3-Minute Thesis Competition

The semi-finals consist of two heats of eight students each, competing for a place in the March 19 Final Competition. A panel of judges selects which students from each heat move forward, either as an overall winner, or as a wild card. Overall winners are those deemed by the judges to gave given the best overall presentation based on the judging criteria. Wild cards are the students deemed to have given the most engaging presentation, regardless of their scores in the other criteria.

AM Heat

10:30 am-12:00 pm
3C00

Roster

1. Md Akif Hussain (Applied Computer Science and Society MSc), "Reading Crisis Through Tweets: What Social Media Reveals When Disaster Strikes"
2. Imogen Bellinger (Bioscience, Technology, and Public Policy MSc), "Can They Cope? Testing the Limits of Brook Trout in a Changing Climate"
3. Tarik Aziz (Applied Economics MA), "Mental Ill-health of Working Women: Do Family Formation and Labour Market Conditions Matter?"
4. Ishadie Namir (Applied Computer Science and Society MSc), "Seeing From Space: Helping AI Describe Satellite Images Accurately"
5. Tabitha Evans (Environmental and Social Change MA), "Powering Sustainable Energy Transitions Through Diversity"
6. Briana Liu (Master in Management), "The Missing Piece: Data, Voice, and Participation — Revealing What Goes Unrecorded Among Immigrant Communities (Case Study: Chinese Immigrants)"
7. Minh Khoi Li (Applied Computer Science and Society MSc), "Why Do We Fall? Using Brain Imaging to Understand and Prevent Falls" 

PM Heat

1:30-3:00 pm
3C00

Roster

1. Prerit Bhandari (Applied Computer Science and Society MSc), "Detecting Digital Crimes in Modern Database Systems"
2. Hansika Lewkebandara (Environmental and Social Change MSc), "Grounded, Not Washed Away!"
3. Emmanuel Allieu (Master's in Development Practice: Indigenous Development), "Inquiry: A Perspective on Mende Epistemology"
4. Irini Papageorgiou (Environmental and Social Change MSc), "Making Toxic Soils Safer with Biochar and Limestone"
5. Yashodha Charuni Weerasekara (Environmental and Social Change MSc), "Digging into Soil Chemistry to Protect Our Lakes"

The 3MT Final Competition is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, 4:30-6:30 pm in 3C00.

Join us to watch the eight semi-finalists present their research, each in just three minutes, with $2,000 on the line. 

The competition demonstrates how a project’s context and impact can be presented through short-form narration and digital medium, showing that academic research, knowledge, and processes extend beyond the usual journal articles.

We are emphasizing the power of oral and visual presentations with a collaboration between the 3MT Finals and the Research in Focus Awards Ceremony.

Research in Focus is an annual photography competition that takes us into the field, lab, and stage, offering a closer look at the incredible discoveries and creations of our researchers.

By combining oral and visual presentations in one celebration, this event showcases the remarkable research happening at UWinnipeg.

Final Competition Prizes

First Place: $2,000

Second Place: $1,000

People's Choice: $500

3MT Judging Criteria

3MT competition judges are asked to evaluate each presentation along each of the following dimensions:

Communication

• Did the speaker use non-verbal communication (i.e. eye contact, voice modulation, body language) effectively?
• Did the speaker use language and terminology that was clear, jargon-free, and understandable to a general audience?
• Did the speaker follow a logical sequence and use time appropriately?

Comprehension

• Did speaker clearly outline the background, significance, and outcome/results of the research?
• Did the speaker make the compelling aspects of the research clear (ex. problem to be solved, puzzle to be addressed, surprising implication, etc.)?
• Did the presentation provide an overall understanding of the research?

Engagement

• Did the speaker capture and maintain your attention and convey enthusiasm for their work?
• Did the presentation make you want to know more without generalizing or trivializing the research?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?

The Three-Minute Thesis Competition demonstrates how a project's context and impact can be presented through short-form narration and digital media, showing that academic research, knowledge, and processes extend beyond the usual journal articles.

Research in Focus is an annual photography competition that takes us into the field, lab, and stage, offering a closer look at the incredible discoveries and creations of UWinnipeg's Researchers.

In addition to competing in the Three-Minute Thesis Competition, graduate students are also encouraged to submit a photo to Research in Focus. Winners are announced at the 2026 3MT Final Competition.