About

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a skills development activity that challenges Higher Degree by Research students to explain their research project to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes. The 3MT competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

3MT® celebrates the exciting research conducted by PhD students. Developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), the exercise cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Participation in 3MT supports competitors to:

• Communicate their ideas effectively to the wider community;
• Describe their research findings to a non-specialist audience;
• Crystalise their thoughts about your thesis;
• Increase their profile among the University research community, staff and wider community; and
• Network with other HDR students.

Why participate? 

Skills development for research candidates

• Participating in 3MT develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, while developing research candidates’ ability to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
• Building research culture in universities
• 3MT provides a valuable opportunity for HDR candidates to come together (live or virtually), get to know one another and talk about their research. It also provides a supportive environment in which schools, institutes and universities can provide presentation skills training.
• Building external relations for the university
• 3MT winners may go on to represent their university at national and international 3MT competitions which provides an excellent networking and professional development opportunity. Previous 3MT finalists have benefited from invitations to a variety of other networking events following their participation in the competition.