Engineer, wildlife cameraman, and investigative journalist recognised for their work improving lives
Gates Cambridge Scholars ‘make the world a better place in ways no one could have predicted’
The positive impact three Gates Cambridge Scholars from St John’s have had on the world is being celebrated at a special awards ceremony.
Emma Houiellebecq, Alex Vail and Emily Kassie are among eight University of Cambridge postgraduates and alumni to receive Impact Prizes from the Gates Cambridge Trust as it marks 25 years of its international scholarship programme on Friday 10 January.
Professor Eilís Ferran, Provost of Gates Cambridge, said: “We are so happy to be celebrating Gates Cambridge’s quarter-century by highlighting the achievements of our eight Impact Prize winners. They showcase the full diversity of scholars’ impact across the world in fields ranging from business, media and film to humanitarian work to research.”
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship was set up in 2000 following a historic donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. More than 2,155 scholars from 112 countries have been selected since 2001.
Postgraduate engineer builds and maintains infrastructure to help people in conflict regions
Canadian Emma Houiellebecq is a PhD student in Engineering at St John’s, having returned to the College in 2021 after first arriving as a Gates Cambridge Scholar to do a Master’s in 2016.
Her PhD explores a new systems-based approach to building resilience in conflict regions which takes into account the whole chain of political, economic, social and technical issues that affect vital infrastructure.
Through fieldwork in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions - Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Venezuela - she has honed her work to ensure that electricity and water supplies are maintained even in the toughest conditions. Her previous work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on electricity supply in Gaza helped ensure that a hospital in Khan Younis remained operational for months after the conflict escalated in October 2023.
Emma said: “It is not just about solving technology issues, but about the political, economic and social background to these. The aim is to identify the root cause of problems and vulnerabilities in the system. I felt there were tangible differences I could make on the ground and at an institutional level towards more systemic, resilience-building approaches in complex protracted crises. It’s good to have that work acknowledged.”
Wildlife cameraman focuses on public understanding of animals to boost conservation
BAFTA-winning wildlife filmmaker Alex Vail, from Australia, came to St John’s in 2010 to do his PhD in animal behaviour and has been working on leading natural history programmes ever since finishing his studies, including Blue Planet II, Planet Earth III, Seven Worlds, Our Planet, Frozen Planet II, Mammals and, most recently, Asia.
“Animal series are one of the main ways people are exposed to the wider natural world and understanding animals is vital for conservation work,” said Alex.
Journalist and filmmaker exposes humanitarian crises and curruption
Emmy and Peabody-nominated investigative journalist and filmmaker Emily Kassie was an MPhil student in 2016 at St John’s, studying International Relations, namely early interventions and crisis identification. Her work for The New York Times, PBS Frontline, Netflix and others tackles such subjects as drug and weapons trafficking in the Saharan desert, and immigrant detention in the United States. She was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2020.
Emily’s most recent film, Sugarcane, which won the US Documentary Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival, is about understanding the long-term impact of systematic abuse on indigenous people in her home country, Canada.
Pointing out that there are hundreds of similar schools in North America, she said: “We are just starting to know the truth. We are at the beginning of understanding what happened.”
The Impact Prize ceremony kicks off the Gates Cambridge Scholarship 25th anniversary year. The eight award-winners will each receive £5,000 and be invited to participate in the anniversary events.
Professor Ferran added: “For 25 years now, students from across the globe have come to Cambridge to work with us and become part of our community. As this award shows, when they go back out into the world as Gates Cambridge scholars, they make it a better place in ways no one could have predicted at the start.”
The other five winners are: Professor Urbasi Sinha (2002), Anoop Tripathi (2022), Mona Jebril (2012), Alexandra Grigore (2012), and Uchechukwu Ogechukwu (2024).
Published: 6/1/2025