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Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®)

PhD candidates present their research in appropriate language to an intelligent but non-specialist audience in the space of three minutes.

The 3MT® is a professional and highly engaging international competition that challenges PhD candidates to present their research in appropriate language to an intelligent but non-specialist audience in the space of three minutes.

For more information about  the competition and how to participate please go to https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/researcherdevelopment/programs/graduate-researchers/3mt

Enquiries 

[email protected]

School of Biomedical Sciences

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UOM Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Grand Final

Here are the finalists – and the winners!

The 3MT® Competition challenges PhD candidates to present their research in just three minutes.

12 finalists were shortlisted in the University of Melbourne's competition this year. Congratulations to all - and a special shout out to the winners from the School of Biomedical Sciences : Catriona Nguyen-Robertson who received Runner Up and Mikhail Dias as People’s Choice.

Catriona Nguyen-Robertson (School of Biomedical Sciences)

"a handshake to shake off tuberculosis".

A third of the world live with tuberculosis (TB) - it is the top infectious killer worldwide. Catriona's research aims to improve the current TB vaccine for adults  by using 'fats' found on TB bacterium to help train immune system.

People's Choice

Mikhail dias (school of biomedical sciences), "jurassic tumour: the lost gene".

Mikhail's research is focused on cancer,  multicellularity and how the disease activates ancient genes in the DNA to mutate and survive. He hopes the outcomes of his research will contribute to a cancer 'playbook' to understand how tumors behave and ultimately contribute to the development of robust treatments.

Cassie McDonald from MDHS was the winner of the 2021 competition. She won a $4,000 grant and the opportunity to represent the University in the virtual  Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition for her presentation " More than a place to wait: Untapped potential of hospital waiting areas "

Other finalists from the School of Biomedical Science were:

• Megan Iminitoff - "Back-up genes: Restoring balance in Prader-Willi syndrome"
• Francesca Bolk - "Piece by piece - mending broken hearts"

Here's the full list of finalists and their presentations:

3MT Grand Final

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Researcher@Library

Three minute thesis competition (3mt) has launched for 2022.

The 3MT is a professional and highly engaging international competition that challenges PhD candidates to present their research in appropriate language to an intelligent, but non-specialist, audience in the space of three minutes.

Participating in 3MT develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, as well as providing a valuable opportunity for Graduate Researchers to come together, get to know one another and talk about their research.

More information: including eligibility requirements and key dates for interested candidates and supervisors are now available online: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/4xje

Enquiries : [email protected]

Upcoming Events:

The 3MT team is hosting two sessions to help students prepare and shape their presentation.

3MT Advice Panel

Friday 24 June, 12pm

This event will include advice and insights from Associate Professor Jen Martin (founder of UoM’s Science Communication Teaching Program), Lynette Smith (communication expert with a creative, interdisciplinary focus), and a previous 3MT winner.

Register Here

Make HASS-tory with 3MT – a Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 3MT workshop

Wednesday 29 June, 12pm

This event is run by Lynette Smith from Gramma Consultancy and the Academic Skills Unit – students can bring along their drafts and ideas to this collaborative, interactive workshop.

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Three Minute Thesis Competition

Join us for the 2019 Three Minute Thesis Competition on Wednesday 12 June.

PhD and MPhil students will present a 3-minute speech on their original research and compete for the most engaging and interesting presentation.

This competition is an opportunity for these students to challenge their conclusions and outcomes, inspire the audience and showcase their science communication skills. There will be a first-place prize of $500 and a prize for the runner up.

Judging Criteria At every level of the competition each competitor will be assessed on the two judging criteria listed below. Please note that each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.

Comprehension and content

• Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background to the research question being addressed and its significance?
• Did the presentation clearly describe the key results of the research including conclusions and outcomes?
• Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Was the thesis topic, key results and research significance and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
• Did the speaker avoid scientific jargon, explain terminology and provide adequate background information to illustrate points?
• Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation - or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?

Engagement and communication

• Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention?
• Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?

Download the  University’s guide on how to make the most of your Three Minute Thesis .

