Purple image with words "3MT Semi-Finals and Final event" in white text

UBC's Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition that assists current graduate students with fostering effective presentation and communication skills. Participants have just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research project to a non-specialist audience. Originally developed at the University of Queensland, the 3MT is now held across the world.

Last year's finalist, SBME graduate student Mona Behrouzian, won the Western Regional and went on to represent UBC in the 3MT National Showcase in November 2025.

This year's Semi-Final and Final events are happening next week at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre in the Dodson Room. Come support participants and cheer them on, whether virtually or in person. The top five presenters from each Semi-Final will advance to the Final event on Thursday.

 

Semi-Final 1

 

  • Tuesday, March 10, Semi-final I: 10 am – 12 pm, Semi-final II: 2 – 4 pm
  • Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall

 

Semi-final I: 

  1. Shahriyar Motahari, PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Breaking the unbreakable: Destroying forever chemicals, supervised by Dr. Madjid Mohseni 

  2. Isaac Guld, MASc in Civil Engineering Driftwood on arctic coasts, supervised by Drs. Enda Murphy and Ioan Nistor 

  3. Erica Qureshi, MD/PhD in Women+ and Children's Health Sciences, Exploring the role of redirection to reduce pediatric emergency department crowding, supervised by Dr. Quynh Doan  

  4. Parker Sutherland, MSc in Zoology, Breathing better: Understanding oxygen delivery, supervised by Dr. Colin Brauner 

  5. Katrina Jewell, MASc in Biomedical Engineering, From development to cancer: How one protein controls the fate of liver cells, supervised by Dr. Pamela Hoodless   

  6. Christopher Lamb, PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences, The sound of movement and the brain: What you hear can amplify pain and fear, supervised by Dr. Lara Boyd 

  7. Jalisa Karim, PhD in Women+ and Children's Health Sciences, Navigating endometriosis treatment decisions in the context of future pregnancy planning, supervised by Dr. Gillian Hanley 

  8. Haoyu Zhao, PhD in Human Development, Learning, and Culture, Rethinking smartphone use and attention regulation among adolescents, supervised by Dr. Jennifer Shapka 

  9. Elizabeth Russell, PhD in Applied Animal Biology, Weighing in on weaning: Benchmarking calf growth on dairy farms, supervised by Drs. Dan Weary and Nina von Keyserlingk 

  10. Hrishabh Srivastava, MSc in Astronomy, Probing dark matter with nature's magnifying glass, supervised by Dr. Douglas Scott 

  11. Jolie Wu, MSc in Cell and Developmental Biology, Exploring the impact of maternal sleep disruption on fetal neurodevelopment, supervised by Dr. Jessica Rosin 

  12. Gala Araujo, PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? The two faces of heparanase in the diabetic heart, supervised by Dr. Brian Rodrigues 

  13. Jacqueline Palik, MSc in Neuroscience, Seeing ALS in high definition: Revealing the biology behind MRI Changes, supervised by Dr. Erik P. Pioro 

  14. Niko Andrianos, MASc in Mechanical Engineering, Implementing dynamic virtual power plants with model predictive control, supervised by Dr. Dominic Liao-McPherson 

  15. Cody Lai, PhD in Forestry, Initializing a forest growth model using light detection and ranging, supervised by Dr. Nicholas Coops 

  16. Griffin Staples, MASc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Evolving an autonomous underwater vehicle: a bio-inspired approach, supervised by Dr. Adrien Desjardins   

 

Semi-Final 2

  • Tuesday, March 10, Semi-final I: 10 am – 12 pm, Semi-final II: 2 – 4 pm
  • Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall

 

  1. Samara Polwatta Lekamlage, PhD in Oceans and Fisheries, Advancing seahorse conservation in Sri Lanka, supervised by Dr. Amanda Vincent 

  2. Cynthia Li, MSc in Women+ and Children's Health Sciences, Mapping the future: How preterm brain injury shapes neurodevelopment, supervised by Dr. Thiviya Selvanathan 

  3. Angela (Angie) DeMarco, MSc in Computer Science, Tackling privacy concerns in contact tracing apps, supervised by Drs. Joanna McGrenere and Aastha Mehta

  4. Theresa Weinspach, MSc in Zoology, Sucking to survive, supervised by Dr. Phil Matthews 

  5. Sepideh Saghafifar, PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Forever chemicals: Foam, flash, finish, supervised by Dr. Madjid Mohseni 

  6. Jason Fu, MASc in Biomedical Engineering, Making wearable data trustworthy, supervised by Drs. Calvin Kuo and Mahsa Khalili 

  7. Maribeth Anne Gelisanga, MSc in Rehabilitation Sciences, Deciding together: Patients and physiotherapists transforming arthritis care, supervised by Dr. Linda Li 

  8. Priya Samuel, MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences, The pharmacist will see you now, supervised by Drs. Teri Charrois and Kerry Wilbur 

  9. Shaima Hourani, PhD in Medical Genetics, Myelin alterations in fragile X syndrome: Insights into the leading inherited form of autism, supervised by Dr. Mahmoud Pouladi 

  10. Chengxi (Sissi) Xu, MSc in Applied Animal Biology, Day-1 colostrum feeding shapes lifelong calf health, supervised by Dr. Leluo Guan 

  11. Cariad Knight, PhD in Physics, Beyond the brain: Picturing phosphorous to see myelin membranes, supervised by Dr. Carl Michal 

  12. Sogand Golshahian, MASc in Biomedical Engineering, The heart disease you’ve never heard of; And the blood test that could stop it, supervised by Dr. Kelly McNagny 

  13. Sarah Dagger, MASc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Automating testing without automating thinking, supervised by Dr. