Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ) where competitors have just three minutes to present their thesis and its significance in an inspiring and captivating way.
Read more information about the 3MT Competition on the UQ website.
AUT hosted the 2020 National Universities Masters 3MT Competition, the next level of competition for the 3MT for master’s research students. The master’s winners from universities across New Zealand had 3 minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. This event took place online, with presentations by video submission.
Competitors in the 2020 National Universities Masters 3MT Competition represented universities across New Zealand. This year’s competitors were:
Dr Lyn Lavery is the Director of Academic Consulting Ltd, a company with a longstanding reputation for providing support to both academic staff and postgraduate students at New Zealand universities. Previously a lecturer at both the University of Auckland and Massey University, she specialises in teaching research methods, particularly data analysis techniques and the skills needed to effectively communicate research findings. Lyn’s PhD is in the area of educational psychology, but her recent research has seen her work across a diverse range of fields including health, business, sport and exercise science, and social policy.
Professor Juliet Gerrard FRSNZ, FHonFRSC trained at Oxford University and moved to Aotearoa in 1993 where her career has included roles in both Crown Research Institutes and universities. Juliet’s research background is broad and interdisciplinary, with particular interests in fundamental and applied protein science. She has held an Industry and Outreach Fellowship with Callaghan Innovation, founded a start-up company, chaired the Marsden Council, and served on the Board of Directors of Plant and Food Research.
Since Juliet’s appointment in 2018 as the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia, she has worked from a base of four founding principles: rigour, inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility. She has supported the science and science advisor community to provide advice to the PM, ministers, and the public on a wide range of topics, including advice on the Christchurch mosque shootings, the response to the Whakaari | White Island eruption, and the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, the Office released a major report, Rethinking Plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand, which created a vision for a new relationship with plastic.
Prizes included:
This event was sponsored by ICT and supplier partner Cyclone.
For the first time the AUT 3MT Competition was virtual; master's and doctoral students gave their 3=minute research presentations by video submission. Finalists' videos had been selected from the pre-heats, with the finals event having taken place online on 4 September.
L to R: Afiq Abdul Hamid, David Gadnyx, Marianne Carroll, Negin Ahmadi Saber Doust, Alena Shannaq, Kaushalya Kumarasinghe, Megan Burfoot, Smita Keshoor
Members of the judging panel were:
This event was sponsored by ICT and supplier partner Cyclone and AUT Cafes.
Finalists from the 2019 pre-heats competed in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition finals, explaining their research and its significance in a captivating and inspiring way. The finals took place at the end of the 2019 Postgraduate Research Symposium day.
Access videos on the Thesislink YouTube channel
Saba Tavakolinejad took out the 2019 AUT 3MT Master's Competition Audience Vote. And, Livvy Mitchell, with her presentation, 'Home Detention: Couch surfing or job preserving?' won the 2019 AUT 3MT Master's Competition. Livvy went on to win the 2019 Three Minute Thesis New Zealand Inter-University Master's Final, hosted by the University of Otago in Dunedin.
Alena Shannaq, with her presentation 'What makes students effective in their studies' was the Runner-Up of the 2019 AUT 3MT Doctoral Competition. The winner of the 2019 doctoral competition was Peter Jean-Paul, with his presentation, 'Investigating the value proposition of Energy Saving Devices'. Peter also took out the Audience Vote for the 2019 Doctoral Competition. Peter went on to represent AUT at the Asia-Pacific Competition in Brisbane, Australia on 4 October, 2019.
In 2021 the AUT 3MT Competition was virtual for the second time. Doctoral students gave their 3-minute research presentations by video submission.
The finalists of the 2021 AUT 3MT competition were:
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences
3MT Presentation Title: Fly Further with Hydrogen Copter
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
School of Clinical Sciences
3MT Presentation Title: Exploring police interactions with people experiencing mental distress in post-disaster Christchurch
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Future Environments
3MT Presentation Title: THE CLASSROOM IS LISTENING
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Art and Design
3MT Presentation Title: Apparel sustainability assessment tool
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences
3MT Presentation Title: The Role of Big Data in Early Prediction of Asthma-related Emergency Department Visits and Admissions.
Faculty of Culture and Society
School of Social Sciences and Public Policy
3MT Presentation Title: Beyond the gender binary: Hijra in Bangladesh
Winners of the AUT 3 Minute Thesis Competition (Thesislink)
The judging panel consisted of the following judges:
Associate Professor Nigel Harris, Acting Dean of the Graduate Research School
Ngaire Rix, Manager of Learning Success
Negin Ahmadi Saber Doust, Runner-Up of the 2020 Virtual AUT 3MT Competition
Prizes for the 2021 AUT 3MT competition included:
This event was sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, AUT Sport and Fitness Centres, and AUT Shop.
