Winners of the 2024/25 Mason Institute Student Essay Competition announced

Katerina is a first‑year PhD researcher and Graduate Teaching Fellow at the University of Liverpool. Her research explores the role of law in regulating puberty blockers for gender‑diverse children and adolescents, with a particular interest in how legal frameworks reflect and shape understandings of gender, childhood, and consent. She previously completed an LLM in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh (2024–25).

Calliope is a PhD researcher at Edinburgh Law School, examining how generative AI Chatbots are used for emotional support and their implications for human flourishing.  She is an Administrator at the Mason Institute and an AI and Data Ethics Review Facilitator at the AI and Data Ethics Board of the Edinburgh Futures Institute. She previously completed an LLM in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh (2024–25), where she was awarded the MacIagan Prize for the Best Overall Mark (on-campus).

Vanessa is a Law (graduate entry) LLB student at the University of Edinburgh. She completed the Neuroscience BSc (Hons) and the Medical Law and Ethics (LLM) at the University of Edinburgh. During the LLM, she was inspired to pursue a career in law and decided to study the LLB at the University of Edinburgh. She is particularly interested in the interaction between law and science, and in considering the ethical issues and regulations surrounding novel scientific technologies.