Who is AU’s best research communicator?
Sixteen PhD students will battle to become AU’s contestant in the European final of the Three Minute Thesis Competition, which crowns the best research communicator among PhD students in Europe. The AU qualification event on 22 March is open to all: come watch exciting presentations on topics ranging from smelly ant feet to clean drinking water and sexual consent among the young.
![[Translate to English:] Ph.d.-studerende træner retorik og kropssprog inden 3MT-konkurrencen](/fileadmin/_processed_/1/4/csm_Image15_784c25e387.jpeg)
![[Translate to English:] Ph.d.-studerende Maria Holst Kjeldsen](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/0/csm_Maria_Holst_a47482695e.jpeg)
In 2022, Aarhus University PhD student Omeed Neghabat won the European final of the Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) with his presentation on the human heart. And now it’s time for AU to select the candidate who will defend the title in 2023. The 3MT qualifying competition will take place at Stakladen on 22 March from 16:00 to 18:30. Sixteen PhD students will have a chance to present their research to the general public in a three-minute, three-slide presentation.
You can attend the competition in person at Stakladen or online – and you can help decide which PhD student will receive the audience award.
One of the participants in this year’s 3MT qualifying competition at AU is Maria Holst Kjeldsen from the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. She’s participating in 3MT to become better at communicating her research to the general public – one of a researcher’s most important core skills.
"It’s often difficult to explain and describe your research in a way that keeps the audience’s attention,” Knudsen said. “3MT is a really good exercise, and it’s a chance to gain more tools to improve my research communication. A lot of the research I and my fellow PhD students do is complex, and at the same time, it’s important to get the message across. 3MT can help me get better at that.”
Register to attend
The winner of 3MT at AU will be given a spot in the European finals, in which more than 35 European universities will participate – as well as a travel grant of DKK 35,000. The university alliance Coimbra Group, to which AU belongs, is behind the 3MT competition.
The winner will be selected by this year’s jury. The members of the jury are: David Lundbeck Egholm (vide-dean and head of the graduate school at Nat), Christian Ulrik Andersen (associate professor at the School of Communication and Culture, Arts), Sys Vestergaard (AU’s head of communication and media relations) and a representative from AUPA, the AU PhD students’ association.
Register to attend the event in person
Register to attend the event online
Read more about 3MT Here you’ll also find a list of participating PhD students.