3mt thesis presentation

Samantha O'Sullivan (Physics / African American Studies)

Gullah Physics: Challenging English Language Hegemony in Science

Second prize expand_more

Sahar Mariam Mohammadzadeh (Government)

The Impact of Twitter on the Supreme Court

Third prize expand_more

Stephanie Alderete (Psychology)

Preschoolers' Ability to Think about Alternative Possibilities

Finalists expand_more

Alex Grayson (Molecular & Cellular Biology)

Comparing Fox and Human Brain Connectivity Patterns

Javin Pombra (Computer Science)

Unraveling the Black Box: Explainability for Artificial Intelligence in the Twenty-First Century

Zelin Liu (Classics / History)

Using the Past to Define Group Identity

Jerrica Li (Comparative Literature)

Diaspora: A Genre for This New Planetary Reality

Jahnavi Rao (Government)

The Spillover Potential of a Nudge

Daiana Lilo (Government / Data Science)

A Great Personality: How Different Characteristics Can Predict Supreme Court Decisions

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Preparing your 3MT presentation

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• Eligibility, Rules and Judging Criteria
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NOTE: Familiarise yourself with the 3MT rules and judging criteria  before starting your preparation. This guidance is taken from the University of Queensland's  official 3MT competitor resources .

Even the world’s best public speakers prepare before important presentations. To assist you with your preparations, please find a few suggestions below that will help you in writing your presentation, creating your slide and practising your verbal presentation.

Drafting your 3MT

Write for your audience The judges will look for evidence that you can explain your research to a non-specialist audience. You may like to:

• avoid jargon and academic language
• explain concepts and people important to your research - you may know all about Professor Smith’s theories but your audience may not
• highlight the outcomes of your research, and the desired outcome
• imagine that you are explaining your research to a close friend or fellow student from another field
• convey your excitement and enthusiasm for your subject

Tell a story

• You may like to present your 3MT as a narrative, with a beginning, middle and end.
• It’s not easy to condense your research into three minutes, so you may find it easier to break your presentation down into smaller sections.
• Try writing an opener to catch the attention of the audience, then highlight your different points, and finally have a summary to restate the importance of your work.

Have a clear outcome in mind

• Know what you want your audience to take away from your presentation.
• Try to leave the audience with an understanding of what you’re doing, why it is important, and what you hope to achieve.
• Proof your 3MT presentation by reading it aloud, firstly to yourself and then to an audience of friends and family.
• Ask for feedback.
• Ask your audience if your presentation clearly highlights what your research is  about and why it is important.

Creating your 3MT slide

Before you start work on your slide, you should take the following rules into account:

• one single static PowerPoint slide is permitted;
• no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description are permitted;
• your slide is to be presented from the beginning of your oration; and
• no additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.

Suggestions

You may like to consider some of the following suggestions:

• Less is more : text and complicated graphics can distract your audience – you don’t want them to read your slide instead of listening to your 3MT. 
• Personal touches : personal touches can allow your audience to understand the impact of your research.
• Creativity drives interest : do not rely on your slide to convey your message – it should simply complement your oration.
• Work your message : think about how your slide might be able to assist with the format and delivery of your presentation – is there a metaphor that helps explain your research?
• An engaging visual presentation can make or break any oration, so make sure your slide is  legible, clear and concise .

Practising your 3MT presentation

Practice, practice, practice Feeling nervous before you present is natural, and sometimes a little nervousness can even be beneficial to your overall speech. Nonetheless, it is important to practice so you can present with confidence and clarity. Practicing will also help you gauge the timing of your 3MT so that you keep within the time limit.

Vocal range

• Speak clearly and use variety in your voice (fast/slow, loud/soft).
• Do not rush - find your rhythm.
• Remember to pause at key points as it gives the audience time to think about what you are saying.

Body language

• Stand straight and confidently.
• Hold your head up and make eye contact.
• Never turn your back to the audience.
• Practise how you will use your hands and move around the stage. It is okay to move around energetically if that is your personality, however it is also appropriate for a 3MT presentation to be delivered from a single spot on stage.
• Do not make the common mistakes of rolling back and forth on your heels, pacing for no reason or playing with your hair as these habits are distracting for the audience.

Record yourself

• Record and listen to your presentation to hear where you pause, speak too quickly or get it just right.
• Then work on your weaknesses and exploit your strengths.

Look to the stars!

• Watch your role models such as academics, politicians and journalists, and break down their strengths and weaknesses.
• Analyse how they engage with their audience.
• Visit  the Queensland 3MT website , the Vitae 3MT webpages or search YouTube to view presentations from previous 3MT finalists.
• While there is no dress code, if you are unsure of how to dress you may like to dress for a job interview or an important meeting. It is important that you feel comfortable so you can focus on your presentation.
• If you are presenting on a stage that has a wooden floor, be aware of the noise your footwear might make.
• Do not wear a costume of any kind as this is against the rules (as is the use of props).

