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3 Minute Thesis Competition

Aarhus University proudly presents its annual 3MT Competition, where PhD candidates captivate audiences with three-minute presentations, accompanied by a single slide. It's a platform for effective research communication. The 2024 event took place on March 13. For more details, delve into the competition below. Stay tuned for updates on the 2025 edition, coming in November 2024.


What is the 3MT?

Every year, Aarhus University invites its PhD students to participate in the 3 Minute Thesis competition (3MT). In 2024, the competition will be held in Stakladen at Aarhus University on 13 March 2024. 

In 3MT, PhD students present their research project in three minutes for an audience of non-specialists with only one static slide – and no other resources. To prepare the participating PhD students for this challenging exercise, the PhD students are taken through a communication workshop, feedback session and practice session before the competition.

On 13 March 2024, a internal AU jury will announce the internal AU winner based on the judging criteria mentioned in the Coimbra Group Call below. The audience will vote for their favorite presentation and thereby select the People's Choice Award. 

The video of the performance of the internal AU winner will be submitted to the international competition held by the Coimbra Group of more than 35 European universities. A Coimbra Group panel will then select the top three candidates, who will be invited to present at the Coimbra Group annual conference. In 2024, the 3MT international competition will be held on 6 June in Turku, Finland.

The 3MT was founded at University of Queensland, Australia in 2008 and is held at over 900 universities across more than 85 countries. 

Participants 2024

Tora Haug
Health, Department of Clinical Medicine
"How can one assess a surgeon's skill during advanced bowel cancer surgery?"

Simone Manti
Technical Sciences, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering
"Learning Equations from Physical Phenomena"

Ragnhild Laursen
Natural Sciences, Department of Mathematics
"Are you confident in your data analysis?"

Malthe Jessen
Health, Department of Public Health
"How do children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis do in school?"

Malte Grewoldt
Natural Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
"About the Matriarchy of Tiny Flies"

Lina Münker
Health, Department of Clinical Medicine
"Not so invisible - Early predictors of functional somatic symptoms in youth"

Layla Pohl
Health, Department of Biomedicine
"Seeing Is Believing"

Josefine Tingdal Taube Danielsen
Aarhus BSS, Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
"Cognitive impairment even before cancer treatment - what does it mean?"

Jakob Johannsen
Technical Sciences, Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
"Optimal protein concentration in diets for sows during the transition period"

Irina Palimaru Manhoobi
Health, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University; Department of Radiology, Aarhus University Hospital
"Imaging of resection margins during breast cancer surgery"

Eva Kjærgaard
Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry
"The Journey of Plastic: From Ocean to Air"

Emil Dare
Natural Sciences, Department of Mathematics
"Stereologically Adapted Crofton Formulae"

Emil Brinch Holm
Natural Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
"A tale of two statistics: How different ways of interpreting data changes our understanding of the Universe"

David Stamenov
Technical Sciences, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
"Machine Learning Estimation of Wave Loads on Floating Wind Turbines"

Daniel Strack
Technical Sciences, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering
"Biomechanical model of the human spine"

Azhar Zhartybayeva
Technical Sciences, Department of Agroecology - Soil Fertility
"Grasslands as Climate Champions"

Andreas Nygaard
Natural Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy
"Accelerating the Cosmos with machine learning"

Nikolaj Nyvold Lundbye
Natural Sciences, Department of Mathematics
"How many holes should your data set have?"

Peter Thestrup Waade
Arts, School of Culture and Society - Interacting Minds Centre
"Physical markers of social connection in improvised social coordination: the case of Lindy Hop and other partner dances"

Santiago Gil Arboleda
Technical Sciences, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
"Towards realization of Digital Twins for systems with coupled behavior"

2024 3MT Winner

Eva Kjærgaard, Ph.D. student at the Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University, distinguished herself at the recent 3MT Competition held on March 13 2024. Amongst 20 talented contenders, Eva's work captured the attention of the jury, earning her the prestigious title of overall winner. This distinction not only brings honor but also a grant of 35,000 DKK, designated for furthering her research through travels. However, Eva's achievements didn't end there. Her outstanding work also resonated with the audience in Stakladen, leading to her clinching the coveted People's Choice Award.

Eva Kjærgaard has opted out of participating in the international Coimbra Group 3MT competition 2024. Therefore, the unanimous decision of the AU jury is to send Nikolaj Nyvold Lundbye to partake in the international Coimbra Group 3MT competition, as the jury has evaluated Nikolaj's presentation as the clear "runner up".

Eva Kjærgaard
Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry

Photo: Jens Hartmann (AU Photo)

Nikolaj Nyvold Lundbye
Natural Sciences, Department of Mathematics

Photo: Jens Hartmann (AU Photo)


Meet two former contestants

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!