Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

An academic competition challenging doctoral researchers to present their research topic and its significance in just three minutes. 

About Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

aston_3mt_logo3MT is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. The competition challenges doctoral researchers to present their research and its significance in just three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. 

The Aston 3MT competition, run according to guidance from Vitae and the official 3MT rules set out by the University of Queensland, celebrates the exciting research conducted by our doctoral researchers at Aston University.

Learn about the projects our doctoral researchers are conducting below.

2025 competition 

Winners of the 2025 Aston 3MT competition: 

  • Aston 3MT winner: Julija Danu, College of Business and Social Sciences 
  • Aston 3MT runner-up: Waheeda Hawa, College of Health and Life Sciences
  • People’s choice winner: Poonam Patil, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences 

The Aston 3MT winner, Julija, will be representing Aston University in the national 3MT competition organised by Vitae. 

Diego Fonseca Pereira De Souza 
How to save the world if our brain can only handle seven things at a time? 
Engineering and Physical Sciences

Julija Danu - Aston 3MT winner
Linguistic person(ality) vs. situation: why does stability matter for forensic authorship analysis?
Business and Social Sciences

Kanegishweri Mohana Das 
Beneath the surface 
Business and Social Sciences

Md Razwan Siddique 
Feeding hope in crisis: navigating ethical decision making in disaster food aid distribution   
Business and Social Sciences

Mona Elmokadem 
DNA Damage, the hidden drama inside every cell
Health and Life Sciences

Poonam Patil - People's choice winner
How engaged are you with a virtual human? 
Engineering and Physical Sciences

Siddharth Arora 
Coaching: the art of repairing customer complaints? 
Business and Social Sciences

Tam Pham Thi  
Can exchange students enhance UK-Taiwan relations?  
Business and Social Sciences

Vijayakumar Manavalan 
Metal Organic Framework (MOF) for energy storage application 
Engineering and Physical Sciences

Waheeda Hawa - Aston 3MT runner up 
Method in the randomness: can we measure brain health using random dots? 
Health and Life Sciences

Watch doctoral researchers who competed in the 2023 and 2024 Aston University competition

2024 winners: 

Aston 3MT Winner: ​​Nona Pop

Myelin repair: why sidekicks are just as powerful as superheroes

Runner up: Kiah-Rose Sargant

Co-designing a therapeutic intervention: for families and their young people struggling with mental health difficulties

People's choice winner: Aisha Bibi

Are we breathing, drinking and eating micro- and nanoplastics?

Shifting sands: the unseen path of Saudi women in academia.

A collective garden by open strategy.

Warning! Cellular construction goes wrong.

Liking, sharing or scrolling: the key to supporting our wellbeing.

Fighting loneliness with an AI voice companion.

Grafting the digital platform into motor businesses.

Nano-syringes - the future of therapeutic drug delivery?

Dementia treatment by light.

Diana reached the semi-finals of the national 3MT Competition organised by Vitae.

Chemotherapy with no side effects?

Do cataracts affect perception of speed?

Ben Dages:

The future of food? How scaling production could bring cultivated meat to your local supermarket.

Caroline Godfrey:

The battle for English is metaphorical: A conflict hidden in plain sight.

Daniel Addae:

Paving the sustainable future with modified cold mix asphalt.

Mohammed Alhumayzi:

Factors affecting employees' acceptance of blockchain in HE institutions.

Paul Jones:

Moving from survive to thrive.

Rebecca Preston:

The backbone of the primary classroom, our humble English textbook.

Sadri Shadabi:

Let's take a journey to the Earth and bring back a low-carbon souvenir for others.

Saira Hussain:

Little ears

Yuan Feng:

How to get people to go green for home heating

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3MT Judging Criteria

Comprehension and content

  • Presentation provided clear motivation, background and significance to the research question;
  • Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research; and
  • Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes and impact of the research.

Engagement and communication

  • The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience;
  • The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation; and
  • The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention.