Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from across The Ohio State University condensed years of research into three‑minute presentations Feb. 4 during the 2026 University‑Wide Three Minute Thesis Competition, hosted by the Graduate School at the Ohio Union.
The Three Minute Thesis, commonly known as 3MT, is an international academic competition originally developed by the University of Queensland to strengthen researchers’ ability to communicate complex ideas to non‑specialist audiences. Participants are challenged to explain the significance of their research clearly, concisely and compellingly in three minutes using only a single static slide.
At Ohio State, the university‑wide competition serves as the culmination of college‑level 3MT events and brings together finalists from across disciplines. Before the event, a panel of preliminary judges selected a set of participants for the university-wide competition. This year's preliminary judges were Trachy Roach Gadkari, Ph.D. technical services manager, Components – Fuel & Lubricant Solutions at BASF, James Cray, Ph.D. associate professor in Biomedical Education and Anatomy and Susan Yoon, Ph.D. associate professor in the College of Social Work.
The 2026 competition was led by Karin Jordan, assistant dean of graduate development and engagement with introductions and event support from Mary Stromberger, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate school; Matt Page, senior assistant dean for graduate student experiences and additional support from the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars and Graduate School staff.
The in-person judging panel consisted of three professionals selected for their experience evaluating research communication and interdisciplinary scholarship. Judges assessed presentations using standardized Three Minute Thesis criteria, focusing on comprehension and content as well as engagement and communication. The 2026 University‑Wide Three Minute Thesis Competition judges were Dr. Rachel Kajfez, Department of Engineering Education, Ellen Patricia, MS, CIP, ERIK / Office of Responsible Research Practices and Joe Walter, Nestlé Quality Assurance Center.
Under official 3MT rules, presenters are limited to a maximum of three minutes, with time beginning when a speaker starts moving or speaking. Exceeding the time limit results in disqualification. Presentations must be delivered as spoken word, and participants may use only one static PowerPoint slide with no animations, transitions, audio or video. No props or additional media are permitted. Judges assess presentations based on clarity of research explanation, logical structure, accessibility to a general audience and the speaker’s ability to engage listeners.
Graduate student finalists represented a wide range of Ohio State colleges and research areas. Participants and presentation titles included:
- Danica Matovic of the Department of Neuroscience – “Brain Circuits and Temperature Regulation.”
- Jason A. Christman of the College of Optometry – “The Leaky Pipe of U.S. Vision Care.”
- Cameryn Cooley of the Department of Psychology – “Black Americans’ Perceptions of Cognitive Change Strategies.”
- Ayushi Das of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology – “Pancreatic Cancer and Its Deathly Hallows.”
- Min Hai of the Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, – “Dose Like a Master Chef.”
- Cheng‑Yu Hung of the Fisher College of Business – “The No‑Choice Option in Conjoint Analysis.”
- Opal Moore of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences – “Quantity Over Quality: How Low‑Cost Sensors Can Be Beneficial in Underserved Communities.”
- Md Nayem Hasan Munna of the School of Environment and Natural Resources – “Same Soil. Different Futures.”
- Zoe Phillips of the Department of Physics – “Integration of Molecular Qubits into 2D Heterostructures for All‑Electrical Readout.”
- Elenore Rimmerman of IGP Biophysics – “ Vascular Visions: Novel Imaging in Peripheral Artery Disease.”
- Charis Stanek of the College of Social Work – “‘For Me, They Were a Strength’: How College Students Make Meaning of Their Mental Illnesses.”
- Srinivasan Subramaniyan of Electrical and Computer Engineering – “Correlation‑Aware Scheduling for Minimizing Capital Expenses.”
- Ahmad Ilderim Tokey of the Department of Geography – “How Exposed Are You? Risk in What You Can Access.”
At the conclusion of the graduate student competition, Ayushi Das was named first‑place winner with their presentation titled, “Pancreatic Cancer and Its Deathly Hallows”. This first place distinction means that Ayushi will represent Ohio State at the Midwest regional competition that will happen later this spring at the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools annual conference. Ayushi also received the People’s Choice Award, determined by audience votes during the event. Charis Stanek earned second place in the university‑wide graduate student competition with their presentation on “‘For Me, They Were a Strength’: How College Students Make Meaning of Their Mental Illnesses.”
The event also featured a university‑wide Three Minute Thesis competition for postdoctoral scholars. Postdoc participants included:
- Tomaz Neves Garcia, PhD of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry – “What if Capturing CO₂ Could Power Clean Hydrogen?”
- Andrew Perry, PhD of the Department of Educational Studies – “An Examination of How Community College Matriculation and Transfer Relates to the Motivation and Self‑Regulated Learning of First‑Generation College Students.”
- Chenyang Wei, PhD of the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology – “Space Birding: AI Meets Community Science.”
Dr. Chenyang Wei earned first place in the postdoctoral competition, while Dr. Andrew Perry placed second.
The Three Minute Thesis competition continues to highlight Ohio State’s commitment to research excellence and public scholarship by equipping emerging researchers with the skills needed to communicate their work beyond academic audiences.
The Graduate School is proud to continue to support graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with their research and career development with events such as the Three Minute Thesis competition. Visit the Graduate School website news and events to learn more about resources, programming, and support and news about graduate students and the larger graduate community that support their education at Ohio State.