47 Competitors took part in this year’s 3 Minute Thesis heats, but now only 15 remain. Ahead of the final on 31st March, we asked our 2022 finalists some quickfire questions about their experience taking part in this year’s competition, and why you should consider giving it a go next year…

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

After I competed last year, I had a feeling that there was a better way to structure my three minutes. I decided to enter 3MT this year to challenge myself and see if I could find a better approach to present my research.

 What was your favourite thing about the heats?

Hearing about research fields I didn’t even know existed!

Why should people tune in for the final?

Learn something new, hear some passionate speakers and, if you are PGR student, get one training credit.

 What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Do it, you won’t regret it! Not only do you gain a deeper understanding of your research and some valuable public speaking experience, but you also gain two (!) training credits.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I’m not the most confident public speaker, but I’m not going to get any better by not doing it! The 3MT seemed a great way to get some experience with presenting and outreach, in a supportive environment. Secondly, I’m at the start of my PhD, and at that stage where I have hundreds of ideas and could probably talk about them for three days rather than three minutes. Signing up for the 3MT has helped me to take a step back and shape my thoughts, which has been incredibly valuable at this stage of my project!

 What was your favourite thing about the heats?

I loved the diversity of topics, and was very impressed with how much information many of the presenters managed to get into three minutes. I learned an incredible amount in a very short time!

 Why should people tune in for the final?

Probably exactly that – it is a great and fun way to learn a lot about a great variety of topics in a very short time, so much amazing research going on in Glasgow!

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Do it – whatever stage of your PhD you are at, it is a great platform to trial how to best communicate your research in a clear and concise way.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I have wanted to participate in 3MT ever since I saw my friends compete in 2019 in Canada, I was thrilled to see it was taking place at the University of Glasgow. I think it is an amazing format and really pushes you to think about communicating your research creatively and effectively.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

My favourite part about the heats was seeing the support the audience gave the presenters. They were all so kind and supportive towards everyone’s research even though it couldn’t be in person this year - the energy was still very welcoming and exciting.

Why should people tune in for the final?

It will be a great show of the diverse research being done at the University at a level that all members of the public can understand and enjoy.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Go for it, it is an amazing creative outlet for your research and helps you develop great communication skills. This competition is also run at universities all over the world, so it looks great on the CV for future jobs in different universities.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I was drawn to 3MT since I started my PhD because it seemed like a fun and cool thing to try out. I kept saying ‘I’ll definitely join next year’ and now it’s my final year of eligibility, so here I am – finally going for it!

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

I enjoyed learning about other people’s work and seeing the creative visual representations of their research.

Why should people tune in for the final?

People should tune in to get a flavour of the diverse and amazing research going on. Since the goal is to share research in an accessible and succinct way, you’re bound to learn something new without getting bored.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Go for it and just have fun with it because it is a unique way of reflecting on your research. It can be daunting but ultimately it’s about sharing your passion for your research – why you’re doing it, why it’s interesting, why it’s important.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I decided to enter 3MT this year because I wanted to test my ability to explain my project to a non-expert audience. It is massively important to make scientific research accessible to the general public, and 3MT is an excellent way to test my ability to do this and share my research.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

My favourite thing about the heats was having an opportunity to talk to the other competitors and learn how they present and carry out their research. It is always exciting to pick up techniques and ideas from different areas to develop my own project and skillset!

Why should people tune in for the final?

People should tune in to the final to hear about some really exciting research projects and topics going on at the University of Glasgow. 3MT is a great way to learn something about a topic you may never have known anything about before, and it can be inspiring for your own work and plans for the future.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

I would say go for it! I am just at the start of my PhD project, and I think it has been beneficial in developing my own understanding of the project - it helps you communicate your research in other contexts, such as patient outreach programmes! Also, it is good fun and everybody’s presentations are really interesting!

