At Harvard he intends to explore social and individual psychology, develop his understanding of philosophy and mathematics, and broaden his experience of both practical and theoretical policymaking. Daniel is an accomplished public-speaker, an enthusiastic sportsman - golf, rugby, running and snowboarding - and (was once) a semi-professional magician. |
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