3 Minute Thesis - 2021 finalists

College: MPH
Title: A life living homeless with dementia 

My name is Clare Beard, and I am in the second year of my PhD candidature. Having spent more than eight years working with and talking to, people experiencing homelessness, and hearing their life stories, challenges, hopes and aspirations completely inspired me to do my research. My focus is on how the experience of living with homelessness influences the risk for developing dementia. This 3MT has been a rewarding experience and a fabulous way to meet other PhD students and hear about their research, albeit in the virtual world. It is hard to condense your research into such a tight timeframe, so getting feedback on knowing what is descriptively relevant and gaining tips for ways to present and communicate your work has certainly helped me develop new and valuable skills.

College: EPSW
Title: Protect me too: Caring for our child protection professionals 

My name is Amy Bromley and I am in the final year of my PhD candidature.  My research focus is on child protection and the ways that we can help all children feel safe and loved in families.  While much of the research in my field is on children or their parents, I believe it is important to be self-reflective and to study ourselves and our systems.  I entered 3MT for a fun challenge and it has been amazing to refine my research to a few key points.  The confidence I have gained has helped me to create other presentations and feel confident speaking on camera.  I plan to use these skills to enhance my training and teaching, allowing me to reach a wide audience.
  

College: HASS
Title: ‘Memory boxes' and stories of grief 

My name is Marina Deller and I am in the third year of a PhD in creative writing. My creative and research focus is the way writers approach the 'scattering' nature of grief when trying to represent personal loss. As part of this research I have written my own 'grief memoir' about a series of losses I experienced as a teenager. This means writing about heavy topics such as death, sickness, estrangement, and identity. It also means rifling through possessions of my past, unearthing buried secrets. Although a daunting task at first, I have found the process to be rewarding - and fun! The 3MT has been a highlight in this regard. The coaching process has been invaluable and a fantastic reminder of the importance of community and collegiality in academic spaces. The 3MT has also allowed me to connect with other passionate researchers and explore the ways that storytelling can help us share our research... here's to more storytelling!

College: MPH
Title: Take my breath(lessness) away 

My name is Diana Ferreira, and I am a medical doctor with experience in oncology and a special interest in palliative care. I am currently in my last year of PhD candidature, and my work focuses on the use of low-dose, slow-release morphine to reduce chronic breathlessness associated with life-limiting illnesses. Enrolling in the 3MT competition helped me return to the essence of my work, and the reasons why I decided to study palliative care. I was inspired by watching other candidates present their wonderful research work, which also kept me motivated to present my research in a clear and engaging way. This experience was invaluable to teach me about the power of the spoken word to advocate for people who are near the end of life.

2021 University Winner and People's Choice

College: NHS
Title: Stay at home: Breaking the vicious cycle of hospital readmissions

I am currently pursuing a PhD, with a focus on cross-continuum, multidisciplinary care in frailty and malnutrition in hospitalised older adults. I am an accredited practicing dietitian (double accredited, Australia and Singapore) with a strong passion for scientific research. I have worked full time as an acute care dietitian for 5 ½ years and conducting research has given me the opportunity to garner evidence improve care. “So, what’s your PhD about?” is the most common question I get. The 3MT has given me an opportunity as well as challenge, to communicate my research to a wider non specialist audience. The interaction with other PhD students reminded me that while the journey is one undertaken independently, it is not a lonely one. The 3MT has also helped hone my presentation skills and is one of THE most enjoyable experience thus far in my PhD! 

College: EPSW
Title: From insider to outsider: Social support and injury recovery 

My name is Catherine Litchfield and I am in my second year of my PhD in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work. My research focuses on social support and injury recovery in women’s sport. My hope is to be able to assist sporting clubs to build a better standard of support for injured female athletes. My PhD journey has, at times, been stressful and left me feeling unsure about the importance of my research. However, participating in the 3MT has been an amazing opportunity to meet other PhD candidates from other disciplines and clarify the significance and impact of my research. Everyone, from my fellow competitors, to the HDR development team, and the 3MT Trainer Dr Tiffany Knight, have been so supportive and helped me build my confidence. And - I have the added bonus of knowing exactly what to say when someone asks me what my research is about!

College: NHS
Title: Unpacking the work of the family meal 

I am an Accredited Practising Dietitian in my final year of candidature. My research centres largely on the social aspects of food and eating, the power of the shared meal experience, and the processes involved in food planning, acquisition and preparation, along with consumption. My PhD explores and unpacks the work behind-the-scenes of the family meal, with an additional focus on how the family meal and it’s involved processes change and evolve over time. Taking part in the 3MT was the best thing I could have done at this stage of my candidature – it gave me the opportunity to take a step back and look at the big picture, which helped strengthen the direction and key messages of my thesis. It has been a wonderful experience working with my fellow students to develop skills and confidence in communicating our research in an accessible and engaging way. 

2021 University Runner-up

College: MPH
Title: Curing cancer, one band-aid at a time  

My name is Reham Mounzer and my research focusses on cell metabolism in cancer. As scientists, we are used to communicating our research in complex and lengthy presentations. It, therefore, becomes tricky to explain our work to the general public in a simple and effective way. The 3MT has been a challenging, yet refreshing, experience and has allowed me to develop the ability to explain my research concisely, simply, and quickly. I highly recommend it to all PhD students, as the skills you gain through 3MT are incredibly useful. I am in the last year of my PhD and look forward to a career in cancer research, where I hope to identify new targets for cancer therapy.