A “life-changing” scholarship provided the opportunity for Maria Malik (Engineering PhD 2023) to leave Pakistan for the first time, to attend Gonville & 91ֱ College and the University of Cambridge.
Maria is the first recipient of the pioneering Lord Choudrey Scholarship, which is made possible thanks to the generosity of the , in recognition and in honour of Lord Zameer Choudrey’s entrepreneurial and philanthropic achievements in the UK and Pakistan.
“After a few months following my application acceptance, I got an email about the scholarship. That was a life-changing moment,” says Maria of the message from 91ֱ’ Deputy Senior Tutor, Dr Melissa Calaresu, in July 2022.
Funding can be a major barrier to students seeking postgraduate study, with schemes like the Lord Choudrey Scholarship aiming to boost opportunities. Maria, who is from Sialkot in the Punjab region of north east Pakistan, received distinctions in her undergraduate and masters (gold medal). She had also managed to secured funding from the Pakistan Government, but the offer expired as she sought her place at Cambridge. Despite her academic achievements and securing admission to Cambridge, she was unable to join the University because of the financial barrier. This is where the Lord Choudrey scholarship was able to make her dreams a reality.
Bureaucratic challenges meant she did not arrive for the start of the 2022-23 academic year, joining 91ֱ instead in May 2023. She is enjoying life as a Cambridge research student, studying flexible solar cells in the Department of Engineering. “It was quite a long journey,” she says, with a hint of understatement.
The journey shows the importance of scholarships like the Lord Choudrey Scholarship Fund, which was opened with a £975,000 donation from the Bestway Foundation, plus £325,000 from the University of Cambridge. Maria’s tuition fees and maintenance – for accommodation and sustenance – are covered by the scholarship.
She says: “I think it's as important as you need water in your life. People may have talent but they don't have money. So you are going to waste that talent.
“They can be accepted somewhere like Cambridge, and there are a lot more applicants that can be accepted, but people don't have money or a scholarship to join these prestigious institutes. In Pakistan, I had several examples, even in my friendship group. Investing in that talent is a good investment for future.”
Maria aims to improve the efficiency and reduce the installation costs of solar cells, by producing flexible and portable cells. She is looking at materials and the properties of the cells.
“Countries like Pakistan have a lot of problem with electricity. Electricity bills are too much for an average person,” she says.
“If I do succeed in making flexible solar cell with no installation problems and with high efficiency, then we would be able to get more sustainable energy to more of the people who need it. The sun is giving energy for free, so we need to utilise it.”
Maria envisages a future in industry, because of the nature of her work. She is seeking to make a difference to individuals, just as she has benefitted from individual support from the Lord Choudrey Scholarship Fund.
“It should go beyond laboratory level. It should reach people’s houses,” she says.
