Biology for a
Better Tomorrow

Use biology & medicine to make a difference

Online program exploring how you can use biology to best help others, from morally-motivated medicine to revolutionary research.

  • Dates: 19 January to 28 February

  • Who: Smart, curious, and ambitiously altruistic students aged 15-19 who haven’t yet started university

  • Cost: Choice of tiers based on ability to pay (i.e. free if needed!)

  • Top participants receive custom mentorship, referrals to selective next-steps, access to funding, and ongoing support!

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What you can expect

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Facilitated discussion groups with a cohort of smart, curious students

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Talks and Q&As with professionals using biology to tackle pressing problems

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Mentorship and referrals to pursue follow-up projects

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Support with applications and Oxbridge/Ivy interviews

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97% of participants would recommend!

Surveyed at the end of our summer cohort, 97% of our 300+ Finalists ranked 7/10 or above on their likelihood to recommend this course; 35% said 10/10!

Plus, nearly 90% reported feeling more confident in their ability to make a positive impact after their course!

Course overview

Weekly structure

  • Dive deep into intriguing scientific topics and advanced concepts using our curated resources, organised on our online learning platform with interactive videos, engaging quizzes, and other activities.

  • Weekly discussion with a Leaf facilitator and small-group breakouts to develop your critical thinking in conversation with intelligent, interesting, like-minded teens.

    We’ll do our best to find a slot that works around your other commitments!

  • From revolutionary research projects to virtual work experiences or lab practicals, each week you’ll explore a new activity and skill, accelerating you on your path to impact. Get feedback from peers and Leaf staff. Win prizes!

  • Meet professionals who studied biology or medicine and are using what they learned to change the world.

  • Share your own knowledge plus join sessions run by Fellows and alumni! Meet inspiring peers with shared interests; collaborate on projects; discover exciting new ideas.

  • Discord channel, paired 1:1s, and opportunities to get to know peers with different backgrounds but shared passions.

Meet some staff and former speakers

Our Biology course is supported by a wide range of experts, facilitators, and alumni!

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Sofya Lebedeva

Oxford Biosecurity Group

  • Sofya is a Co-Founder of the Oxford Biosecurity Group (OBG) and the Alliance for Reducing Microbial Resistance (ARMoR), following her research experience ranging from Stanford University to biotech startups. Having studied cellular and molecular biology at undergrad, she is currently studying a PhD in Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford.

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Clare Harris

High-Impact Medicine

  • Clare is a junior medical doctor who now does research for several organisations, including a startup foundry called SparkWave.tech. She's also the Head of Monitoring & Evaluation at High Impact Medicine, which aims to support medical students and doctors who aspire to increase the positive impact they have in their careers and giving decisions. She has a dual undergraduate degree in Health Sciences, Medicine, and Surgery, an MSc specialising in mathematics and statistics, and an MPhil in computational neuroscience.

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Kaleem Ahmid

Effective Ventures

  • Kaleem has held research roles focusing on public health and biosecurity at Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security, Northeastern University, and the Happier Lives Institute. More recently, he’s been a project manager at Effective Ventures, leading two EAGx conferences with ~2000 attendees exploring pressing world problems. His current work considers the intersection of Islam and effective altruism, such as effective uses of Zakat. He studied philosophy and public health at Northeastern University in Boston.

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Frederik Lau

Università di Trento

  • Frederik is a PhD student learning to cultivate meat from animal cells, having studied biotechnology at master's and undergraduate. He is very interested in ensuring the future has enough to eat when transitioning from more animal-based food to sustainable sources or in the case of emergency. As well as hosting a radio show, he has facilitated a range of programmes focused on exploring how ambitious students can best help others.

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Dhruval Soni

University of Cambridge

  • Dhruval is a second-year Medicine student at the University of Cambridge; he is interested in medical technology and the application of stem cell research to novel treatments. After attending the Leaf 2022 programme, Dhruval has explored the intersection between the medical sciences and effective altruism. Dhruval is pursuing a neuroscience course as part of his intercalated degree and is currently involved in an MRI study of the brain in Alzheimer's disease.