Further resources

There are many resources available online for further help. Useful ones might include:

Presenting your research effectively and with confidence - By previous 3MT finalists (Taylor & Francis resource)

How a competition changed my academic life - By Jamie Khoo, 2018 UK People's Choice winner

Is it worth doing the three minute thesis?  - By Mary Woessner, Victoria University

How to win the 3 minute thesis  - By Dr Inger Mewburn (aka @thesiswhisperer)

Making the most of your 3 minutes  - Simon Clews, University of Melbourne

Talk nerdy to me  - Melissa Marshall's TED talk

Vitae's 3MT webpages

These guidance pages are part of the University of Queensland's official 3MT competitor resources

E : [email protected]

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3MT at the University of Kansas

Brilliant ideas conveyed in three minutes or less.

What is the 3MT® Competition?

The  Three Minute Thesis  (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. This event challenges graduate students to present a compelling speech about their research and its significance to non-academic persons in just three minutes using only one presentation image. 3MT® commenced in 2008 and is currently held in over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide. In 2020, the 3MT® competition moved to a temporary virtual format due to COVID-19 and continues to be held around the world in either a virtual or live format (depending on local COVID-19 restrictions).

The goals of the competition are to (1) highlight the excellent research conducted by graduate students and (2) improve graduate students’ communication of research to non-specialist and non-academic audiences. The judges of the competition are educated professionals in a variety of positions in corporate, government, and non-profit industries. 

3MT® Timeline

March-april.

Graduate students are invited to register for the 3MT® Competition.

Graduate students registered for the 3MT® Competition will be required to participate in workshops to prepare them for the competition.

The Preliminary Heats usually take place in the first week of November to determine the graduate students that will advance to the final round of the competition one week later.

The KU winner moves on to represent KU at the regional 3MT® Competition, which takes place in late March or early April during the annual meeting of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS). 

RELATED LINKS

• MAGS 3MT® Competition
• University of Queensland 3MT® Competition

SOCIAL MEDIA

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PREVIOUS COMPETITIONS

• 2022 KU 3MT® Competition
• 2021 KU 3MT® Competition
• 2020 KU 3MT® Competition

3MT® Competition @ KU

• May 9, 2023
• 11 min read

How to deliver an award-winning 3MT presentation

Picture this.

You’re a PhD student, who’s spent countless hours researching and analysing data.

You’ve finally worked up the courage to participate in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, and after weeks of writing your script , designing your slide , and giving yourself pep-talks in the mirror, it's time to take to the stage and share your 3MT presentation with the world. 💪

But, as the timer begins to count down, you panic.

You’re rushing through your script, fumbling nervously with your hands, and stumbling over words like they’re in a foreign language…

Sound familiar? If so, don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone.

Public speaking can be a daunting experience for even the most seasoned professionals. And it only becomes more challenging when you have just three minutes to do it. 😅

The good news is, there are lots of public speaking tools that you can use to help bring your 3MT presentation to life. And today, we’re going to show you how!

Welcome to the final instalment of our three-part 3MT series, where we focus on the last piece of our 3MT puzzle: the delivery.

In this blog post, we’ll be covering some tips on how to engage your audience using the power of your voice, face, and body. We’ll also break down some examples that we love from award-winning 3MTs from all over the Australia (and the world)!

You may only have three minutes, but here's how to make every second count. ⏰

Practice! Know your script inside out. 🗣️

In your PhD, you might’ve had the opportunity to present your research at seminars , meetings, or conferences in the form of posters and oral presentations . Maybe by now you can ace these presentations with little to no rehearsing, since you can rely on your slides and data to tell a story for you. 👩‍💻

But in the 3MT, the only thing that you can rely on to tell your story is you. Which is why it’s so important for you to commit your script to memory.

It’s practically impossible to focus on how to deliver your 3MT, if all your attention is fixed on remembering what your next line is supposed to be in the first place. So, our first tip is simple: practice.

Know your script like the back of your hand, so that when you’re on stage, you can devote all that energy into your delivery, rather than into racking your brains to recall what comes next! If memorisation is something you struggle with, we’ve previously spoken about several different memorisation techniques that can help you learn scripts for public speaking events like the 3MT, such as repetition, practicing out loud, and physically writing your script down . 📝

Once you’re confident that you can recite your script in your sleep (and, let’s be honest… sleeping is how us researchers prefer to spend our leisure time 😉), you can start to think about how to deliver it in a way that really makes your presentation shine.

After all, the way you say something is just as important as what you say.

Even if you have the most ground-breaking research and a perfectly crafted script, if your vocal delivery is lacking, your audience might have tuned out before they can take any of it in.

So, to avoid your audience’s eyes glazing over, we’re going to discuss what I like to call the 5 P’s of vocal delivery :

Let’s start with how quickly, or slowly, you should speak – in other words, your pace.

1. Vary your pace 💬

Think back to the last Hollywood blockbuster you watched (maybe it was Ticket to Paradise 😉). Chances are, it had some slow-paced scenes to help expand the plot or build suspense, and some fast-paced scenes to keep things exciting. Together, this combination of slow and fast-paced scenes keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. 🎬

But… what do Hollywood films and the 3MT have in common you might ask?

They both tell stories. And like their cinematic counterparts, changing the pace of your voice throughout your 3MT is one way to keep the audience hooked.

