Meet Our 2026 3 Minute Thesis Finalists

Meet students headed to this year's 3MT competition.

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A decorative photo collage featuring previous winners of the 3 Minute Thesis competition.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Graduate School will host the 10th annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on Friday, March 6th, from 2:00PM to 4:00PM in the Old Chapel. Organized by Heidi Bauer-Clapp, the Three Minute Thesis Competition serves as a celebration of the exemplary research produced by our graduate student community. The event also exposes students to a new form of communicating their work, improving both their presentation and overall communication skills.

The 3MT is originally an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. The goal of the exercise is to position graduate students in a setting where they must communicate the key elements of their research to a general audience, all in three minutes or less. 3MT competitions have become a global phenomenon in recent years and UMass Amherst has hosted its own iteration since 2017. Learn a little more about the history of 3MT, and our previous winners, in a recent summary and "look back" published by our team.

Our campus 3MT Final will feature engaging presentations from UMass graduate students who advanced from the preliminary rounds; the winner of the Final will receive $1,000, with the runner-up and People’s Choice winner each receiving $500. We invite all UMass Amherst community members to come and cast your vote for your favorite speaker! Winners will be announced live during a reception following the student speakers. 

This event will also showcase finalists from the Images of Research contest.  

Our 2026 3MT Finalists include:   

  • Prachi Gupta, Chemistry

  • Laura Haynes, Anthropology

  • Luying (Louise) He, Material Science and Engineering

  • Xin Hu, Polymer Science and Engineering

  • Sylvia Imanirakiza, Computer Science

  • Shiqi Liu, Polymer Science and Engineering

  • Raphael Chukwuka Nnachi, Civil and Environmental Engineering

  • Timothy Nsubuga, Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

  • Shakira Nyiratuza, Environmental Conservation

  • Rose Schwietz Malla, Theatre Dancing

  • Alex Wilk, Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences

Stay tuned for more news on 3MT and our 2026 winner!

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