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

Pursuit home

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Three Minute Thesis

Meet our 3 minute man.

Watch Three Minute Thesis winner Eamonn Fahy's presentation, on early detection of glaucoma.

• Schedule 2024
• Judging Criteria
• Eligibility

Resources for Participants

• Testimonials
• 2023 Finalists
• 2022 finalists
• 2021 Finalists
• 2020 Finalists
• Simon Clews (University of Melbourne) has prepared a helpful guide on  preparing for the Three Minute Thesis Competition
• Jackie Amsden (Simon Fraser University) discusses how narrative frameworks can help grad students effectively tell their research story
• Matt Abrahams (Stanford University) provides Tips and Techniques for More Confident and Compelling Presentations
• Matt Abrahams (Stanford University) podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart : advice for impromptu speaking
• Anett Grant (Executive Speaking) addresses  Six Pieces of Bad Speaking Advice That Just Won’t Die
• Inger Mewburn (RMIT University) developed How to Talk About Your Thesis in 3 Minutes
• Henry Miller (UT Health San Antonio) shares 11 Tips For The 3 Minute Thesis Competition

Training Videos

• Recording on Copyright for Images

Information for

University of Melbourne theses

Australian theses,   international theses, referencing theses, further help, find theses online and in print.

This guide shows you how to find Masters and PhD theses, online and in print, from:

• The University of Melbourne
• Other Australian universities
• Outside Australia

Why use theses?

Theses can be a valuable source of information, especially for topics where there are fewer published works available., the references or works cited in a thesis can also be useful to find further published sources on a topic..

If you are currently writing a thesis (Honours, Masters or PhD) you may want to:

• check if anyone has recently completed a PhD thesis in your area of research internationally
• look at PhD theses from your faculty (or supervised by your supervisor) to get an idea of how to format your thesis.

Most recent theses are available through Minerva Access , the University's institutional repository. 

Minerva includes PhD and Masters Research theses, as well as a smaller number of Honours and Masters Coursework theses.

Accessing Full-Text in Minerva Access

Open access theses.

• Many theses are open access, which means anyone is able to read the full text online, and no subscription or login is required.
• Use the download link on the left to access a PDF of the thesis.

Restricted access theses

Some theses are currently only available to university of melbourne staff/students.

Use the login link and access with your unimelb username and password

Embargoed theses

If a thesis is under full embargo , full-text is not available for internal or external access (including inter-library loan requests). It a thesis is under an external embargo , it can be requested by University staff and students for research purposes via Minerva Access .

You will be able to view an abstract 

Finding theses from your faculty or school in Minerva Access

You can limit your results in minerva access to view only theses from your faculty..

1. Select your faculty from the list of Communities on the Minerva Access homepage. You may need to also choose your school on the next page. 

2. Select the option that includes Theses  (rather than Research Publications) 

3.To further refine the list (ie. to only PhD theses) scroll down to use the Type menu on the far left menu bar.

Finding University of Melbourne print theses

University of Melbourne theses not available online are held in the Cultural Collections Reading Room on level 3 of the Baillieu Library, or in offsite storage. While you cannot physically browse the thesis collection, you can submit a request to view a thesis using the online form .

You can search the Library Catalogue  to find our print collection of University of Melbourne theses

• To restrict your search to just theses, select University of Melbourne Theses from the drop-down menu to the right of the search bar

For more information on requesting to view print theses see the Special Collections website . ( Note : Use the request form for Rare Books)

Australian theses from other universities can be found via Trove .

1. Select Advanced search on the Trove homepage, and choose Research and reports

2. Type your search terms into the first box (Keyword search box)

3. Check the box next to Australian content

4. Click the green Search button

5. On the results page, select the Show more  option under Format

6. Select Thesis  to limit your results to theses

7.  To access, check the purple link at the bottom of each record. Theses available online will either:

• have a link to where they are held

• have an Access conditions apply  link

8. Click on the title of the thesis to view the record, and select the  Read  button to access the full text

•  If the thesis is not available online through Trove, please complete a Thesis request form on the  Request Forms page . We will then try to obtain a copy of the thesis for you via inter-library loan. 
• For more information on using the Advanced Search to create more specific searches, see Trove's Australian theses page. 

