Stanford Affiliates Awarded 2025 Gates Cambridge Scholarship 

Leo Baek 

Leo Baek will graduate from Stanford in June 2025 with a double major in Art History and Archaeology. Leo has participated in the creation of four curatorial exhibits with Stanford University Archaeology Collections, two of which were independent projects. He has also been working with Cantor Arts Center as an events coordinator and collections intern for the past two years.Through Cambridge’s MPhil in Social Anthropology, Leo aims to develop a specific expertise in digital museum anthropology. His coursework and collaboration with Cambridge’s museums will culminate in his search for methodologies which better protect the visibility of sacred objects and human remains in digital archives. The revolutionary, inclusive museum is birthed upon the international collaboration of people and cultures. To that end, joining the Gates Cambridge community is not only symbolic but necessary to his growth as a museum worker.Afterwards, Leo plans to undertake a PhD in anthropology. As part of his doctoral dissertation, he is aiming to create a series of new exhibitions with an emphasis on digital techniques learned from his participation in Cambridge’s ongoing projects. With honed research skills and a doctorate, he will pursue a career as a museum curator.

Varun Subramaniam 

Varun Subramaniam graduated from Stanford in 2021 majoring in Computational Biology and minoring in East Asian Studies (Japanese). Varun is currently a medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai pursuing functional neurosurgery.At Cambridge, Varun will be starting a PhD in Psychiatry. His project will aim to uncover the brain circuits which drive compulsivity, a fundamental behavior relevant across many psychiatric conditions. After Cambridge, he will continue his career as a neurosurgeon-scientist, using the findings from his PhD to develop new brain stimulation targets to treat patients with addiction, OCD, eating disorders, and other compulsivity-based conditions.  Varun deeply resonated with the Gates mission of uniting scholars from diverse backgrounds who share a motivation to improve the lives of others. Addressing the global burden of mental illness requires a collective effort spanning research, education, and advocacy. He is thrilled to join a community endeavoring to solve one of humanity’s greatest challenges.