11 September 2025
Namrata Nair has been named the winner of the University of South Australia (UniSA) Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Grand Final last week, for her powerful research into sanitation access and its impact on community safety in India.
Analysing sample data from over 600 districts, PhD candidate Nair found that in a third of these regions, more than half of the population still lacks access to an indoor toilet. Her research also uncovered a strong relationship between poor sanitation infrastructure and increased crime rates and delivered a framework for intervention.
“When something as basic as a toilet is out of reach, it creates deep feelings of deprivation and resentment,” Nair says. “And when people feel left behind, it threatens the safety and cohesion of society.
“I identified precisely where access is weakest in India and what needs to change.
“With district level mapping, the government can now take more localised action and also effectively implement community sanitation programs.”
Her district-level mapping could also be adopted by other regions, offering a strategic framework for targeted interventions.
Professor Sandra Orgeig, UniSA Dean of Graduate Studies congratulated Nair on her outstanding presentation.
“The UniSA 3MT Grand Final highlights how our PhD students communicate ambitious ideas with clarity, impact and engagement,” Prof Orgeig says.
“Namrata’s work offers governments practical tools to improve dignity and build safer, fairer societies. This year’s finalists were especially strong across diverse fields – well done to all.”
Competition runner-up Anita Kral presented groundbreaking research on the long-term effects of mould exposure on asthma development. Using lab-grown lung tissue, Kral discovered that a single exposure to mould particles rewires lung stem cells to express asthma-inducing signals, and these effects persist long after the initial exposure.
“I found that mould exposure rewired lung stem cells to produce signals that induced asthma,” Kral says.
“We’re now investigating how this action might be blocked, starting with existing signalling inhibitors.”
People’s Choice award went to Cheryl Chan, whose research is laying the foundation for a new generation of tiny, high-performance satellites capable of identifying intricate detail day or night, and invisible movements such as plant growth and volcanic activity.
“Building high quality imaging systems comes with a challenge, because when you're sending cameras into space, every gram and cubic centimetre is expensive,” Chan says.
“I’m tackling this by investigating the use of free form optics rather than the standard round shape found in traditional telescopes.
“These are complex, irregular surface shapes - more like a Pringle or a wave than a perfect bowl. The complex surface shapes allow us to bend, fold and compress light paths into radically compact ways, which means fewer components, lighter systems and smaller satellites.”
To keep production costs low, Chan is also exploring a new fabrication method leveraging 3D printing combined with ultra precise post-processing techniques, that can economically deliver a detailed and smooth surface for use with infrared applications.
The 3MT® competition celebrates the communication skills of PhD candidates, challenging them to present their research in just three minutes using non-technical language and a single slide. The 2025 UniSA Grand Final was presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and the Office for the Dean of Graduate Studies, supported by UniSA Academic Units. A video of the event will shortly be available at The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre’s website.
Nair will now represent UniSA at the Asia Pacific Final, hosted by The University of Queensland. 3MT is an academic research communication developed by The University of Queensland.
Media contact: Megan Andrews M: +61 434 819 275 E: megan.andrews@unisa.edu.au