These are the top four international theses databases that include full-text:

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global The most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world. Spans 1743 to the present day, offering full text for most dissertations added since 1997.
• British Library EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) Search for UK theses and access or request full text. See FAQs for more information.
• DART-Europe E-theses Portal Access to digitised theses from European universities.
• OATD: Open Access Theses and Dissertations Indexes more than 1.5 million theses and dissertations. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from 600+ colleges, universities, and research institutions.

Other useful theses databases ​

• American Doctoral Dissertations
• China Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses full-text Database This database is a comprehensive, high quality database of dissertations and theses in China. The dissertations and theses are from hundreds of institutions located across China. Coverage is 1984 onwards and is updated daily. It covers a wide range of subjects such as fundamental sciences, engineering technology, agriculture, medical science, history, philosophy, education, law, economics and more.
• CNKI China Academic Journals Most comprehensive, full-text database of Chinese journals. To narrow your searching select section (G) Politics/ Military Affairs/ Law to search across the database.
• KRIS - Kiwi Research Information Service NZ open access research document portal.
• TEL (thèses-en-ligne) French theses
• Theses Canada Portal

Need help with referencing theses?

Visit the Re:cite guide to referencing

Contact us , or ask a question on Library chat

Visit us on social media.

• Last Updated: Jan 19, 2024 9:43 AM
• URL: https://unimelb.libguides.com/findingtheses

News & Events

View the contact page for more contact and location information

Eight compete in Trinity’s Three-Minute Thesis competition final

Posted on: 22 March 2024

Eight speakers competed in the final event, which requires researchers to present their research, armed with just one slide, in a manner that makes sense to a non-specialist audience, and within a fixed time limit of three minutes.  

Rosie Giglia (below) from the School of Medicine was this week named the winner of Trinity’s annual Three-Minute Thesis competition, for a presentation about her research into Multiple Sclerosis. 

The runner-up at the event involving graduate research students from all faculties was Lamya Al Shuhaimi, from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, whose presentation was called: Enhancing Prescribing in Older Adults with Intellectual Disabilities. The People’s Choice award also went to Lamya Al Shuhaimi.  

In this time speakers must explain in an engaging manner the purpose of the research, outline what actions they took and the impact of their findings.  

Originally developed by the University of Queensland, the event is designed to support graduate research students in their development as confident research communicators.  

The judges at the final event were Dean of Graduate Studies Martine Smith, Prof. Brian Broderick and University Spokesperson Catherine O’Mahony. 

As chair of the judging panel, Prof. Brian Broderick paid tribute to all the finalists (pictured below) for the extraordinarily high standard of their work. 

In 2023, the winner of the Trinity Three-Minute Thesis event, Lianne Shanley, also won the first national Three-Minute Thesis competition. 

The competitors and their topics were as follows: 

Wai Qian Tham , School of Engineering: Enhanced Daylighting in Buildings for Occupants’ Health 

Lamya Al Shuhaimi , School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences: Enhancing Prescribing in Older Adults with Intellectual Disabilities 

Clíodhna Daly , School of Biochemistry and Immunology: MRSA and the Host, An Encounter to Remember 

Anna Rosická , School of Psychology: Neureka! Brain Health Research in Your Pocket 

Rosie Giglia , School of Medicine: Unravelling Cognitive Dysfunction: Crafting New Tools for Clinical Trials in Multiple Sclerosis 

Mark Lyons , School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences: From Sword to Scalpel - Development of Orellanine as a Treatment for Kidney Cancer 

Sharon Chi Tak Lee , School of Psychology: Get it Right, From the Get-Go: A Digital Revolution in Precision Psychiatry 

Stephen Huws , School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies: Through the Stained Glass: How Art Illuminates Our Heritage. 

Media Contact:

Catherine O’Mahony | Media Relations | [email protected]

Physics Ph.D. candidate wins 2024 Three Minute Thesis competition

By | Katya Hrichak , Cornell University Graduate School

“I want you to remember a time when you were in a setting where you felt like you didn’t belong. I want you to remember how you felt in that setting, maybe isolated or out of place, and how much you felt like you wanted to continue going back to that setting—probably not much. These feelings are all too familiar for undergraduate women pursuing their studies in science, and in physics specifically,” began Meagan Sundstrom, a doctoral candidate in physics at the ninth annual Cornell University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

Alongside seven other finalists, Sundstrom presented her dissertation research in just three minutes on March 20 to a panel of judges and an audience from across campus while additional friends, family, advisors, and lab mates watched online. In the first in-person Cornell 3MT since 2019, presentations were judged by how clearly and compellingly students summarized their research to a general audience, using only one static slide.

Sundstrom’s presentation, “Recognizing and Removing Barriers for Women in Physics,” earned her first place and $1,500. Second place and $1,000 was awarded to information science doctoral student Sterling Williams-Ceci for her presentation, “AI Helps us Write – but at What Cost?”

After nearly 60 in-person and 70 virtual audience members cast their ballots, votes were tallied and the People’s Choice Award and $250 were presented to biomedical and biological sciences doctoral candidate Sharada Gopal for her presentation, “Worming Our Way to a Longer Life.”

This year’s judges included Jane Bunker, director of Cornell University Press; Joe Ellis, director of online degree program development at eCornell; David Lodge, the Francis J. DiSalvo Director of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability; and Bob Riter, patient advocate for the Cornell Community Cancer Partnership. Organization of the competition and coaching of presenters was provided by the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development.

“As grad students, there are a lot of opportunities to give your elevator pitch at conferences and more professional settings to more senior people in your field, and I thought this would be a really cool opportunity for me to try to tailor that pitch to a more general audience—how would I describe my research to my family and friends?—so that was fun,” said Sundstrom.

Being able to “zoom out” and view her topic from a different perspective was also helpful for Sundstrom, who is currently writing her dissertation and appreciates having both formulated a storyline and thought about the broader impacts of her work.

Williams-Ceci similarly enjoyed the chance to speak to a different type of audience than she is used to addressing.

“I hadn’t really had an opportunity in grad school to try communicating to a broad audience, it’s always just to my lab, so I wanted to practice having a chance to really tell a story and not just go through the slides,” she said. “It really helped me know for a fact that I can tell a convincing story about a project that I’ve done.”

Gopal shared that the 3MT was a fun way to combine her longtime artistic interests with her science.

“It seemed like such a fun event. I did a lot of theatre in college so I thought, ‘What can I do artistically here?’ and this seemed like a good mix of my scientific interest and my artistic theatre interests,” she said, adding that she also benefitted from looking at the bigger picture of her work and its impacts.

The 3MT competition was first held in 2008 at the University of Queensland and has since been adopted by over 900 universities in over 85 countries. 3MT challenges research degree students to present a compelling story on their dissertation or thesis and its significance in just three minutes, in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Cornell’s Graduate School first hosted a 3MT competition in 2015 and the event has grown steadily since that time. As the winner of Cornell’s competition, Sundstrom will now go on to compete in northeast regional competitions.

“Our Three Minute Thesis final round is a highlight of the year for those of us in the Graduate School—literally we talk about it all year long,” said Kathryn J. Boor, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education. “We look forward to it because it’s just plain fun, and it’s an opportunity for us to watch and learn from our accomplished and creative graduate researchers.”

“I could not possibly be more proud of the work we saw,” she said.

Read the story on the Cornell University Graduate School website.

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Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) information session

In this Zoom session, participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the competition, how it works, and what it would involve. If you have ever considered participating in the 3MT®, but would like to know more about what it is, then this session is for you. This session is also suitable for those who know they would like to participate this year and would like more information about dates and details for this year’s competition.

This year, 3MT® will run via video submissions with the grand final winner receiving a $4,000 grant and the opportunity to represent the University in the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition .

For more information on 3MT® please visit the Three Minute Thesis website or you can register for this online information session by clicking the 'Book Now' button.

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