Three Minute Thesis: Professional Development: Funding & Professional Development: Graduate School Bloomington: Indiana University Bloomington

Three Minute Thesis

IUB Three Minute Thesis Event

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a research communication event founded by the University of Queensland in 2008. The event challenges master’s and doctoral students to present a compelling oration on their thesis or dissertation research and its significance to a general audience in just three minutes. IU Bloomington, which hosts its annual 3MT each spring, joins over 900 universities worldwide that host local 3MT events.

Though 3MT does involve a competitive element, all doctoral and master’s students from thesis-bearing programs are encouraged to participate to develop important communication skills, practice presenting research to a general audience, and celebrate their research in the broader IU community.

2027 eligibility and dates

Current IUB master’s and doctoral students are eligible to participate. Presentations must be based on thesis or dissertation research or, in the case of non-thesis master’s students, a culminating research project required by the student's program of study. Graduate students may only participate once per program of study.

The 2027 3MT will involve preliminary and final rounds that will take place in January and February, 2027. Please refer back here for details in Fall 2026.

Awards

All Finalists will received $300 for advancing to the Final Competition

Finalists will compete for 3 additional prizes:

Winner - $1,000

Runner-up - $750

People's Choice - $500

A single, static PowerPoint slide is required. No slide transitions or animations are permitted. The slide will be visible throughout the student’s presentation. Examples of presentation slides will be provided to registrants.
Students are allowed a single index 3x5” index card for notes, though they are encouraged to present without.
No additional electronic media (e.g., sound or video files) are permitted.
No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment, pointers) are permitted.
Presentations must be held within the three-minute time limit to remain in qualification.
Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no poems, rapping, songs, etc.).

We require that participants use Kaltura to record presentations for the preliminary round. Kaltura recordings can be shared with friends, colleagues, and advisors for feedback.

Resources for using Kaltura to record your 3 Minute Thesis presentation:

Our also includes short videos about preparing your script and slides:

Brandi Smith, Director of Career Coaching in the University Graduate School, will be hosting three 3MT Primer events in January, 2026. These events will allow participants to formulate, refine, and practice their 3MT submissions.

Session 1: Monday, January 26th, 10am-noon

Session 2: Tuesday, January 27th, 2-4pm

Both sessions will be held in E174 of Wells Library.

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, 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?

Students can request an appointment with a career coach via Questions about 3MT may be directed to Trevor Verrot.

MAGS regional competition

The first-place presenter will advance to compete at the hosted in March.

By entering the IUB event, students agree to participate in the MAGS regional competition if selected. In the event the first-place presenter is unable to compete at MAGS, the runner-up will be nominated to participate.

Previous 3MT winners

Congratulations to the winners of our Indiana University Bloomington Three Minute Thesis competition!

1st Place: Leigh M. Levinson, Snitches Get Unplugged: Teens' Privacy Concerns with Robots, Cognitive Science & Informatics

2nd Place: Joshua M. Watkins, Cannabinoids and Breathing: A Safer Alternative for Chronic Pain?, Psychology & Neuroscience

People's Choice: Antonia A. Bacigalupa Albaum, Navigating Discourses on the Purpose of Higher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

1st Place: Maria Pope, A Party in the Brain: Finding group interactions between brain regions, Neuroscience & Informatics

2nd Place: Youngheun Jo, Your brain's traffic is you: Communication between brain regions as brain "fingerprints", Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience

People's Choice: Haddie DeHart, Defining the Mechanisms of Cancer Specific Transcription Factor, tGLI1, Cell, Molecular, and Cancer Biology

2024 3MT Winners

1st Place: Austin R. Medlin, (T)rauma vs. (t)rauma: Impact of differential early life traumatic stress magnitude on CVD risk, Epidemiology & Biostatistics

2nd Place: Katherine I. Barrus, Police Understanding and Perception of African American English, Criminal Justice

3rd Place: Priyamvada Modak, Contactless Delivery of Stimulation to Deep Brain Neurons in Humans, Psychological and Brain Sciences

Check out the for 2023.

1^st Place: Nabojit Kar, , Chemistry
2^nd Place: Taylor Woodward, , Neuroscience/Psychology
People’s Choice: Mohammad Azhar Mehfooz, , Chemistry

Check out the for 2022.

1^st Place: Vic Overdorf, , College of Arts and Sciences, Gender Studies
2^nd Place: Ashley Jammel Brooks, , College of Arts and Sciences, Physics
People’s Choice: Bruna Kalil Othero Fernandes, , College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Check out the for 2021.

First place: Vishakh Iyer, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Program in Neuroscience,
Second place: Kathryn Michelle Benavidez Westrich, Department of Anthropology,
People’s Choice Award: Amani Gashan, School of Education, Literacy, Culture, and Language Education,

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