3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Competition

My PhD project investigates the complex interactions between people and animals in semi-arid southern Australia tens of thousands of years ago. It centres on the animal bones from Warratyi rock shelter (Vulkathunha–Gammon Ranges, Adnyamathanha Country) and blends archaeology, palaeontology and traditional knowledge. By working directly with Adnyamathanha, this project will provide a more comprehensive picture of the past, but it also sets an example for how research can serve living communities. It is important to me that my research uplifts people.

Majorly, the 3MT competition has helped me refine my own research question and encouraged me to consider the real significance of my project. The process has made my project clearer as I have communicated it to those outside my field.

My PhD investigates the interaction between cognition and social influence to examine their combined effects on conspiracy belief formation. I am also interested in examining the relationship between belief in conspiracy theories and support for or engagement in hostile and reactionary forms of collective action. I am passionate about understanding the origins and consequences of conspiracy theories in light of their wide and rapid spread across social media.

From participating in the 3MT competition, I have gained invaluable research dissemination skills. In particular, 3MT has provided me the opportunity to craft and deliver an effective and engaging pitch of not only my research methodology, but my research implications and how they may be useful to entities outside of higher education.

My name is Stefano, and I am a second-year PhD candidate. My research is looking to help prevent, intervene or change risky drinking behaviours that have, or are currently ongoing among Australian midlife-aged men. As a former bartender of eight years, I have seen many occurrences of risky drinking among a variety of cohorts. I have since switched sides, working to explore effective and efficient ways to help inform policy and health specialists about an understudied Australian cohort of risky drinkers. This is done in collaboration with my industry partners; The Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

When I first commenced my PhD in 2024, a colleague bought me to the MPH heats for the 3MT, insisting that I would one day compete in this myself. Time skip one year and I am competing with the primary goal of improving my public speaking - an area of improvement. Presenting my research in 3 minutes is a tough skill. Nonetheless, the journey also allowed me to reflect on how far I've come since my undergraduate years in hopes to one day present my research confidently at conferences in my own personal style - expressing my passion to an audience while having fun and some laughs along the way!

My PhD focuses on the long-term impacts and memories from overseas volunteering experiences. This stemmed from my own experience as a volunteer in Bangladesh as I questioned whether the investment of time and money had been worthwhile. With this alternative form of travel booming, it’s a pertinent question to ask whether these experiences do make a difference to the volunteer, and how it could be improved.

The answers to this question, co-created with the participants in my research, have been surprising and too interesting not to share. Yet I feared that they may just end up being relegated to a chapter of my thesis. Participating in the 3MT competition has given me an amazing platform to share these findings more broadly. Not only that, but I’ve also met some brilliant researchers from other colleges and learned about their groundbreaking work too.

My PhD aims to measure the cognitive impairment experienced by paediatric cancer survivors and use a novel cognitive training tool to rehabilitate these skills.  My project aims to develop an intervention that not only improves cognition but is also enjoyable for the children who will use it.  As a Biomedical Engineer, I believe that the usability and engagement of an intervention are critical to a design's function, particularly when working with children.

Participating in the 3MT has provided me with the opportunity to share my research with a general audience in a way that is not only understandable but engaging. These are critical skills that I will implement throughout my career. I’m also very grateful for the opportunity this has given me to highlight my research to a broader audience.

In my PhD research I'm looking at tobacco retail in the NT. I think reducing the accessibility tobacco products is crucial to addressing the disproportionate harm smoking causes to some communities, and I want my research to contribute to a fairer, healthier society

Whenever you tell people you're doing a phd, they always ask what you're researching and I've always struggled to give a clear answer. 3MT has been hugely helpful in helping me distill the essential parts of my research and how to communicate it clearly. It's also been really helpful in helping me explain my research to my family!