Stony Brook University Hosts 10th Annual Three Minute Thesis Research Competition

Doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars from across Stony Brook University's research programs gathered Friday at the Student Activities Center to compete in the 10th annual Three Minute Thesis and Postdoc Spotlight competition, a daylong showcase where years of laboratory work and dissertation research had to fit into exactly three minutes and a single slide.

The event, hosted by The Graduate School and running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., filled both the SAC Auditorium and Ballroom B with presenters whose disciplines ranged widely. The format is unforgiving by design: competitors must communicate the core of their research clearly enough that a general audience can follow, without the technical scaffolding that fills academic papers and conference talks.

Participants did not arrive at the competition cold. At Stony Brook, competitors craft their talks as part of a cohort, undergoing coaching from research communication experts grounded in techniques from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, a program long associated with training scientists to connect with non-specialist audiences.

The day's agenda moved through two rounds of 3MT competition bracketing a catered lunch for registered attendees, with the Postdoc Spotlight session running between the two graduate student rounds. Cash prizes were awarded for first, second, and third place finishes in both the 3MT Round 2 and the Postdoc Spotlight round. An audience-voted People's Choice Award, sponsored by the SBU Alumni Association, added a democratic dimension to the final tally at the awards ceremony.

The Postdoc Spotlight, which carries the tagline "Three Minutes. One Slide. Your Research," is modeled directly on the 3MT format but serves a distinct purpose: celebrating the research contributions of Stony Brook's postdoctoral community while pushing scholars to translate their findings into vivid, jargon-free stories. Postdocs are eligible to enter only once.

Last year's 3MT drew graduate student Sai Abasolo to the stage, where she delivered a winning presentation on her research in tissue engineering. Her 2025 victory offers a benchmark for the caliber of work the competition has come to attract across its decade-long run at Stony Brook.

Campus support for the event came from the SBU Alumni Association, the Graduate Student Organization, the Career Center, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and Stony Brook Research and Innovation. The event closed with a dessert reception following the awards ceremony.