Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competitions are held in over 600 universities across more than 59 countries. UB's annual competition offers PhD students the opportunity to participate in this worldwide event. Participants are judged on the ability to effectively convey the essence and importance of their research in an engaging way to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes. A panel of judges determine the first, second and third place prize winners. Audience members vote for the People's Choice winner, who receives a cash reward of $250.

Participants are limited to a single static PowerPoint slide; no additional media or props are permitted. 3MT preparation workshops are offered to help graduate students learn how to communicate ideas to broader audiences. The competition also offers opportunities for PhD students to network with other doctoral students across departments at UB and increase their profile within the UB research community.

The annual competition is open to any UB PhD student engaged in dissertation research and who has filed an Application to Candidacy. Work presented must have been conducted at UB for the student’s current degree program. Eligible PhD students may enter the 3MT competition by participating in a 3MT preliminary competition. Winners of the 3MT prelims receive additional training and go on to compete for cash rewards in the 3MT finals. There is no cost to participate.