Three Minutes that mattered. Stories that inspire.
05 June 2026
Celebrating 10 Years of the Coimbra Group 3MT Competition
As the Coimbra Group celebrates the 10th edition of its Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition in 2026, we are looking back at a decade of inspiring research communication, memorable performances, and transformative experiences.
To mark this milestone, the Coimbra Group has launched a special video series featuring all nine previous winners of the competition. Under the motto “Three Minutes that mattered. Stories that inspire.”, the series explores how participating in the 3MT Competition shaped the winners’ personal and professional journeys, and the lasting impact those three minutes on stage had on their lives and careers.
Since its launch within the Coimbra Group network, the 3MT Competition has challenged doctoral candidates to communicate the significance of their research to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes. Over the years, it has become much more than a communication exercise: it has helped young researchers develop confidence, clarity, and the ability to engage audiences beyond academia.
The video series features the winners of the previous nine editions, whom we would like to warmly thank for sharing their experiences and helping us celebrate this milestone:
- 2017 – Oisin McCormack, University of Padova
- 2018 – Khalil Shahramian, University of Turku
- 2019 – Claudia Schmidt, University of Göttingen / Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
- 2020 – Maria Francesca Di Filippo, University of Bologna
- 2021 – Dounia Ziyati, Doctoral Schools of the Universities of Montpellier Languedoc Roussillon
- 2022 – Omeed Neghabat, Aarhus University
- 2023 – Ida Cecile Jensen, Aarhus University
- 2024 – Silvia Lasnik, University of Graz
- 2025 – Almudena Moreno-Borrallo, Trinity College Dublin, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
In the interviews, former winners reflect on their experiences of taking part in the competition, the skills they gained, and the opportunities that followed. Their stories reveal common themes: the importance of making research accessible, the value of stepping outside one’s comfort zone, and the confidence that comes from sharing complex ideas in a simple and compelling way.
At the same time, each interview offers a unique perspective on how the competition influenced individual career paths, whether within academia or beyond. Together, these testimonies paint a rich picture of the long-term impact of the 3MT experience and demonstrate why effective research communication matters more than ever.
Alongside the individual interviews, a special compilation video bringing together highlights from all nine former winners will be presented before the final in Granada, celebrating ten years of excellence in doctoral research communication across the Coimbra Group network.
We invite you to discover the full series and hear directly from the researchers whose three minutes left a lasting impression. Watch the complete playlist of interviews here.
This year’s finalists
The finalists of the 10th Coimbra Group 3MT edition are:
- Corey Alwell, doctoral candidate in Genetics and Microbiology at Trinity College Dublin, with the presentation “Hunting for hunter-gatherers: stories from the oldest Irish DNA ever sequenced”.
- Vicente Bru-García, doctoral candidate in Translation and Interpreting Studies at the University of Granada, with the presentation “Please, listen”.
- Lokesh Jain, doctoral candidate in Numerical Modelling at the University of Edinburgh, with the presentation “Ice mélange: the cork in the glacial bottle”.
The live-streamed final will take place during the Coimbra Group Annual Conference and General Assembly, hosted by the University of Granada, on Thursday 18 June, from 14:30 to 15:30 CET, where a jury will select the winner.