Ideally, to avoid sounding monotone, you should speed up and slow down how fast you talk throughout your 3-minute presentation. To show you what this might look like, I did what researchers do best.

I made some fancy graphs. 😉

You can speed up your pace when you want to evoke excitement , for example, when talking about interesting research findings. Then, you can slow your pace right down when you want to emphasise a point , like some concerning statistics or what your findings mean for the future.

A graph of your 3MT might not look exactly the same as the ones above, but no matter what the overall profile looks like, it should have highs and lows, peaks and dips, to bring about a crescendo of a story!

2. Pause for impact ⏸️

I have, and it can be overwhelming.

It makes us feel overloaded with information, and we walk away not really knowing what to take away from the presentation. 😕

Luckily, there’s a simple way to avoid this, and it involves one single thing:

Aside from adding some ✨drama✨, including pauses during your 3MT provides the audience with some breathing room and gives them time to take in the information. That is, as long as you don’t pause for so long that it becomes an awkward silence. 😂

Generally speaking, a pause of 1.5–3 seconds is enough time for the audience to absorb the information, before you move onto the next part of your talk.

Pauses are very effective when placed after a key idea or concept, to let the gravity of what was said really sink in. Alternatively, they can also be extremely impactful when placed before a key idea ; a pause to command attention and imply that what you are about to say is really important.

The impact of pausing is demonstrated really well in this 3MT from 2016 Winner, Joshua Chu-Tan. Go over to 1:01 in their 3MT below, paying attention to the pause after mentioning the devastating side effects of macular degeneration.

As you can see, by including this short period of silence, we can fully comprehend the weight of what is being said, making it much more impactful.

If you’re unsure where pause in your own 3MT, take a look at your script and identify which points you want to emphasise. Then, make sure to include purposeful pauses before or after those sentences to really drive the impact home.

3. Voice projection 📣

With all this being said, pauses won’t matter much if the audience can’t hear what you’re saying in the first place, or conversely, are too busy cringing at your shouting to listen.

Voice projection is another really important component of the vocal delivery for your 3MT.

That is, how loudly or softly you speak .

In many of the best 3MTs, there are sections where the speaker talks relatively softly. Eventually, they build their way to a climax where voice projection is the loudest, usually around the same time that the pace is the fastest. Then, their voice gets quieter again once the pace slows down, when the speaker wants to make the most impact. 🤫

Let’s take a look at an example. At the 1:15 mark below of 2011 3MT Winner, Matthew Thompson, and pay attention to the projection of their voice when they say “They matched a print to the wrong person,” compared to “Mayfield was innocent.”

So, for your 3MT, consider raising your voice just that little bit louder as your pace/excitement increases, and quieten your voice for impact when your pace is slowest to help draw the audience in.

4. Vary your pitch 🎤

It’s another super important aspect of public speaking, and can definitely make or break a presentation. But what do I mean when I say pitch? I’m talking about inflection – how high or low the tone of your voice goes when you speak. (If you’re a music fan, think: do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do 🎶 ).

One common mistake in public speaking is the absence of inflection (or in other words, maintaining the same pitch throughout the entire talk). This is usually what makes presentations feel monotonous, robotic, and well on the way to putting the audience to sleep. 😴

If I were to graph it, it would look something like the one on the left:

Not very exciting, is it?

So how do you avoid this? By now, I might sound like a broken record when I say that variation is key! But by raising and lowering the pitch of your voice, you’ll sound a lot less like a robot, and a lot more like an lively, conversational human being.

To help you with this concept, let’s go through an exercise. Think about your vocal inflection when you ask the question:

You’ll notice that your pitch ends on an upward inflection as you ask this question, and this will be the same for most questions you pose. On the other hand, try saying this sentence out loud:

In this example, you might observe that your pitch has a natural tendency to inflect down. Generally, having a downward inflection at the end of a sentence makes things sound more authoritative and confident, which can be useful for your 3MT to ensure you sound convincing and knowledgeable.

So, by varying your pitch and ending sentences on a downward inflection, you’re one step closer to nailing the vocal delivery of your 3MT.

5. Passion ❤️‍🔥

And finally, to the last of the 5 P’s, but one of the most important: Passion.

Because emotional monotony can kill a presentation just as easily as vocal monotony. 🪦

In order for the audience to really connect with the presentation, they need to come along on an emotional rollercoaster. They need to feel the highs and lows of your research.

And one of the best ways to do this is to create emotional contrast in your voice . How?

Think about your script, and pinpoint sections where there might be negative emotions involved. For example, jarring statistics in your research area, or potential risks if nothing is done about the problem you are trying to address. In these instances, don’t be afraid to show emotion. When conveying these negative emotions, you can even enhance them by including a downward inflection of your vocal pitch.

On the flip side, when you’re talking about the impact of your research and the great outcomes it may lead to, make your voice match the excitement and hope in your presentation.

The more emotional contrast you can create, the more compelling and memorable your 3MT presentation will be.

Creating emotion in your voice goes hand in hand with creating emotion in your face. And with that, let’s move on from vocal delivery to the next very important aspect: your face!

