The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition challenges PhD students to present their research clearly and concisely — in just three minutes and with only one slide.
The competition took place on 4 March 2026 at Aarhus University.
Held annually at Aarhus University, 3MT celebrates the art of science communication and highlights the importance of making complex research accessible to a broad audience. The format encourages clarity, creativity, and engagement, offering a unique platform to showcase the impact of academic research beyond the university walls.
Cecilie Ryberg
Natural Sciences, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center
"Making Robots soft and smart - A jump into the future"
Celine Meyhoff Crone
Technical Sciences, Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
"Small Sugars, Big Impact: Boosting piglet Gut Healt from Day One"
Charlotte Steen Duholm
Health, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
"DON'T ASK DR. GOOGLE - Understanding Health Anxiety in Adolescence"
Dela Sawatzki
Aarhus BSS, Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
"The Power of Your Story: Turning Challenges into Resilience"
Harika Bommisetty
Technical Sciences, Department of Agroecology
"The Invisible Leak: Is Farming, Warming the Planet?"
Jeremias Widmann
Natural Sciences, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center
"Uncovering a Novel Function of Molecular Chaperones: the Prevention of Toxic Metabolite Self-assemblies"
Josefine Jul Jarbæk Nielsen
Health, Department of Neorology
"Myasthenia Gravis: When Muscle Weakness Becomes Life-Threatening"
Mads Schäfer Bak
Aarhus BSS, Department of Political Science
"The Research Inequality Machine? A conceptual and systemic analysis of inequality in the academic research ecosystem"
Mads S-F. Christensen
Aarhus BSS, Department os Business Development and Technology
"Green technologies and sustainable organizations: Utilizing data- driven systems and technologies for sustainability performance"
Magnus Schou Dybtved
Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry
"Targeted antibiotics to treat the untreatable"
Pavani Rekulapally
Health, Department of Biomedicine
"New players involved in the establishment of phagophore-endoplasmic reticulum membrane contact sites (peMCSs)"
Simon Fridolfsson
Technical Sciences, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering
"Upgrading of Biocrude Derived from Sewage Sludge Through Hydrothermal Liquefaction"
Vitus Juel Enemærke
Natural Sciences, Department of Nanoscience and Chemistry
"Safe, Fast, and Trackable: Isotope Labeling for Drug Development"
Magnus Schou Dybtved, Ph.D. student at the Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University, emerged as the overall winner of the 3MT Competition 2026, held on 4 March. Competing against 12 other talented researchers, Magnus captivated the jury with his ability to distill complex scientific concepts into an engaging and accessible presentation. His outstanding performance earned him the prestigious title and a grant of 35,000 DKK to support his research through international collaborations and conference travels.
The 3MT Competition 2026 also recognized two exceptional participants with Special Mentioned Awards for their remarkable presentations.
Dela Sawatzki, Ph.D. student at the Department Psychology and Behavioural Sciences at Aarhus University, secured second place with a research presentation that combined solid scientific insight with everyday challenges familiar to most people.
Josefine Jul Jarbæk Nielsen, Ph.D. student at the Department of Neurology at Aarhus University, earned third place with an engaging presentation, delivered with a calm confidence that captivated the audience.
Meet Omeed Neghabat and Anne Lundahl Mauritsen - two former contestants in the 3MT Competition. Among other things, they for example learned how to structure and deliver a presentation in one coherent connection. Watch the two videos below and learn more!