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I was attracted to the idea of reacquainting myself with presentation skills, something I used to do quite regularly in my previous career as a midwife. I have a paper to present at a conference in the summer and I thought that the 3MT presentation skills training may be useful. I found the previous year’s presentations so interesting that I spontaneously decided to enter myself.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

The variety of areas – I found myself being drawn into subjects I had no knowledge of and again, quite spontaneously wanted to champion and spur everyone on.

Why should people tune in for the final?

It makes for excellent ‘TV’ – entertaining and informative. It also makes you proud to be part of this university community, beyond just your own cohort.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

It really is not complicated, anyone is able to find 3 minutes’ worth of interesting information about what they do – that’s how I began – thinking of it as simply telling a friend outside of university about what I’m doing and then applying what I learned in the presentation training workshop. And, I found it a lot of fun – competing and being part of the audience in other heats.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

The Post Doc in my lab is a past UoG 3MT winner and she recommended the competition. I was really hesitant at the beginning because I never thought I could make my research look fun, but I got more into it thanks to the encouragement of the other PhD students in our lab.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

I thought the standard of the talks was extremely high and the audience’s words of encouragement were incredible, creating a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed the short three-minute format and the pressure of having to perform.

Why should people tune in for the final?

These will be the cream of the crop talks from some of the best research communicators at the University. It’s the academic Strictly Come Dancing.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

I would greatly encourage anyone considering it to give it a shot, regardless of their experience or self-perceived talent for public speaking. It not only pushed me outside of my comfort zone, but it brought me closer to my research in a way I didn’t expect it would and I had a lot of fun doing it.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I first became interested in 3MT when I heard about it during PGR induction week. After induction, researching 3MT was on the top of my ‘things-to-do’ list. I was blown away after watching some of the previous 3MT videos. Mainly, I was amazed seeing the level of thinking that goes into a 3MT presentation to communicate research in an understandable, inspiring, and engaging way in under 3 minutes! I was inspired to take up this challenge to share my research with a message. So, I waited counting days for the 3MT competition announcement.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

Preparing for the heats was my favourite thing. It was a learning journey. First, I learned to develop an exciting story for my research. Then, I learned to map my research to a single slide to communicate the message within seconds. Importantly, I had to spend hours experimenting with new communication techniques to capture the audience. As I progressed through this learning journey, I became more passionate about my research and confident about my public speaking skills.

Why should people tune in for the final?

You will hear 15 unique stories from 15 researchers in various disciplines in finals. It will be an exciting learning opportunity if you are curious to know the latest research interests, developments, and findings. Most importantly, after tuning in for this year’s final, I am sure you will be inspired to join the next year’s 3MT competition!

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

3MT is an excellent opportunity for you to learn to communicate your research to the public understandably and excitingly. It will help you to rethink your research and its impact. Further, it is an excellent platform to practice your public speaking skills and improve confidence. Besides, your friendly audience and judges will provide feedback for your future development. Therefore, I invite you to enter the next year’s 3MT competition to experience its learning journey. It is a lot of fun!

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

Public engagement is such a huge thing within history, and sometimes learning to translate such niche areas of academic study to a popular audience can be tricky. I wanted to share the core story of my research, and why I think it’s so important, but do it in an engaging way. 3MT was the perfect platform!

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

Hearing all the fantastic presentations really highlighted the breadth of research across the university, and made me really proud to be a UofG student.

Why should people tune in for the final?

There’s some fascinating research going on at the moment in the PGR community, from gravitational wave research to understanding just where inspiration comes from. People should definitely tune in and put some names to the faces. They never know, it might inspire a new idea or collaboration.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

Go for it! I was nervous to present my research, but having to cut to the core of your research in 3 minutes, and then hearing such great feedback, gave me the boost I needed to keep going.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I was looking for a fun and friendly challenge. And I was inspired by previous 3MT winners, one of whom also happened to be my salsa dance teacher (@JamieBGall)!

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

I enjoyed watching others share their research so passionately. And it was a pleasant surprise to find out that I won my heat!