A typical 3MT script sits at around 450 words, but we can communicate so much without uttering a single one.

Have you ever seen someone smiling or laughing, and suddenly felt compelled to do the same? 😂 That’s because emotions are contagious . And, thankfully, we can use this to our advantage in public speaking, where facial expressions become a powerful tool to communicate with the audience.

1. Facial expressions 😜

In the 3MT, facial expressions are super effective for tapping into the audience’s sense of empathy, encouraging them to feel what you feel. Take a look at each of the following facial expressions, all taken from presentations from past 3MT winners and finalists.

If you look at one of their faces long enough, you might start to feel an emotional response to the facial expression you’re seeing; perhaps start to mirror that emotion yourself. That’s because there’s thought to be an actual biological response when humans observe emotion. Pretty cool right?! 😱

But how do you use these facial expressions to your advantage in your 3MT presentation?

Well, start by reflecting on your script, taking note of which sections trigger positive or negative emotions. For example, if there are certain statistics or gaps in knowledge that are concerning to you, don’t be afraid to furrow your brow or downturn your mouth slightly.

On the other hand, do you mention any exciting findings, or make any lighthearted jokes? In these cases, feel free to smile and show hope in your facial features to reflect this!

Just make sure that the emotions you display match the words you are saying. For example, you wouldn’t say, “Millions of animals die each year due to deforestation,” with a happy, smiling face, would you? 😅 As you can imagine, this incongruence risks making you appear unauthentic or untrustworthy.

So, to sum it up, be authentic. If your facial expression feels forced, it probably looks that way too.

2. Eye contact 👀

They say that eyes are the windows to the soul, so it’s no surprise that eye contact is a major part of public speaking.

Eye contact helps establish a connection with the audience, and can also help you convey confidence and credibility. As tempting as it might seem, try to avoid staring at your slide for the entire three minutes, as this will disconnect you from the audience. Keep your eyes on the people in front of you, and as a general rule of thumb, aim to look at someone different each time you begin a new sentence.

In the world of public speaking, one thing can speak louder than words: body language.

Body language comes in many forms, but today, we’re going to discuss two types that are relevant for the 3MT: hand gestures and using the space around you.

1. Hand gestures 👋

Hand gestures are an important element of body language in the 3MT competition. They can help emphasise key points, engage the audience, and convey enthusiasm for your research. Let’s go through a few examples to show you how!

One very common hand gesture in public speaking is when the hands are open and placed palms up. This is a good hand gesture to use to come across as friendly and conversational.

A similar gesture is when the hands are open, but instead the palms are facing downwards, which helps the speaker appear friendly, confident, and knowledgeable.

This hand gesture, where the the fingers on each hand are pressed together, is commonly referred to as the triangle or the Angela Merkel gesture, and is commonly used to appear authoritative and knowledgeable.

If you refer to your slide at any point in your 3MT presentation, don’t be afraid to point to your slide to help keep the audience engaged and shift their attention where you want it.

Finally, it can also be effective to ‘act out’ gestures with your hands to help make the presentation more dynamic. For example, acting out verbs like ‘throw,’ or counting with your fingers.

So, hopefully we’ve given you some ‘hand-y’ tips for how to effectively use hand gestures to make your presentation more interesting. But… what about the rest of your body?

That’s where our final tip comes in.

2. Using the Space 🪐

Public speaking can be a daunting experience, and you might be tempted to hide behind the lectern to make it all feel a little less… intimidating. 🫣

But you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you did.

At best, it would risk your presentation being boring, and at worst, it could even give the impression that you’re anxious or unconfident. And perhaps you are… But you don’t have to show it. Fake it ‘til you make it, right? 😉

Using the space around you can be a great way to engage the audience in a more dynamic way and create the impression of confidence. So don't be afraid to walk around the stage ! By moving around, you can engage different members of the audience and keep their attention focused on you.

In the below example, you can see how simply moving across the stage at a leisurely pace, then stopping in the centre, makes for a more dynamic and captivating presentation.

A good way to practice this is to deliver your 3MT in front the mirror, or in front of loved ones, so you can get used to how these movements feel and ensure they look natural. Either way, be purposeful and intentional in your movements.

The takeaway 🥡

And there we have it, folks! That brings us to the end of not only this blog post, but our entire 3MT series. To recap our tips for delivering a fabulous 3MT presentation:

Practice: Know your script inside out

Remember the 5 P’s of vocal delivery (Pace, Pauses, Projection, Pitch and Passion)

Communicate with your facial expression and eyes, and

Master your body language.

We hope that this 3MT blog series has given you some valuable tips to help you write your own captivating script , design an impactful slide , and ace your delivery. On behalf of all of us at AYS, we wish you all the best on your 3MT journey! 🤞

Here’s to making science accessible, 3 minutes at a time. ✨

If you want to take your science communication skills to the next level, consider attending an in-person workshop or one of our online courses . Whether you're a seasoned presenter or just starting out, why not take the next step on your science communication journey today?

Contact us to find out more. 🤩

Cintya Dharmayanti

Dr. Tullio Rossi

Related Posts

How to write a winning 3MT script

5 acting lessons to level-up your public speaking skills

How to design an impactful 3MT slide (with examples!)

