2026 AUT 3MT Competition Finals
| Date: | Thursday 3 Sep, 2pm - 3:30pm |
|---|---|
| Location: | AUT City Campus WG Building, WG306 + WG308 Auckland New Zealand |
Join us for the finals of AUT’s 2026 Three Minute Thesis Competition! Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland. In it, doctoral students who have successfully passed their Confirmation of Candidature milestone present their thesis and its significance in just three minutes. Presentations are done by video, and should be both informational and captivating.
This event is the finals for doctoral students who have passed through AUT’s 2026 3MT pre-heats. The finalists’ videos will be live-streamed, and there will be an opportunity for those attending to cast their audience vote before the award winners for this year’s competition are announced. Those attending in person will also have the opportunity to network over nibbles and non-alcoholic drinks.
Finalists
The 2026 AUT 3MT competition finalists, in alphabetical order by first name, are:
Atefeh Enayatollahi
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design & Creative Technologies
Supervised by Associate Professor Stefan Marks and Associate Professor Maryam Doborjeh
Bregas Prayuko
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Design & Creative Technologies
Supervised by Dr Andrew Burgess and Professor Charles Walker
Hansini Gunasekara
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Business, Economics & Law
Supervised by Professor Helena Cooper Thomas and Associate Professor Marcus Ho
Jude Alao
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Kelvin Lau, Dr Kevin Lee and Associate Professor Maria Bellringer
Kate Broadsworth
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Nada Signal and Dr Sharon Olsen
Marianne Carroll
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Richard Ellis, Dr Daniela Aldabe and Associate Professor Nicola Saywell
Megha Baburaj Sijarani
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Professor Nicola Brasch and Associate Professor Brent Seale
Nisha Suresh
Doctor of Philosophy
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
Supervised by Dr Christian Thoma, Associate Professor Mangor Pedersen, and Associate Professor Daniel Shepherd
Judges
Dr Anaise Irvine
Researcher Education and Development Lead
Zahraa Ozeer
Winner of the 2025 AUT Three Minute Thesis Competition
Professor Tim Maloney
Former co-director of the Centre for Social Data Analytics at AUT
Sponsors
The 2026 AUT 3MT Competition is sponsored by AUT’s Graduate Research School, ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone, AUT Ventures, and AUT Sport and Fitness Centres.
Prizes
- $1000 of research awards, sponsored by the Graduate Research School
- 2 x HP Elitebook x360 13.3” with touch pen, sponsored by ICT Services and supplier partner Cyclone
- $300 in vouchers, sponsored by AUT Ventures
- A prize pack of goodies, sponsored by AUT Sport and Fitness Centres
Refreshments will be served at this event. The event is also being livestreamed.