SBU 3MT
Captivate a general audience with your research findings, and hone your research communication skills through the SBU 3MT competition! The top talks receive cash prizes, generously sponsored by the SBU Alumni Association.
Save the Date: SBU 3MT 2025
Friday, March 28, 2025
10 am to 3 pm
Charles B. Wang Center lecture halls
The 2025 SBU 3MT competition will feature a Postdoc Spotlight round, showcasing the innovative and invaluable research contributions of Stony Brook
postdocs.
We encourage and invite all faculty, staff, and students to attend this engaging and
insightful 2025 SBU 3MT Competition. Join us to witness impactful research presentations
and expand your knowledge.
Register for 3MT
What is 3MT?
Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT® for short, is a spoken word thesis competition. 3MT is an opportunity for SBU graduate students to present their dissertation research findings to a general audience in THREE MINUTES with only one PowerPoint slide. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. The goal is for students to engage all their communication skills to make their research vivid and engaging while emphasizing its key point without jargon.
At Stony Brook, our students also 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. While there will be winners at the end, our primary goal is for all students to gain professional development and improve their skills in communicating their research.
In 3MT, PhD candidates compete from any discipline.
| English | Computer Science | Biomedical Engineering | |
| Art | Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies | History |
SBU 3MT 2025 AGENDA:
| Time | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Time
9:30 am to 10:00 am |
Event
Sign In & Breakfast |
Venue
Theater Lobby |
| Time
10:00 am to 10:15 am |
Event
Welcome and Ground Rules
|
Venue
Lecture Hall 2 |
| Time
10:30 am to 10:55 am |
Event
Round 1 |
Venue
See below |
| Time
|
Event
Moderator: Esther Opoola
|
Venue
Lecture Hall 1 |
| Time
|
Event
Moderator: Shai Bejar
|
Venue
Lecture Hall 2 |
| Time
10:55 am to 11:05 am |
Event
Break |
Venue
Theater Lobby |
| Time
11:05 am to 11:30 am |
Event
Round 1 (Continued) |
Venue
See below |
| Time
|
Event
Moderator: Esther Opoola
|
Venue
Lecture Hall 1
|
| Time
|
Event
Moderator: Shai Bejar
|
Venue
Lecture Hall 2
|
| Time
11:30 am to 11:45 am |
Event
Break |
Venue
Theater Lobby |
| Time
11:45 am to 12:45 pm |
Event
Postdoc Spotlight
|
Venue
Lecture Hall 2 |
| Time
12:45 pm to 1:45 pm |
Event
Round 2 Competitors Announced and Round 2 Begins |
Venue
Lecture Hall 2 |
| Time
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm |
Event
Awards Lunch
|
Venue
Theater Lobby |
Speaker Sign-Up
The Speaker Sign-Up deadline is now closed.
Although the speaker signup deadline has passed, you can still attend the 2025 SBU 3MT Competition to witness captivating research presentations and gain valuable insights and tips for future participation.
RSVP Here
Speaker Information
Eligibility
To compete in 3MT, students must:
- Be SBU doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy (G5 or equivalent) by the speaker sign-up deadline;
- Be enrolled full-time in Spring 2025 and be in good standing;
- Work in any disciplinary field, with those in the Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences particularly encouraged to participate;
- Have advanced in their dissertation to a stage where findings, preliminary conclusions, and broader impact can be discussed. Students may only participate in 3MT once;
- Affirm during speaker sign-up that their dissertation advisor supports presentation of their research; and
- Commit to participating in all 3 coaching sessions.
Presentation Guidelines
Talks will be three minutes long and may include only one PowerPoint slide. Speakers should craft a talk that distills the heart of their research for a general audience who may not be specialists, in the style of a TED-like talk (watch previous year's 3MT talks for examples). Speakers will receive individualized coaching on their presentation from research communication experts.
All competitors will present live and on-stage during Round 1, and the top eight will advance to Round 2, which will immediately follow with a new panel of judges.
Coaching Sessions
3MT competitors undergo research communication coaching that is grounded in techniques from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Coaching takes place in small groups where peer feedback and support is expected and encouraged while students workshop their draft presentations.
Information about Postdoc Spotlight coaching is available on the Postdoc Spotlight page.
Judging
- The talks will be evaluated by a panel of judges from a range of backgrounds and disciplines for how well the speaker engages a general audience of non-specialists and can convey the excitement and innovation of their research without jargon or distortion.
- See the full judging criteria
Prizes
- Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, plus a People's Choice award selected by the audience. Prizes are generously sponsored by the SBU Alumni Association.
Questions?
Contact the Graduate School Office of Professional Development at gradprofdev@stonybrook.edu