UOM Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Grand Final
Here are the finalists – and the winners!
The 3MT® Competition challenges PhD candidates to present their research in just three minutes.
12 finalists were shortlisted in the University of Melbourne's competition this year. Congratulations to all - and a special shout out to the winners from the School of Biomedical Sciences: Catriona Nguyen-Robertson who received Runner Up and Mikhail Dias as People’s Choice.
Runner Up
Catriona Nguyen-Robertson (School of Biomedical Sciences)
"A handshake to shake off tuberculosis"
A third of the world live with tuberculosis (TB) - it is the top infectious killer worldwide. Catriona's research aims to improve the current TB vaccine for adults by using 'fats' found on TB bacterium to help train immune system.
People's Choice
Mikhail Dias (School of Biomedical Sciences)
"Jurassic Tumour: The lost gene"
Mikhail's research is focused on cancer, multicellularity and how the disease activates ancient genes in the DNA to mutate and survive. He hopes the outcomes of his research will contribute to a cancer 'playbook' to understand how tumors behave and ultimately contribute to the development of robust treatments.
The Winner
Cassie McDonald from MDHS was the winner of the 2021 competition. She won a $4,000 grant and the opportunity to represent the University in the virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition for her presentation "More than a place to wait: Untapped potential of hospital waiting areas"
Other finalists from the School of Biomedical Science were:
- Megan Iminitoff - "Back-up genes: Restoring balance in Prader-Willi syndrome"
- Francesca Bolk - "Piece by piece - mending broken hearts"
Here's the full list of finalists and their presentations: