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About Three Minute Thesis

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) celebrates the exciting research conducted by Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates. It is an international academic competition developed by the University of Queensland to cultivate students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

Why should l take part?

3MT is a great way to showcase your research project to a whole new audience and engage with fellow researchers in the university and the wider community. It supports you in developing your capacity to effectively explain your research in a language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience.

There are cash prizes for the winners of the UTS 3MT Finals and the opportunity to represent UTS at the 2024 Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition.

Feedback from previous finalists

What did you gain from this experience? 

  • "It definitely was a good experience".
  • "I learnt how to communicate my research and I faced my fear of speaking in front of a big audience".
  • "I realized that I can simplify my research more than I thought I could".
  • "Friendships! I believe the workshops really helped foster a sense of collegiality within the finalists which made the competition more enjoyable".
  • "I learned a lot how to communicate, how to engage with audiences. Most importantly, I got to know good people! Even though we were competing, but we helped each other during the workshop and rehearsals to get through this journey together".
  • "The highlight of 3MT for me is the relationships you develop with the other students during the time you spend together. Even though we start as relative strangers, everyone bands together really quickly and it is such a genuinely supportive and kind group dynamic. For me, there was never a hint of competitiveness, we just wanted to support each other and really you completely forget that it was a competition between us until the prize announcement! My sense of the group was that the goal of all of us was to get through it together, and support each other to do the best we could. I gained new friends and connections, valuable public speaking coaching, and a wonderful experience all-round".
     

Resources

Important dates

  • UTS Wildcard Competition - Thursday 1 August 2024 - 10:00 am - 11:30 am
  • UTS Finals - Thursday 5 September 2024 - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Also, don't forget to follow the official 3MT Facebook page.