Master of Communication Studies
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Dr Averill Gordon
A thematic analysis of print media framing of terrorism in Afghanistan
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Associate Professor Chris Krageloh, Associate Professor Marcus Henning & Dr Fiona Moir
Dare To Dream - What do I do after School?
Doctor of Health Science
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Bronwyn Tunnage & Dr Andrew Swain
Cardiac Arrest Ultrasound
Doctor of Health Science
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Eamon Merrick, Professor Stephen Neville & Dr Anja Vorster
Can I ride on your bicycle?
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Sonja Goedeke & Dr Jackie Feather
Developing a Network Model of Empirically Supported Marital Well-Being Mechanisms
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Professor Edmund Lai & Dr Weihua Li
Girls wear pants! Making AI systems fair
Doctor of Health Science
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Eamon Merrick, Dr Melanie Moylan & Dr Annette Dickinson
Do I have to Mum this way?
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Alice Theadom & Dr Susan Mahon
Assessing the cognitive effects of traumatic brain injury in offenders
Jia Hui (Sherry) Feng won the Audience Vote award for her presentation entitled Girls wear pants! Making AI systems fair.
Humaira Siddiqi won the master's competition for her presentation entitled A thematic analysis of print media framing of terrorism in Afghanistan. She will compete in the 3MT Master’s Inter-University National Challenge event on Thursday 8 September, hosted by the University of Auckland.
Jennifer Sharkey was the doctoral runner-up, with a presentation titled Developing a Network Model of Empirically Supported Marital Well-Being Mechanisms.
And Katrina Coleman won the doctoral competition with her presentation on assessing perinatal mental health interventions entitled Do I have to Mum this way?. Katrina will now progress to the Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT finals, hosted by the University of Queensland from 26 September.
The judges praised all of our finalists for their clear communication of complex research, their enthusiastic delivery, and their ability to engage with audiences through the camera.
If you’d like to watch the winning AUT presentations, you can view the full recording of the finals event on Vimeo here.
See all AUT 3MT competition winners
Director of the Centre for Person Centred Research and Professor of Rehabilitation in the School of Clinical Sciences
Director International Engagement in the School of Communication Studies
Winner of the 2020 and 2021 AUT 3MT competitions
Prizes for the 2021 AUT 3MT competition included:
This event was sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, AUT Sport and Fitness Centres, AUT Shop, and AUT Cafes.
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Associate Professor David Rice, Associate Professor Gwyn Lewis and Dr Natalie Tuck
Unravelling the pain relieving effects of exercise in knee osteoarthritis. What can we learn to enhance rehabilitation?
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Chris Krageloh, Dr Fiona Moir and Associate Professor Marcus Henning
To be or not to be...career decisions, depression and sense of control - how do our high school students really feel?
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Professor Edmund Lai and Dr Weihua Li
Learning Through Shapes of Words
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Jacquie Kidd, Associate Professor Katey Thom and Dr Sarah Gordon
Whose role is it? Police responses to mental distress jobs
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
Supervised by Dr Mahesh Babu Purushothaman and Dr Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi
From Hot Seat to Cool Feet: Mastering the Art of Hospital Fire Evacuation in Style!
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Liesje Donkin, Associate Professor Mangor Pedersen and Dr Matt Williams
What is the Healthy Limit of Pornography Use?
Prizes for the 2023 AUT 3MT competition included:
This year’s event was sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, AUT Sport and Fitness Centres, and AUT Cafes.
The 2024 AUT 3MT Competition finalists, in alphabetical order by first name, were:
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law
Economics and Finance Department
Supervised by Professor Gail Pacheco, Thomas Schober, and Professor Scott Duncan
M.I.M.B.Y - maybe in my backyard: are residents worse off when there is social housing development in their neighbourhood?
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
School of Science
Supervised by Associate Professor Kat Bolstad and Associate Professor Monica Acosta
A Flash of Ingenuity: Deep-Sea Squid Eyes Are Optimised for Bioluminescent Communication
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
School of Sport and Recreation
Supervised by Associate Professor Caryn Zinn and Dr Catherine Crofts
Defensive CGMs - A Behavioural Approach in Diabetes Care
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Graduate Research School
Phone: +64 9 921 9907
Email: grs@aut.ac.nz
City Campus - level 5, WU Building
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