UNC-Chapel Hill’s 2024 3MT Competition

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition that assists current graduate students with fostering effective presentation and communication skills. Participants have just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research project to a non-specialist audience. Three Minute Thesis logo

3MT was developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, and is now held in more than 900 universities in 85 countries around the world.

Master’s degree and doctoral students enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill from any discipline administered by The Graduate School are welcome to register and participate in the competition.

Preliminary rounds information

Friday, September 27, 2024
Last day to register to participate in the preliminary rounds
Monday, September 30, 2024
Preliminary Round 1, 2:00-4:00 p.m., Graduate Student Center, 211A West Cameron Ave.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Preliminary Round 2, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Graduate Student Center, 211A West Cameron Ave.

Final 3MT competition

Tuesday, October 22, 2024,
4:00-5:00 p.m., held during University Research Week.
First Place: $1000 and the opportunity to represent UNC Chapel Hill at the 3MT competition in Dallas, TX, March 19-21, 2025 as part of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools annual conference.
Second Place: $600
People’s Choice Award: $400

Congratulations to the 2024 3MT winners!

First place: Nicole Rose Lukesh, Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics
Second Place: Fernando Quijano, Organizational Behavior
People’s Choice: Ike Emerson, Biochemistry and Biophysics

The 2024 3MT finalists are:

Yu Lee An, School of Information and Library Science
Ling Beisecker, Exercise and Sport Science
Katie Clough, Toxicology Curriculum
Ike Emerson, Biochemistry and Biophysics
Abigail Gringeri, Chemistry
Nicole Rose Lukesh, Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics
Charlotte Montgomery, Chemistry
Fernando Quijano, Organizational Behavior
Sydney Towell, Chemistry
Sinan Yorukoglu, Statistics and Operations Research

**Note, the presentations for the 2024 Preliminary Rounds and Final Competition will be live and in person. Video recordings or Zoom presentations will not be accepted**

Judging Criteria

At every level of the competition, each competitor will be assessed on the judging criteria listed below. Each criterion is equally weighted on a 7 point scale (14 points total).

Comprehension and Content (7 points)

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

Engagement and Communication (7 points)

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
The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention

Three Minute Thesis