About 3MT

What is 3MT?

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) challenges doctoral candidates to present a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes. ®3MT is an academic competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia.

The University of Queensland (UQ), 3MT competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Presenting in a 3MT competition increases their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

History

The idea for the Three Minute Thesis (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.

Competition History in Malaysia (Host for 3MT Malaysia)

  1. 2013 – UTM
  2. 2014 – UTM
  3. 2015 – UTM & UMP
  4. 2016 – UUM & USM (10th May 2016)
  5. 2017 – USM & UTP
  6. 2018 – UTP & UPSI
  7. 2019 – UPSI & IIUM
  8. 2021 – IIUM & UM (9TH June 2021)