Past Three Minute Thesis Winners
Explore past winners of the University of Rochester’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, segmented by year.
Fall 2023 winners
Presentation winners
Winner: Quinny Campbell – PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering, School of Arts, Sciences & Engineering
Runner-up: Gloria Asantewaa – PhD Candidate in Biochemistry, School of Medicine and Dentistry
People’s Choice: Kala Hardy – PhD Candidate in Pathology, School of Medicine and Dentistry
Sub Heat Winners: Azmeer Sharipol – PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering and Shannon Cooney – PhD Candidate in Chemistry
First Place and Runner Up
3MT First Place Award Winner Quinny Campbell and Runner Up Award Winner Gloria Asantewaa with UGEPA Dean Melissa Sturge-Apple and Provost David Figlio (from left to right: Dean Sturge-Apple, Gloria Asantewaa, Quinny Campbell, Provost Figlio)
People’s Choice
3MT People’s Choice Award Winner Kala Hardy with Provost David Figlio
Spring 2023 winners
Presentation winners
Winner: Betul Zeyrek – PhD Candidate in Developmental Psychology
Runner-up: Gabrielle Kosoy – PhD Candidate in Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry
People’s Choice: Tie between:
- Sara Blick-Nitko – PhD Candidate in Pathology, School of Medicine and Dentistry
- Sanjana Kapisthalam – PhD Candidate in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences
Other finalists included:
- Katie Zheng – PhD Candidate in Business Administration, Simon Business School
- Vincent Tanzil – PhD Candidate in Philosophy, School of Arts and Sciences
- Harry Golborn – PhD Candidate in Philosophy, School of Arts and Sciences
- Lynn Sidor – PhD Candidate in Biology, School of Arts and Sciences
- Tre DiPassio – PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering, Hajim School of Engineering
- Ziyang Ye – PhD Candidate in Materials Science, Hajim School of Engineering
Poster session winners
Winner: Adrian Molina Vargas – PhD Candidate in Genetics
Runner-up: John Miller – PhD Candidate in Microbiology and Immunology
People’s Choice: Adrian Molina Vargas – PhD Candidate in Genetics
2022 winners
- Winner: Tara Vrooman from the Immunology program
- Runner-up: Tie between Uday Chockanathan from the Neuroscience program, and Courtney Kellogg from the Cell Biology of Disease program
- People’s Choice: Raquel Ajalik from the Biomedical Engineering program
Other finalists included:
- Alyson March – Biomedical Engineering
- Emily Quarato – Toxicology
- John Steinmetz – Physics and Astronomy
- Sarah Morgan – Toxicology
2021 winners
- Winner and People’s Choice: Jeffrey Beard, a doctoral student in the Biomedical Engineering program
- Runner-up: Ian Krout, a doctoral student in the Toxicology Program
Other finalists included:
- Emily Edwards – Chemistry
- Emma House – Cell Biology of Disease
- Jacob Kallenbach – Biomedical Engineering
- Julie Kittel-Moseley – Epidemiology
- Savannah Moritzky – Translational Biomedical Science
- Yunpeng Pang – Neuroscience
- Katrina Ponti – History
2019 winners
- Winner: Emily Hangen, a doctoral student in the Social-Personality Psychology program
- Runner-up: Greg Madejski, a postdoctoral appointee in the Biomedical Engineering department
- People’s Choice: Brandon Berry, a doctoral student in the Pharmacology & Physiology program
Other finalists included:
- Elizabeth Anson – Human Development
- Rainier Barrett – Chemical Engineering
- Nancy Cardona – Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Kolja Keller – Philosophy
- Emily Warner – Neuroscience
2019 video and photo gallery
Check out a video recording of the 2019 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.
2018 winners
- Winner and People’s Choice: Jillian Ramos, a doctoral student in the Biology program
- Runner-up: Parker Riley, a doctoral student in the Computer Science program
Other finalists included:
- Simeon Abiola – Translational Biomedical Science
- Marian Ackun-Farmmer – Biomedical Engineering
- Derek Crowe – Genetics, Development, and Stem Cells
- Robert Maynard – Cellular Biology of Disease
- Lauren VanGelder – Chemistry
- Kathryn-Mary Wakim – Neuroscience
2018 video and photo gallery
Check out a video recording of the 2018 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.
2017 winners
- Winner: Thuy-vy Nguyen, a doctoral student in the Social-Personality Psychology program
- Runner-up: Scott Friedland, a doctoral student in the Genetics, Development and Stem Cells program
- People’s Choice: Sarah Catheline, a doctoral student in the Pathways of Human Disease program
Other finalists included:
- Stephanie Carpenter – Chemistry
- Claire McCarthy – Toxicology
- Taylor Moon – Immunology, Microbiology and Virology
- Manisha Taya – Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology
- Janelle Veazey – Immunology, Microbiology and Virology
2017 video and photo gallery
Check out a video recording of the 2017 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.
2016 winners
- Winner and People’s Choice: Jennifer Judge, a Toxicology PhD student
Other finalists included:
- Jannai Shields – Philosophy
- Evan Ranken – Physics & Astronomy
- Sara Nowacki – Biomedical Engineering
- Zachary Murphy – Pathology
- Michael-John Beltejar – Genetics
- Martina Anto-Ocrah – Epidemiology
- Anas Abidin – Biomedical Engineering
2016 video and photo gallery
Check out a video recording of the 2016 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.