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22 The 3 Minute Thesis

Read time: 2 minutes

This chapter will provide an overview of the 3 Minute Thesis oral presentation format.

Sections in this chapter

What is it.

• 3MT examples

The three-minute thesis (3MT) is a new format of research presentation that builds on the classic “elevator pitch”. The challenge in this type of presentation is to explain your research to an intelligent non-specialist audience in under 3 minutes with limited visual aids. Often there are specific rules for the visual aid: a single 4:3 slide, no animations or video, and no props.

For a successful 3MT talk, you need to follow completely different rules from normal scientific presentations. You can skip common things like introducing yourself, thanking all your lab mates and colleagues, or funding. You typically don’t show data unless it is presented in a very simple figure.

Because of the challenge involved with presenting years of detailed research in only three minutes, Universities hold cross-faculty 3MT competitions. The first was founded by the University of Queensland, Australia, where you can find many great resources and videos .

The tips below were adapted from “10 Hints for Improving Presentations for the Three Minute Thesis” by Danielle Fischer at Charles Darwin University ( Full PDF here ):

• Don’t introduce yourself, don’t do acknowledgements, don’t show data.
• Start by introducing how your research relates to the bigger picture. Try to think of why any person might be interested in your work.
• Only include relevant things on your slide and make sure images are good quality. Carefully design your slide, don’t overcrowd it or use too much colour.
• Use simple and familiar analogies.
• Speak with an excited and engaged manner.
• Don’t wear anything distracting.
• Use body language: smiling, gestures, movement, and eye-contact.
• Finish by bringing the audience back to the big picture.
• Practice and get feedback from a wide variety of people.
• Use your time, but don’t go over it.

These are some 3MT slides made by previous CHEM 803 students.

There are many resources online about preparing a 3MT presentation. Below are some links to helpful videos, award-winning 3MT talks, and the many resources provided by Queen’s University.

Helpful Videos

These videos were prepared by are owned by Australian National University.

3MT: three tips to help you prepare a winning presentation

3MT: the three most common mistakes

Award-winning 3MT

These are videos of some award-winning 3MT talks. The first one has the best title,  it’s simple and concise!

Wind turbines and climate change – Rosemary Barnes

Hypoxia-activated pro-drugs: a novel approach for breast cancer treatment – jasdeep saggar, the development of anti-body-drug conjugate to specifically target and soften the crystalline lens in vivo – gah-jone won.

Check out the Queen’s University 2020 Competition results, where you’ll find two award-winning 3MT talks from our Chemistry Department by Morgan Lehtinen and Alastair Kierulf. [ In the video at this link, click “Playlist” to find their talks ]

Principles of Scientific Communication Copyright © 2020 by Amanda Bongers and Donal Macartney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Penn Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

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Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a competition for doctoral and research students to develop and showcase their research communication skills through brief, 3-minute presentations.

Penn's annual 3MT competition is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Education, with co-sponsorship and support from Career Services, the Graduate Student Center, and GAPSA. 

Penn 3MT is a University-sponsored speaking competition designed to showcase graduate student research in three-minute talks to a general audience. This is a terrific opportunity for graduate students engaged in substantive original research to develop communication skills and share their work with faculty, students, and staff from across the University.

• 3MT Information Sessions : November 2023 & January 2024
• Research Communications Workshops : October - November 2023 &  February 2024 (optional)
• Practice and Feedback Sessions: February 2024 (optional)
• First Round Submission Deadline: Saturday, March 2, 2024
• Finalists announced: March 7-8, 2024
• Finalist Feedback Sessions: March 8-21, 2024
• Live Competition : Friday, March 22, 2024

In addition to bragging rights, a prize of $1000 will be awarded to the first-place winner and $500 to both the second-place and audience choice winners. Winners will also have the opportunity to participate in regional and national 3 Minute Thesis competitions!

To enter, students must register below and submit a video of their three-minute talk to Penn 3MT (details below) by Saturday, March 2. From those first-round submissions, up to 10 finalists will be chosen to compete in the campus-wide, live competition on Friday, March 22.

Register for Round 1 Video Submission

The 3MT competition will teach you how to communicate effectively to specialists and non-specialists alike, preparing you to present your research at scholarly conferences and to take part in both academic and professional job markets.

Professional Development:  Penn 3MT is a great opportunity for graduate students to practice sharing their original research to general audiences. Participants have the opportunity to attend workshops and receive group and one-on-one coaching to  develop oratorical skills, dynamic deliveries, and compelling content  when presenting their academic research.

Networking:  3MT participants will have an opportunity to meet and engage with new faculty, staff, and students from across the University.

Impact:  Participants have the opportunity to make the importance and relevance of their research visible to a non-specialist audience. Participants can elect to have their presentation shared online, promoting both your own work and the value of graduate student research to a much wider audience.

Prizes:  Everyone who submits a video will receive prizes from GAPSA and the Grad Center! Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you plan on submitting a video so we can collect your contact information. Judges will select a first-place ($1000) and second-place ($500) winner at the live competition. There will also be an audience choice ($500) winner.

