An 80,000-word thesis would take 9 hours to present. Their challenge is to do it in 3 minutes!

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Wildcard Competition gives talented presenters a second chance to shine. This exciting event showcases People's Choice Award winners and other standout presenters from faculty heats - talented researchers who have demonstrated excellence and earned this second opportunity to advance to the finals

You are invited to watch these determined researchers battle it out for the final spots in the UTS 3 Minute Thesis Finals on September 3rd, where you can vote in the People's Choice Award category.

With just three minutes to give a compelling presentation on their thesis topic and its significance, the Wildcard competition encourages research candidates to consolidate their ideas and outline their research discoveries. It challenges them to tell the story of their research to a non-specialist audience: what they are doing, why it matters, and what they hope to achieve ... all in just three minutes!

This is their second chance to secure a place in the premier finals event, competing for the ultimate prize of $3,000 and the opportunity to represent UTS at the 2025 Virtual Asia-Pacific Competition on 15 October 2025.

Join us for this exciting opportunity to discover cutting-edge research happening across UTS and support our talented HDR students as they compete for their spot in the finals.

Meet our judges who will make this difficult decision:

Dr Andrew Smith brings over 25 years of experience in research, development and commercialisation across multiple technical fields and sectors. At UTS, he oversees commercial research engagement and the commercialization of research outcomes.

Clare McKenzie is Director of Scholarly Services at UTS Library, where she leads academic engagement and open scholarship teams. With over 15 years in academic library environments, she focuses on delivering innovative, sustainable services to support research, teaching and learning at UTS.

Sarah Kinkel Miller is Deputy Dean of the Graduate Research School who supports our graduate research students to become innovative, adaptable leaders who will shape the futures of their fields.