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Three Minute Thesis
One slide. Three minutes. Cash prizes. Give voice to your thesis in SFU's annual 3 Minute Thesis competition.
The Three Minute Thesis is about sharing your research story. An opportunity to explain the breadth and impact of your cutting-edge graduate work using an accessible format. Effectively communicating your research to a wide-reaching audience is crucial to engaging with others, bringing them into your expertise.
3MT challenges grad students to develop critical skills for their academic and professional journeys while also revealing the passion that led them to pursue their studies in the first place.
"I wanted to let you know about a phone call I had today. A previous contact was looking for information on my work, and Googled my name. He found the 3MT video and watched it, and shared it at his office. The company he works for is now asking if I would be interested in consulting with them, and if there are other people in my department with similar skills.
His comment was that it was excellent advertising for me, as well as excellent marketing for my research lab, and for our whole department."
— Mary Ann Middleton, 3MT 2013 competitor
3MT News
Congratulations to our 2024 SFU Winners
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Saif Nayani, winner of SFU's 2023 3MT competition, shares why you should "just do it" and take the 3MT challenge this year
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Interviews with Dana Lepofsky (archaeology) and Gerhard Gries (biology) reveal similar supportive approaches to preparing their students for 3MT.
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3MT winner, Elana Varner, shares how she used her passion for knowledge mobilization to land a fellowship with the California Council on Science and Technology and some advice for future 3MT participants.
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2022 SFU 3MT People's Choice winner shares the impact of 3MT since graduating from her MEng program.
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2022 SFU 3MT Runner Up shares the impact of 3MT since graduating from her MASc program.
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2022 SFU 3MT First Place winner shares the impact of 3MT since graduating from her Biological Sciences PhD program.
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Sam Meraj, PhD student in Biological Science took home first prize; Adlin Alwyn, master's of Applied Sciences was runner up; and, Ghazal Mirabnahrazam, master's of Engineering Science was voted People's Choice. Watch their presentations.
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We're thrilled to announce the winners of SFU's 2021 Three Minute Thesis Competition
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We're thrilled to announce the winners of SFU's 2021 Three Minute Thesis Competition
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Find out what our top 3MT participants from 2022 (Sam Meraj, Ghazal Mirabnahrazam, and Adlin Alwyn) learned from participating.
Faculty Heats
If your faculty is not listed below, you can participate in 3MT by signing up to the wildcard heat (more info below).
3MT SFU Final
(Tentative) Apr 10, 2025
Workshops
History of 3MT
Developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, the competition challenges higher-degree research students to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a general audience. 3MT is not an exercise in trivializing or ‘dumbing-down’ research but forces students to consolidate their ideas and crystallize their research discoveries.
Since 2011, the popularity of the competition has increased and 3MT competitions are now held in over 200 universities across more than 18 countries worldwide.