Active PhD, Professional Doctorate Research (program composed of at least 2/3 research and eligible for Research Training Program (RTP)), and full-time Masters candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels. Graduates are not eligible.

Please Note : Students enrolled in any of the following programs are not eligible to enter the 3MT Competition:

Professional Masters

Professional Doctorate (less than 2/3 research)

Entries from all disciplines are welcome and encouraged.

In cases of presentation of a collaborative research project, the presenter’s contribution to the project must be salient and clearly specified.

If you are unsure of your eligibility or would like more information about 3MT, please contact [email protected] . You can also check the Graduate Catalog for your Penn School to see if your program is listed under the PhD and Research Master's Programs.

We are also looking for faculty judges for the live competition. If you are interested in being a judge, please contact us !

To enter, you must submit a slide and either a 1-page abstract of your talk or a 3-minute draft video geared toward a lay audience.

Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you are interested in participating . Be sure to read through the Rules and Guidelines also before submitting your videos!

Competition Process

Students may submit their slide and abstract/video anytime before the First Round Submission Deadline for feedback. You can also request a 1:1 session during this time for immediate feedback or to go over your presentation with the Associate Director of Student Programs.

Research Communications Workshops offered by the Graduate Student Center will occur during the Fall and Spring semesters. See our Events page for details.

Student videos submitted by the First Round Submission Deadline are reviewed by a panel of staff for compliance with the eligibility requirements.

Up to 10 Finalists are selected for the live competition at least one-month before the Live Competition date .

A  campus-wide competition between the finalists will be held on the Live Competition date. A reception will be held after the competition.

On the basis of these presentations, winners will be selected by the panel of judges and a “people’s choice” by audience members.  

Judging and Selection

A panel of non-specialist faculty and staff judges will evaluate student presentations. Presentations will be evaluated based on clarity, comprehension, content, engagement, and communication.

Everyone who submits a video will receive a gift for participating! Please fill out the interest form above if you plan on submitting a video so we can collect your contact information. Judges will select a first ($1000) and second-place ($500) winner at the live competition. There will also be an audience choice ($500) winner.

All decisions of the judging panel are final.

Abstract submission:

• Your abstract should be submitted using the button below.  Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you are interested in participating .
• All abstract files should be named: "Title_of_Talk.pdf" or "Title_of_talk.docx". Please do not include your name or any other identifying information in the name of the abstract file.
• At the beginning of your abstract, please state your full name, graduate program, and the title of your presentation. The space it takes to do this will not be counted in your document submission.

Video submission:   

• Your video should be submitted using the button below.  Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you are interested in participating .
• All video files should be named: “Title_of_talk.mp4” or “Title_of_talk.mov”.  Please do not include your name or any other identifying information in the name of the video file.
• You do not need to include your slide in your video. A video of you speaking is enough. You will upload your slide alongside your video.
• At the beginning of your video, please state your full name, graduate program, and the title of your presentation. The time it takes to do this will not be counted against the three minutes to present your research.
• You will not be judged on your skills as a videographer, and you do not need to use professional video equipment. The judges just need to be able to see and hear you clearly. You can record yourself using the Panopto interface in Canvas. You can also record yourself in Zoom. You may ask a friend or colleague for help creating your video, or you can get assistance and borrow equipment from the Vitale Digital Media Lab . You can also follow these tips for recording a presentation in Zoom . Here is one demonstrated on a Mac .

Slide submission :

• Your slide should be submitted using the button below.  Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you are interested in participating .
• Presenters may use a single image or static PowerPoint slide (no Prezi or other presentation formats) to enhance their presentation.
• Students must create their slides themselves – they cannot ask someone else to design the slides. Use of PowerPoint templates is allowed.
• Slides can include visual elements (charts, visualizations, photos, clip art, etc.) created by someone other than the student, as long as the slide credits the original creator.
• Embedded audio, animations, and/or video clips (including but not limited to .gif, .avi, .mp4, .mp3, and .wmv file types) are NOT permitted.
• Powerpoint slides should be named "Title_of_talk.ppt". Please do not include your name or any other identifying information in the name of the PowerPoint file.

Powerpoint slides and abstracts/videos can be uploaded below. If you are having difficulty, please upload it to Microsoft, Box, or Google Drive and email jomcb at upenn.edu the link to download.

Upload Your Abstract/Video & Slide

Length and Timing of Live Presentations: Presentations should be a maximum of three (3) minutes in length, commencing from the moment the speaker starts the presentation through movement or speech.

• The presentation  begins  at the moment the speaker engages with the audience (if they start with a hand clap, a gesture, or any other such engagement, prior to speaking, the clock begins at that time; if there is no such engagement the clock starts when the student begins speaking).
• If the speaker continues past three minutes, points will be deducted from the final score, beginning with one point at 3:03, and one point every two additional seconds thereafter.
• No props of any kind are permitted, and notes cannot be used during the presentation.

Want some help getting started? In need of Inspiration? Check out the resources below!

