Winners of the “Three Minute Thesis” Competition Announced

The traditional “Three Minute Thesis” (3MT) competition took place at the Conference Hall of the Vilnius University (VU) Scholarly Communication and Information Centre (SCIC). Out of 15 competing doctoral students, the jury selected Indrė Lapinskienė, a PhD candidate from the VU Faculty of Medicine, as the winner. Gerda Jasinevičienė from the VU Life Sciences Center was awarded second place, while Jonas Žurauskas from the VU Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences secured third place.

This year, the competition featured participants from various VU units, including, among others, the Faculties of Philosophy, Medicine, Physics, and Communication.

“It was an incredible and enriching experience. Not only did I learn how to present complex scientific topics in a simple and engaging way, but I also had an opportunity to meet young researchers from different VU faculties. It helped me realise what a warm and supportive community we have and how “out-of-this-world” some of the amazing projects we are working on truly are. I am proud of all the participants and look forward to seeing even more events like this in the future,” said Indrė Lapinskienė, the overall winner.

Her research, titled “Can We Spot the Signs Before It’s Too Late?”, focuses on predicting brain death in patients with intracranial pathology at an early stage of treatment.

The second-place winner Gerda Jasinevičienė, a doctoral student from the VU Life Sciences Center, presented her research on “Uncovering the Relationship of Yeast Viral Elements”. She admitted that it was challenging to summarise her work in just three minutes, but the whole experience proved extremely useful.

“It was the first time I’d had to prepare a presentation for an audience not specialised in natural sciences. Deciding what to explain and how to do so in three minutes while retaining key scientific information but avoiding overly technical terminology was a really difficult task. Moreover, presenting without slides and learning my speech by heart, as I could not use any notes, was also unusual. The positive feedback from the jury boosted my confidence and gave me insight into how I could improve my future presentations. I highly recommend participating in this competition – it was a truly invaluable experience!” reflected Gerda Jasinevičienė.

The third-place winner Jonas Žurauskas, a doctoral student from the VU Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, presented his research on “Visible Light Photoredox Catalysis”. He appreciated the opportunity to meet talented people passionate about both science and art.

“The best way to prepare for this kind of competition is to try explain your research in one minute to your closest family members – your mom, grandad, or granny – so that they can get it completely. If you see any doubt on their faces, try again in a few days. Once your family has no more questions about your topic, I think you’re ready to present it to anyone! All complicated scientific terms become unnecessary, as everything is much simpler than it might seem. Reflecting on the experience, I would also like to extend my gratitude to the organisers and the jury,” Jonas Žurauskas shared his impressions of the event.

The “Three Minute Thesis” competition was first held in 2008 at the University of Queensland (Australia) and has since gained worldwide recognition as a prestigious academic platform for young researchers. It aims to encourage doctoral students to convey complex scientific ideas to a wide audience in a clear and attractive way.

As the winner of the VU competition, Indrė Lapinskienė will represent Lithuania in the Coimbra Group Universities selection round, where participants will compete for a place in the international 3MT final.