All about the Three Minute Thesis 2026 at DMU
In just three minutes, doctoral researchers are asked to do something deceptively difficult: explain years of research clearly, confidently and compellingly to a non-specialist audience. An as a member of the audience, it's a real privilege to watch researchers rise to that challenge. This year’s DMU Three Minute Thesis Institutional Final was a brilliant reminder of the talent, ambition and creativity within our doctoral community.
The standard was incredibly high. Each finalist brought their research to life in a different way, showing not only the depth of their work, but also why it matters beyond the university.
As always, entrants represented the breadth of doctoral research taking place across DMU, with finalists from each faculty:
Business and Law Yulduz Mazhitova , Salem Alateyyat , Jessica Hutchinson
Health and Life Sciences Zuzanna Kula , Pam Nagra , Sorcha Newby
Technology, Arts and Culture MD RAKIBUL ISLAM , Madhav Kafle
Together, they showcased the diversity, relevance and ambition of research across the university, from workplace inclusion and organisational change to the many other specialist areas being explored by our doctoral researchers.
A huge congratulations to our winner and runner-up
This year’s winner was Pam Nagra from the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.
Pam is an Occupational Psychology PhD student whose research explores ADHD in the workplace. Her work focuses on the challenges employees with ADHD may face, including stigma, motivation and support needs, with the aim of identifying practical strategies organisations can use to create more inclusive working environments.
Pam’s presentation stood out for its clarity, relevance and strong sense of purpose. She took a topic that has real importance for employers, employees and wider society, and communicated it in a way that was accessible, thoughtful and memorable.
Our runner-up was Jessica Hutchinson from the Faculty of Business and Law.
Jessica has spent much of her career in the pharmaceutical industry and currently works full time in Human Resources at UCB. Alongside this, she is a part-time researcher using mixed methods to examine employee-defined success following an acquisition, with the aim of informing and improving acquisition practices.
Jessica’s presentation gave a strong insight into the human side of organisational change. It was a great example of research that connects directly with professional practice and has the potential to influence how businesses support people through periods of transition.
What makes a strong Three Minute Thesis presentation?
Judging Three Minute Thesis is never simply about who can speak the fastest or fit in the most information. In fact, the strongest presentations often do the opposite. They focus, simplify and guide the audience through one clear story.
For future participants, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Avoid trying to explain everything. A PhD is complex, but a Three Minute Thesis presentation is not the place for every detail. The best presentations give the audience a clear route into the research, rather than a full thesis summary.
Use plain English without losing the intelligence of the work. Clear communication is not about “dumbing down”. It is about making your research accessible to people who may not share your disciplinary background.
Make the structure easy to follow. A strong opening, a clear explanation of the challenge, a sense of what your research is doing, and a memorable closing point can make a huge difference.
Practise, then practise again. Three minutes goes very quickly. Rehearsing helps with timing, confidence and delivery, but it also helps you refine the message until every sentence has earned its place.
Let your enthusiasm show. The audience wants to understand the research, but they also want to understand the researcher. Passion, curiosity and authenticity are powerful.
Why take part?
The Three Minute Thesis competition is a fantastic development opportunity for doctoral researchers at any stage. It helps you sharpen your communication skills, build confidence, and think carefully about the wider value of your research.
It is also a chance to be part of a supportive research community, meet other doctoral researchers, and celebrate the breadth of work taking place across DMU.
Whether your research sits in health, business, arts, humanities, technology, social sciences or another field entirely, the challenge is the same: can you make people understand and care about your work in just three minutes?
This year’s finalists showed that DMU researchers absolutely can.
Get involved next year
If you are a doctoral researcher and have ever thought about entering Three Minute Thesis, next year could be your year. You don't need to have all the answers from your research yet. What matters is having a clear story and a strong willingness to share your work with a wider audience.
Look out for future announcements and take the opportunity to get involved, whether as a participant, supporter or audience member.
Congratulations again to Pam, Jessica and all of this year’s finalists. Your presentations were a brilliant celebration of doctoral research at DMU and we look forward to cheering Pam on as she represents DMU in the regionals!