3MT® Resources

• Three-Minute Thesis Showcase :  Watch winning 3MT presentations from around the world.
• Three Tips to Help You Prepare a Winning Presentation
• 3MT: The Three Most Common Mistakes
• Sample 3MT Coaching Session

Past Penn 3MT ® Competitions and Workshops

Research Communications Workshops

Additional Resources

• Nature MasterClass: Effective Science Communication (PennKey login required)
• Alda Center for Communicating Science Creating Connections Workbook
• XKCD Simple Writer
• Dejargonizer
• TED Talks :  Short talks on “ideas worth spreading.” 
• PhD Comics Two-Minute Thesis  Competition
• Berkeley Grad Slam Competition

Have questions? Need more info? Fill out our contact form and our staff will get back to you!

Graduate Student Center University of Pennsylvania 3615 Locust Walk Philadelphia PA 19104 215-746-6868

[email protected]

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• Penn Provost Education Division
• Valuing Graduate Students

Graduate Education

Office of graduate and postdoctoral education, three minute thesis competition.

2024 3MT Winners

Master's Winner - $1,000     Karina Bhattacharya     MID, Industrial Design     Co-Design with Neurodivergent Students and Recent Graduates to Reimagine Design Education

Winner - $2,000     Alexandra Patterson     Ph.D., Bioengineering     Next Generation At-Home Diagnostics Powered by CRISPR

2nd Place - $1,500     Kantwon Rogers     Ph.D., Computer Science     What Happens When a Robot Lies to You?

3rd Place - $1,000     Valeria Juarez     Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering     Spatially Patterned Immune Organoids for Vaccine Screening

People's Choice - $500     Kantwon Rogers     Ph.D., Computer Science     What Happens When a Robot Lies to You?

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition challenges students to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. 3MT cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

Currently enrolled master's and doctoral students who are actively engaged in original research are eligible to participate in the competition. Students must be available to participate in person for one of the preliminary rounds and for the final competition, if selected. 

Learn More About 3MT

Eligibility, rules, judging criteria and more.

Register for the 3MT competition.

See the 3MT competition timeline.

Past Winners

Access the list of past winners and their award-winning presentations.

View past judges for the 3MT competition.

Additional Resources

Award-winning presentations.

Wondering what award-winning Georgia Tech 3MT presentations looks like? Check out the following videos:

• 2020 Second Place Winner, Muhammad Saad Zia, Mitigating Beam Alignment Errors in Millimeter-Wave Communications to Go Beyond 5G
• 2020 Third Place and People's Choice Winner, Megan McSweeney, AptaTrigger: A Novel Biosensor Platform for Point-of-Care Diagnostics
• 2019 Winner, Paola Zanella, Mitigation of Helicopter Accidents Related to Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness
• 2018 Winner, Nusaiba Baker, Oral Delivery of DNA-enzyme Nanoparticles Ameliorates Inflammation in a Murine Model of Ulcerative Colitis

Curious about what award-winning videos from other 3MT competitions include? Check out this link:

• Presentations from competitions around the world

Campus Partners

The Georgia Tech 3MT competition is coordinated by the Office of Graduate Education in partnership with the following campus partners:

• Center for Teaching and Learning
• Communication Center
• Language Institute
• Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

For more information about the Georgia Tech 3MT competition:

• Contact: Casey Hendricks at [email protected]

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Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)

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Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland. The competition develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of students' capacities to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience.

During each competition, graduate students will have three minutes to present a compelling discussion on their research topic, including its significance and relevance, to the general public. 3MT® is not an exercise in trivializing or "dumbing down" research, instead, it forces competitors to consolidate their ideas and crystallize their research discoveries. This is a fast-paced competition where the top 10 finalists compete by summarizing their two to three-plus years of research in only three minutes with only one slide.  Cash awards are given to the winner, runner-up, and People's Choice Award winner.

3MT® at Purdue

Enrolled graduate students in all disciplines at Purdue University are eligible to participate in 3MT®. Research presented must have been conducted at Purdue University, not from a previous degree, and should be in the final stages so students have some sound conclusions and impacts to present. Purdue Alumni are not eligible to participate.

Purdue holds its annual 3MT® competition early each spring. It is a celebration of the discoveries made by graduate students and will allow the broader community to learn about ongoing research at Purdue. It is free and open to the public. Cash awards are given to the winner, runner-up, and People's Choice Award winner.

2024 Competition Timeline

• Friday, February 9, 11:59 PM -  Faculty Nominations Due
• Monday, March 3, 11:59 PM - Student Submissions Due
• Monday, April 14  - Rehearsal, Fowler Hall 5:00 p.m. EST - mandatory
• Tuesday, April 15 -  Competition, Fowler Hall, 7:00 p.m. EST

 Cash Awards

• 1st place $5,000 
• 2nd place $3,000 
• People's Choice $2,000 

A panel of judges will select the first and second-place winners, while the People's Choice Award will be selected by the audience.

2024 Winners

First place: kevin alessandro bautista, engineering.

Second Place: Thomas Clarke, Science

People’s Choice: Jeanine Arana, Agriculture

Graduate Student Submissions

The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars welcomes submissions from all Purdue University disciplines. 

Please read the 3MT® competition rules in the drop-down button below.