Why should people tune in for the final?

It is a great way to appreciate the incredible work of many PGR students, each eloquently condensed into 3 minutes!

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year? 

Go for it! Challenge yourself. I know this sounds cheesy, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

One of my initial reasons for entering 3MT was to spread the word about the interdisciplinary field my research sits in. Heritage science has offered me a unique way to combine my love of both art and science, something I didn’t know was possible until I stumbled upon it by chance in the final year of my bachelor’s degree. This is my favourite thing about my research and I wanted the chance to tell others who feel conflicted that you don’t have to choose! I also wanted to engage with the University’s research community and improve my presentation skills through practice and learning from other PGRs.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

I loved hearing about the wide range of research taking place across the University, but more than that I was inspired by the creative presentation styles and innovative slide designs others used for their presentations. There was a real community feel amongst the participants too, with very kind and thoughtful feedback provided in the chat – and a chance to hear feedback from the judges privately afterwards. The standard of all the presentations in the heats was remarkable and inspiring.

Why should people tune in for the final?

It is a joyous pleasure to hear people talking enthusiastically about something they are excited about and the 3MT final is the perfect setting to hear this. It is a brilliant opportunity to hear about fields of research you didn’t know existed and to be inspired by clever presentation tricks and styles. For other PGRs, it’s also a great chance to see what 3MT is like and whether it’s something you might like to enter next year.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

I would really encourage other PGRs to enter 3MT. One thing that has really surprised me about the process is how developing my pitch has changed my perspective on my research. In fields where impact isn’t always immediately obvious to non-specialists, making a compelling case for why this research is important (while also introducing the field and the particulars of the topic) in three minutes is really challenging. Working out the pitch has highlighted to me the true meaning of my research in a much wider context than the ‘discipline-specific’ settings we often work in. This has not only changed how I describe, pitch, and promote my work, but has impacted my approach to the research itself. In particular, I would really encourage other early-stage PGRs to use 3MT to help them ‘get-to-know’ their research and its place in wider academia.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

I wanted to show what I am working on and raise awareness of rheumatoid arthritis. Another reason was to step out of my comfort zone and present my thesis to a wide range of people with different backgrounds. I also love a bit of a competition and like to try new things.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

Apart from hearing all the great talks with amazing slides from different fields, I really enjoyed the supportive environment of the audience as well as the other competitors.

Why should people tune in for the final?

I have heard many very engaging talks during the heats and learnt a lot about various topics, some of which I would have never come across. I think it is a great opportunity to see what different people are working on. You might find someone with a similar area of interest which might even lead to a further collaboration in your project.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

No matter if you win or not, it is a great experience and practice for the future. Thinking about your 3-minute thesis story really helps you sort out your thoughts and get to know your project a little better. You will see the bigger picture and can also have fun creating your slide and preparing an interesting story for everyone. Apart from this, you have a chance to tell your story to people who might have never heard of such topic before and raise awareness.

Why did you decide to enter 3MT this year?

My own research is all about presenting complex information in an accessible and engaging format, so the 3MT competition appealed to me right away. Besides, I thought it would be handy to have a three-minute explanation ready for anyone that might be interested in my work.

What was your favourite thing about the heats?

Definitely the supportive environment! I was nervous about taking part, but it was so lovely to hear everyone’s comments and to be able to cheer on the other participants.

Why should people tune in for the final?

I think the final’s going to be especially exciting because of the range of topics covered. The heats were split into STEM and SHAPE, but I’m really interested to see how researchers in different subject areas fit their research into the format in the final.

What would you say to PGRs who are thinking about entering next year?

3MT is a great opportunity to reflect on what’s really important in your work. Day to day, it’s easy to drown in the details of your research, but taking part helps you take a step back and remember why you’re doing it.

The 3 Minute Thesis 2022 Grand Final will take place online on Thursday 31st March from 2-4pm. Sign-up to receive the Zoom audience link here.