MA student awarded first Alan Davidson Scholarship

We are delighted to announce that MA student Rose Wetherell has been awarded the first Alan Davidson Scholarship for the MA Architectural Visualisation course. The scholarship seeks to encourage talented students to specialise in architectural visualisation regardless of their financial circumstances.

The scholarship was set up in partnership with the Alan Davidson Foundation in 2021, following a generous donation. The late Alan Davidson was one of the originals of architectural visualisation, leading one of the most respected and established visualisation firms in the world. After being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, he set up the foundation with a strong focus on MND research, care and support, as well as on architecture and architectural initiatives.

One of Alan Davidson’s final wishes was to support a student through university to study architectural visualisation. With the help of this scholarship, Rose joined Kent to study the MA in Architectural Visualisation, jointly taught by Kent School of Architecture and Planning and the School of Engineering and Digital Arts. Drawing influence from both architecture and film, this programme offers a progression route into both industries, highlighting the different requirements needed for each profession while exploring their similarities. In this programme, the professions of architecture, film and animation fuse together, providing students with the ability and understanding to work in each or all of them.

“This was the only course which was right for me, despite it being based outside London where I have lived for fourteen years. It is very important that the course is industry focused – the other courses I explored do not have that emphasis.” – Rose Wetherell

The funding removes the financial concerns which can discourage progression into postgraduate study and allows Rose the space to fully focus on her studies and develop her career. “I completed my undergraduate studies a few years ago and I always wanted to go back to university,” says Rose reflecting on her journey so far. “But it always felt like a risk compared with staying in full-time work. Having support from the Alan Davidson Foundation has enabled me to go back into education and helped make my aspiration of working in architectural visualisation a reality.”

We are very much looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for Rose!

Architecture – Alan Davidson Foundation