diff --git a/lib/client.js b/lib/client.js
index 3db7b6127..d0a32fa1d 100644
--- a/lib/client.js
+++ b/lib/client.js
@@ -559,44 +559,6 @@ module.exports.MatrixClient.prototype = {
         }
     },
 
-    /*
-     * Helper method for retrieving the name of a user suitable for display
-     * in the UI in the context of a room - i.e. disambiguating from any
-     * other users in the room.
-     * XXX: This could perhaps also be generated serverside, perhaps by just passing
-     * a 'disambiguate' flag down on membership entries which have ambiguous
-     * displaynames?
-     * @param {String} userId ID of the user whose name is to be resolved
-     * @param {String} roomId ID of room to be used as the context for
-     * resolving the name.
-     * @return {String} human-readable name of the user.
-     */
-    getFriendlyDisplayName: function(userId, roomId) {
-        // we need a store to track the inputs for calculating display names
-        if (!this.store) { return userId; }
-
-        var displayName;
-        var memberEvent = this.store.getStateEvent(roomId, 'm.room.member', userId);
-        if (memberEvent && memberEvent.event.content.displayname) {
-            displayName = memberEvent.event.content.displayname;
-        }
-        else {
-            return userId;
-        }
-
-        var members = this.store.getStateEvents(roomId, 'm.room.member')
-            .filter(function(event) {
-                return event.event.content.displayname === displayName;
-            });
-
-        if (members.length > 1) {
-            return displayName + " (" + userId + ")";
-        }
-        else {
-            return displayName;
-        }
-    },
-
     /**
      * High level helper method to call initialSync, emit the resulting events,
      * and then start polling the eventStream for new events.
diff --git a/lib/models/event.js b/lib/models/event.js
index bc775f2f2..c78daf171 100644
--- a/lib/models/event.js
+++ b/lib/models/event.js
@@ -85,10 +85,10 @@ module.exports.MatrixEvent.prototype = {
 
     /**
      * Get the event content JSON.
-     * @return {Object} The event content JSON.
+     * @return {Object} The event content JSON, or an empty object.
      */
     getContent: function() {
-        return this.event.content;
+        return this.event.content || {};
     },
 
     /**
diff --git a/lib/models/room-member.js b/lib/models/room-member.js
index 7dbced018..6d81c21f6 100644
--- a/lib/models/room-member.js
+++ b/lib/models/room-member.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 /**
  * @module models/room-member
  */
+var utils = require("../utils");
 
 /**
  * Construct a new room member.
@@ -25,10 +26,40 @@ function RoomMember(event) {
     this.userId = event.getSender();
     this.event = event;
     this.typing = false;
-    this.name = this.userId;
+    this.name = this.calculateDisplayName();
     this.powerLevel = 0;
     this.powerLevelNorm = 0;
 }
+RoomMember.prototype = {
+    /**
+     * Calculates the display name for this room member.
+     * @param {RoomState} roomState Optional. The room state to take into
+     * account when calculating (e.g. for disambiguating users with the same
+     * name).
+     * @return {string} The calculated display name.
+     */
+    calculateDisplayName: function(roomState) {
+        var displayName = this.event.getContent().displayname;
+        if (!displayName) {
+            return this.userId;
+        }
+        if (!roomState) {
+            return displayName;
+        }
+
+        var stateEvents = utils.filter(
+            roomState.getStateEvents("m.room.member"),
+            function(event) {
+                return event.getContent().displayname === displayName;
+            }
+        );
+        if (stateEvents.length > 1) {
+            return displayName + " (" + this.userId + ")";
+        }
+
+        return displayName;
+    }
+};
 
 /**
  * The RoomMember class.
diff --git a/lib/models/room-state.js b/lib/models/room-state.js
index 439bda256..98741e5dd 100644
--- a/lib/models/room-state.js
+++ b/lib/models/room-state.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 /**
  * @module models/room-state
  */
+var utils = require("../utils");
 
 /**
  * Construct room state.
@@ -21,6 +22,28 @@ function RoomState() {
     };
     this.paginationToken = null;
 }
+RoomState.prototype = {
+    /**
+     * Get state events from the state of the room.
+     * @param {string} eventType The event type of the state event.
+     * @param {string} stateKey Optional. The state_key of the state event. If
+     * this is <code>undefined</code> then all matching state events will be
+     * returned.
+     * @return {MatrixEvent[]|MatrixEvent} A list of events if state_key was
+     * <code>undefined</code>, else a single event (or null if no match found).
+     */
+    getStateEvents: function(eventType, stateKey) {
+        if (!this.stateEvents[eventType]) {
+            // no match
+            return stateKey ? null : [];
+        }
+        if (!stateKey) { // return all values
+            return utils.values(this.stateEvents[eventType]);
+        }
+        var event = this.stateEvents[eventType][stateKey];
+        return event ? event : null;
+    }
+};
 
 /**
  * The RoomState class.
diff --git a/lib/utils.js b/lib/utils.js
index 58ca58819..eeceeb7e5 100644
--- a/lib/utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils.js
@@ -53,6 +53,52 @@ module.exports.map = function(array, fn) {
     return results;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Applies a filter function to the given array.
+ * @param {Array} array The array to apply the function to.
+ * @param {Function} fn The function that will be invoked for each element in
+ * the array. It should return true to keep the element. The function signature
+ * looks like <code>fn(element, index, array){...}</code>.
+ * @return {Array} A new array with the results of the function.
+ */
+module.exports.filter = function(array, fn) {
+    var results = [];
+    for (var i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
+        if (fn(array[i], i, array)) {
+            results.push(results);
+        }
+    }
+    return results;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Get the keys for an object. Same as <code>Object.keys()</code>.
+ * @param {Object} obj The object to get the keys for.
+ * @return {string[]} The keys of the object.
+ */
+module.exports.keys = function(obj) {
+    var keys = [];
+    for (var key in obj) {
+        if (!obj.hasOwnProperty(key)) { continue; }
+        keys.push(key);
+    }
+    return keys;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Get the values for an object.
+ * @param {Object} obj The object to get the values for.
+ * @return {Array<*>} The values of the object.
+ */
+module.exports.values = function(obj) {
+    var values = [];
+    for (var key in obj) {
+        if (!obj.hasOwnProperty(key)) { continue; }
+        values.push(obj[key]);
+    }
+    return values;
+};
+
 /**
  * Checks if the given thing is a function.
  * @param {*} value The thing to check.