Time is precious and so is our research
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a national competition celebrating the research undertaken by PhD candidates.
Competing for a chance to represent UniSA in the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition, our PhD candidates communicate their research using one slide, and non-technical language in just three minutes.
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.
Hear from past participants
I decided to take part in the 3MT competition because of my love for science communication, and it has since become one of the highlights of my PhD. It taught me how to distil down my research, summarise my hypotheses, and explain what can often be very complex concepts, to a broader audience. Aside from developing my communication skills, I also had the wonderful opportunity to listen to 3MTs from different disciplines and universities around the world, which opened my eyes to some of the amazing research that is happening today. Overall, I loved my 3MT experience, and I think it's the perfect combination of two things that underpin all research: creativity and curiosity.
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) enabled me to think deeply about the broader applications and importance of my research, which was extremely helpful and motivating, as it reminded me of why I chose my topic in the first place. Going to the 3MT workshops and talking to other PhD students provided me with refreshing perspectives on my topic, whilst building my public speaking skills. As my topic is quite complex at times, the 3MT allowed me to develop a clear and concise explanation of my research that I can easily describe to people outside of my field, which has since improved my networking ability and provided me with further opportunities.
I was never convinced three minutes would be enough to describe a complex three-year PhD project until I had to face the harsh time restriction of the 3MT competition. I had to reflect on my research carefully, trying to deliver only the most important points, putting jargon behind, and relating the problem to the realities. Participating in the 3MT competition university final was an excellent experience. The advice from experts and other participants helped to greatly improve my presentation skills. I was even approached later by the marketing department of the university, which led to the exposure of my research project on several media platforms. Seeing the significance of my research being publicly recognised was a great encouragement to drive me throughout the rest of my PhD research.
Watch the 2021 UniSA 3MT® Finalist Presentations
Watch the 2021 UniSA 3MT Finals event
Missed our 2021 3MT Final? Catch up on the full event recording to see who takes out this year's title and the chance to represent UniSA in the 2021 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition.