Video Competitor Guide

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or "movement" of any description).
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments or laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
• The decision of the judging panel is final, and People's Choice voting results will not be released.
• All presentations will be videotaped and will appear on the graduate school 3MT® website.
• Students who are over the cost of attendance allowance may not be eligible for prizes.

Each 3MT® presentation will be judged based on communication style, comprehension, and engagement. Please view our archive of video presentations made by past winners .

Please email the program administrators at  [email protected]  if you have any questions!

An 80,000 word PhD thesis would take 9 hours to present. Their time limit... 3 minutes.

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3MT - 3 Minute Thesis

2024 3MT University Competition Participants

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a research presentation competition that originated at the University of Queensland in 2008. Since then, the program has spread to universities worldwide. Students participating in the 3MT competition have three minutes to give an oral presentation based on their research. The presentation should avoid discipline-specific jargon and be presented so a lay audience can understand the significance of the research. 

Competitions are held in graduate departments and at the college level to determine which graduate student will advance to the university-wide competition. The competitor who wins first place will receive $2,000, second place will receive $1,500, third place will receive $1,000, and the Presenter's choice will win $500. The remaining participants will each receive $250.

For video examples of past 3MT presentations, visit the official 3MT website .

The following are the competition rules as given directly from 3MT:

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations, or 'movement' of any description are allowed. The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to a maximum of 3 minutes and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (eg. no poems, raps, or songs).
• Presentations are to commence from the stage.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

For a complete list of rules and more information on judging criteria, please visit the 3MT website .

Congratulations to the winners from our 2024 3MT Event!

Jared Steele Life Sciences Leveraging SuperShoe Technology for Clinical Care 1 st place winner

Luke Taylor Engineering Improving Medical Capsule Localization 2 nd place winner

Khiara Cardoza Family, Home, and Social Sciences Exploring Gender Differences in Infertility 3 rd place winner and Presenter's Choice

2024 3MT University Competition Winners

• Contact QUT Contact QUT

Shoes with good vibes to help people with Parkinson’s walk – Three Minute Thesis competition

QUT PhD researcher Shanshika Maddumage has won the QUT 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, announced today, with her research on the smart shoes she is developing to help people with Parkinson’s disease improve their walking.

Ms Maddumage ( above ), from QUT’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences , Faculty of Health, is designing and testing shoes that send vibrating cues to the feet, which help the brain send the right signals back to the feet for walking.

“My research is about giving hope and independence to millions of people with Parkinson’s disease. If you ask people with Parkinson’s what they want to achieve, they say ‘I wish I could walk as I used to’,” said Ms Maddumage, who took out the $1000 first prize for her presentation, Smart Shoes: Empowering Parkinson’s walking .

Runner up is Julia Solonenka, from QUT's Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy , for her presentation Plant-based medicines: Once they’re pure, they’re the cure . Her research focuses on developing new techniques for cheap, large-scale purification of plant-based therapeutics.

Callan Alexander, from QUT’s School of Biology and Environmental Science , received a special mention from the judges for his presentation Birdwatching and wine: using AI to eavesdrop on vineyards .

The People's Choice went to Yasaman Memari ( above ) (QUT Engineering) for her video Towards more reliable train rides: Optimizing inspection and maintenance for railway tracks

This year’s competition drew more than 60 entries from which eight finalists were chosen – one from each faculty and three wildcard entrants.

The other faculty finalists are:

Elise Bray ( above )  (QUT Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice ): Navigating change: Experiences of students on the autism spectrum in Flexible Learning Environments .

Lisa Coulburn ( above ) (QUT Engineering): Unpacking the problem of indoor dampness and mould in Australian housing .

Saraniya Devendra ( above ) (QUT Business and Law): Why are sustainable travel influencers so effective ?

Jessamine Giese ( above ) (QUT Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice): Teams in early childhood education and care: can they make the quality dream work?

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition aims to stimulate higher degree students’ academic, presentation, and research communications skills,supporting their ability to explain their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.

Judging panel chair Professor Gene Moyle said the judges looked for ability to creatively engage the audience, communicate clearly, and generate excitement about their research.

“Developing skills to successfully pitch ideas/concepts, connect and relate effectively to others are critical within any profession and are also essential to being an effective leader,” Professor Moyle said.

The students were coached by Professor Rowena Barrett , QUT Pro Vice Chancellor (Entrepreneurship and Regional Innovation), who said getting the balance right between the details of the research and their delivery to an audience was key to  a successful 3MT presentation.

“A great pitch can unlock for a researcher many career-enhancing opportunities such as grant money, partnerships, or a research position,” Professor Barrett said.

Ms Shanshika Maddumage now progresses to the Asia-Pacific 3MT semi-final showcase, with video submissions from 3MT finalists from across Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, North-East Asia and South-East Asia. The showcase will be launched on the 3MT website from October 8.

The Asia Pacific finalists are announced on 21 October, via an online showcase on the 3MT website. The 2024 Asia-Pacific 3MT Final will be held on Wednesday, 30 October.

QUT Media contacts:

Niki Widdowson, 07 3138 2999 or [email protected]

After hours: 0407 585 901 or [email protected].

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