Thesis Talk 2022

The Doctoral School hosts the sixth edition of the research communication contest Thesis Talk, in which our PhD candidates present their research project in just three minutes for a non-especialist audience.

The contest will take place this year in a blended format: a preselection stage carried out remotely and a live in-person final.  

• Call for applications

Registration

• Application period is closed (May 13th, 23:59 h., Spanish peninsular time, CEST)
• Submit the recording of your presentation + slide to escueladoctorado@uc3m.es (as e-mail attachments or links to cloud storage). Deadline: May 31st (23:59 h., Spanish peninsular time, CEST)

Free registration. Registration implies acceptance of the rules and evaluation criteria as well as consent for UC3M to store and share recordings of the presentations through the institutional channels of the University. Participation in this activity requires authorization from the thesis supervisor.

Further details in the FAQ section below.

THESIS TALK follows the guidelines of Three Minute Thesis (3MT), originally developed by the University of Queensland (Australia) in 2008 and replicated by more than two hundred institutions worldwide.

The Doctoral School highlights with this activity the relevance of the research projects carried out in their PhD programs and promotes them on a format and language adapted to non-specialist audiences.

This activity is part of the Doctoral School's cross-curricular training program (2 credits).

THESIS TALK 2022 is open to all our students enrolled on a Ph.D. program during the 2021-2022 academic year, including those who have participated in previous editions.

Participants can prepare their presentation in two ways:

Preparatory workshops by the Doctoral School (optional). These will be conducted in person with the following schedule:

Spanish (Getafe campus) | Teacher: Mercedes Cavanillas
Group 1: 17 and 23 of May, 10 am - 1 pm. 10 seats.
Group 2: 18 and 24 of May, 10 am - 1 pm. 10 seats.

English (Leganés campus) | Teacher: Juan Camacho
Group 1: 23 and 25 of May, 3.30-6.30 pm. 10 seats.

Applicants can sign up for these workshops in the registration form. The language has to be the same as that of the presentation. 

Self-preparation. The following material can be useful:

• Thesis Talk (previous editions): 2021 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016
• 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) presentations
• Can you explain your thesis in a nutshell? Original de UNITEC Institute of Technology (Nueva Zelanda) y Griffith University (Australia)
• How to win the 3MT. Original de thesiswhisperer.com

Participants are required to submit their recorded presentations + slide to escueladoctorado@uc3m.es. The jury will evaluate them and shortlist the candidates according to the evaluation criteria established in the call of the contest.

Presentations can be in English or Spanish.

Presentations are limited to 3 minutes, to be counted from the moment the participant commences the presentation by either movement or speech. Presentations over 3 minutes will be discarded.

Recommended time allocation:

• 15-30 seconds: scope and purpose of the project
• 120-150 seconds: student’s contribution, methodology and outcomes
• 15-30 seconds: significance and contribution of the outcomes

The title of the presentation can be different from that of the thesis.

A single static slide (PowerPoint or similar) is permitted. The slide cannot feature any dynamic elements (transitions, animations…), participant’s name, title of presentation or thesis or any academic or professional affiliations. The slide will not be inserted in the video but submitted to the Doctoral School as a separate file to be edited later.

No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) is permitted.

No additional props (costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.

Presentations are spoken (no poems, raps or songs). Quotes can be included if relevant to the thesis topic.

Technical features

• Recording can be made on any device (cell phone, PC, camera, etc.)
• Horizontal orientation
• Format: mp4
• The video cannot be cut or edited

Recommendations

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Centered medium shot (from chest upwards)
• Any background is permitted
• It is recommended to record the video in a quiet interior environment, with natural daylight, and avoid artificial or back lighting.

The final will be held in a session open to the public at the beginning of July, in which the participants will present their presentations to be evaluated by a jury of experts.

The members of the Jury will be designated by the Dean of the Doctoral School.

The members of the Jury will evauate the presentations according to the evaluation criteria below. 

The presentation:

• Focuses on research work and personal contribution
• Provides understanding of background and significance of research
• Describes methodology and key results of research
• Follows a clear, logical sequence
• Uses an appropriate language to a non-specialist audience
• Not trivializes research
• Captures the audience's attention: presence, eye contact, vocal range, pace, confident stance

The slide:

• Enhances (not replaces or contains) the contents of the presentation

First Prize: € 900

Second Prize: € 600

Third Prize: € 300

Prizes subject to current tax legislation.