Three Minute Thesis (3MT) for Postdoctoral Fellows
What is the Three Minute Thesis (3MT)?
Take the 3MT challenge! Your research. 3 minutes. 1 slide.
The University of Toronto’s 3MT competition challenges postdoctoral fellows across the three campuses to present their research to a generalist audience in three minutes or less, with the help of just one static slide.
In 2022’s virtual competition, participants moved through a round of heats, with winners advancing to the final, where they presented to an audience of their peers as well as a diverse panel of judges across the university.
2024 3MT Competition Schedule
Round | Date | Register to Watch |
---|---|---|
Preliminary Heats 1-4 | Date / Time TBD | |
Semi-Finals | Date / Time TBD | |
Finals | Date / Time TBD |
Congratulations to Our 2022 3MT for Postdoctoral Fellows Winners!

The Centre for Graduate Professional Development (CGPD) and School of Graduate Studies (SGS) wishes to express a big thank you and congratulations to all the ten postdoctoral scholars and finalists this year:
- Dr. Jonathan Edwards, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
“Speeding Up Electricity-Driven CO2 Conversion”
- Dr. John Gibson, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry
“Ultraviolet Light Disinfection of COVID-19 Virus: Breaking Barriers to Innovation”
- Dr. Antonio Herrera Martin, David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics; Department of Statistical Sciences
“Revealing Secret Lenses in the Universe”
- Dr. Scott Jess, Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, UTM
“How Old is a Hot Spring?”
- Dr. Matt Jones, Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies
“Necro-Performance and the Global War on Terror”
- Dr. Tho Van Le, Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering
“Propensity Toward the Use of Self-Driving Mobility Services”
- Dr. Jimena Leyria, Department of Biology, UTM
“Unmasking the Reproductive Biology of Kissing Bugs: Signals Involved in Insect Population Spread”
- Dr. Simon KC Lui, Department of Psychology
“How the Brain Updates Information”
- Dr. Catharine Mielnik, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
“Allosteric Modulators: A New Class of Drug to Target the Endocannabinoid System”
- Dr. Dominic Owens, Structural Genomics Consortium
“How to Beat Cellular Protein Recycling to Beat Cancer”
Listen to the 2022 3MT for Postdoctoral Fellows Winners
Why You Should Participate in the 3MT for Postdoctoral Fellows
A great opportunity to practice public speaking, profile your research, compete in a supportive environment, and connect with your peers.
Outside of the opportunity to improve your communication skills and showcase your research, winning the 3MT also comes with monetary prizes.
Rules and Eligibility
Review the 3MT Postdoctoral Fellows rules and eligibility.
Eligibility, Rules, and Judging Criteria
How 3MT Works
Competitors progress from the preliminary heats to the semi-finals and then to the finals. The judges will award first, second, and third place, while the audience’s favourite presentation is awarded the people’s choice.
Do you have additional questions? Please contact Kevin Chavez Laxamana, CGPD Programming Coordinator at cgpd@utoronto.ca.
Training and Resources
- GCAC Workshop: Strategies for Developing Your 3MT Presentation
by Dr. Cristina D’Amico, 2016 U of T 3MT winner - GCAC Workshop: Organizing Your Presentation by Dr. Cristina D’Amico, 2016 U of T 3MT winner
- GCAC Workshop: Connecting with your Audience Online by Dr. Cristina D’Amico, 2016 U of T 3MT winner
- GCAC Workshop: Focus and Listening in Online Meetings by Dr. Matt Jones
- GCAC Workshop: Four PowerPoint Techniques for Academic Presentations by Dr. Matt Jones
- U of T Libraries Workshop: Visual Literacy: Interpreting and Evaluating Images (Maps, Charts, Diagrams, Photographs) for Research and Publishing
- Data Visualization – An Introduction (Part 1 – Theory and Critique)
- Data Visualization – An Introduction (Part 2 – Practice with Tableau)
- Making the Most of Your Three Minutes by Simon Clews, Director, Writing Centre, University of Melbourne
- How to Talk About Your Thesis in 3 Minutes by Inger Mewburn (RMIT)
- Communicating Your Research in Lay Language by Christian A Linte, IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Magazine, May / June 2009
- 3MT Presentation: Now You See It by Rosanna Stevens, ANU TV, 2014
- 3MT: Three Tips to Help You Prepare a Winning Presentation by Rosanna Stevens, ANU TV, 2015
History of 3MT
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia in 2008. The 3MT competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Presenting in a 3MT competition increases their capacity to effectively explain their research in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
The idea for the 3MT competition came about at a time when the state of Queensland was suffering severe drought. To conserve water, residents were encouraged to time their showers, and many people had a three-minute egg timer fixed to the wall in their bathroom. The then Dean of the UQ Graduate School, Emeritus Professor Alan Lawson, put two and two together and the idea for the 3MT competition was born.
Today there are more than 600 universities and institutions in over 65 countries that host annual 3MT competitions.