August 2018
We highlight alumni who have taken their Edinburgh expertise around the world.
Edinburgh international
As performers and visitors from around the world say goodbye to Edinburgh after the festivals, we take the opportunity to highlight alumni who have taken their Edinburgh expertise abroad.
Some have returned to their home countries after university and taken on responsibilities as alumni volunteers. Others have explored new continents to pursue opportunties in fields as diverse as primate conservation and linguistics.
Grace Guan
A friendly stranger gave Grace Guan a warm impression of Edinburgh that endures today. The MSc Education graduate, who set up the Shanghai alumni club, is set to take up the post of Regional Director for East Asia in September.
Thanks to my beautiful memories of Edinburgh, when I returned to China and realised there were no alumni associations here, I decided to set up one.
Ivan Sandrea
By completing a masters thesis focused on energy, followed by an MBA, Ivan Sandrea gained vital technical and leadership skills that have helped him on his journey to co-founding an oil and gas company in Mexico.
I realized early that I was better at the cross point of technical and commercial and decided to take that journey after my studies at Edinburgh.
Rebecca Smith
The wide range of courses in Edinburgh's biological sciences programme coupled with a unique volunteering opportunity paved the way for Rebecca Smith's international career in primate conservation.
In 2013 I moved to Paraguay to run the Para La Tierra Primate Project. I have now been studying hooded capuchins in the Paraguayan Atlantic Forest for five years and I have published the first primatological research from Paraguay in over 20 years.
Laurie Bauer
Now retired, Emeritus Professor Laurie Bauer has had a fruitful academic career in Denmark and New Zealand, publishing numerous books and articles on linguistics.
In 2017 I was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand's Humanities medal. The medal is awarded annually for research or innovative work of outstanding merit in the humanities.
Ama Akuamoah
Ghana-based Africa and International Development graduate Ama Akuamoah fits being an alumni volunteer around running a business and lecturing part time.
My vision is to build an organisation that provides African solutions to the core issues that the continent faces, utilising local knowledge and expertise.