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Beth Gambotto-Burke

University of Oxford, course designer and facilitator

  • Beth is a first-year MBiol student at the University of Oxford, where she is on the committee for the Biohacking Society and works as an Oxford Scientist subeditor . She is interested in pandemic prevention, immunology, green development in biotech and the intersection between effective altruism and public health research. Since attending the Leaf Changemaker’s Fellowship in 2023, she has helped facilitate the Mathematics and Biology programmes.

The opportunities don’t end after five weeks!

Learn more here about our referrals to top research programs, connection to experts and mentorship, support and funding for projects, and other ongoing Leaf alumni opportunities!

Our partners

Biology for a Better Tomorrow is supported by a partners who help us provide our participants with additional opportunities, from networking to competition places to internships:

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Oxford Biosecurity Group

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High-Impact Medicine

Alumni Perspectives

  • A young girl with dark hair in two braids, wearing a white and green T-shirt, standing against a plain white wall.

    "I'm definitely applying for medicine at uni, but Leaf allowed me to solidify and consider my next steps. I learned about many new topics, including factors that go into building a cost-effective charity, and the difference between average and top charities. I did not realise the danger imposed by pathogens and new diseases on humans and how severely underfunded the prevention of this is, especially considering longtermism and the risk of human extinction."

    Jeyneeshaa

  • Close-up of a young woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a black top, standing in front of a beige door.

    "The programme gave me a chance to go above and beyond classroom learning and learn so many new things. Highlights included exploring new concepts such as the Scout Mindset, existential risk, and effective altruism. The weekly discussion calls enabled discussion of what I had learned with highly intelligent and deep-thinking people. The Q&As provided an opportunity to hear about the experiences and passions of academic scholars. I would recommend Leaf especially to those who feel restricted by the school curriculum and want to discover more deeply."

    Koyuki

  • Young man with curly hair wearing a white shirt and a striped tie, sitting on a weathered wooden bench outdoors with green bushes and trees in the background.

    "Leaf opened my eyes to so many different career options I didn't know were available to me, and most importantly, showed me the biggest impact is made in ways I did not at all expect, like from going into AI safety research. The pandemic videos were really interesting too. While learning about different areas of research and techniques was really interesting and useful, the most valuable things I took away were possible career paths. I now have much clearer ideas on options post uni."

    Johnny

  • A young woman with long brown wavy hair smiling outdoors in front of green bushes.

    "I learned about my own intrinsic beliefs and values, and how there are so many ways I can make a positive impact in my life. I have heard many people say that they 'want to make an impact in the world', but I had never considered in depth what this could involve, and the diverse ways this can actually be done (in addition to more conventional careers). I enjoyed learning about different ways we can approach effective altruism, not just from a subject-specific standpoint, but also from philosophy, STEM, and politics. I am really grateful for this opportunity and would definitely recommend Leaf!"

    Larissa

  • Close-up of a young man with curly black hair smiling outdoors in winter, wearing a black puffer jacket and a backpack, with snow and a city street in the background.

    "There is a very focused and clear encouraging atmosphere around the idea of creating a big positive impact throughout the course, and the content and the further opportunities suggested help a lot to reach this goal. Finding out the links between my subject and ethics was really useful to understand what type of career would be most suitable for me. Going forwards, I'm going to be more focused on what the impact of my career is for the world, and less focused on money and status. The idea of neglected problems was interesting because it showed me that the biggest problems might not always be the most beneficial cause to donate time and money to."

    Rehan

  • A young woman with long black hair, wearing hoop earrings, a beige sweater, and a black puffer jacket, stands on a cobblestone street in front of a stone church with tall pointed windows. Red telephone boxes and people sitting on benches are visible in the background.

    "It's made me think about my subject in a way that school has never encouraged me to do, and changed my perception of it. The resources and expertise in the programme are incredibly valuable, and talking to other students who share similar interests to me has really broadened my outlook on various topics. Leaf has definitely boosted my confidence in voicing my ideas; by the end of the course, I felt very comfortable sparking debate and conversation with other fellows."

    Natalie

Where Leaf alumni are now

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Oxford University

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Cambridge University

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Harvard University

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London School of Economics

More questions? See our “FAQ” page.