DJCAD Masters Show – MRes Research Showcase

A new event for Masters Show 2025, hear from two of our graduating MRes (Masters by Research) students about their very different research projects. 

River Paterson (MRes Design) will be discussing the findings of her paper regarding queer experience in Scotland and experiences of gender discrimination and with transphobic rhetoric faced in Scotland, looking at how social systems that produce oppressive norms and conditions are maintained in a given culture. Their presentation will share the contextual research, the research process and the findings of the paper. 

Neuroscientist Amanda Taylor (MRes Fine Art) has spent years studying the brain’s stress axis, exploring neurons at a singular level. While stress is often associated with intense neuronal activity, her work reflects on their grace and serenity as much as their power. Inspired by Santiago Ramón y Cajal—the “godfather of neuroscience”—and his intricate pen-and-ink drawings, she reimagines neurons not as agents of stress, but as elegant, tranquil structures revealed in striking modern molecular imagery. 

 After the session – introduced by Professor Anita Taylor – there will be the opportunity to ask questions, as well as meet staff from the school’s recruitment team.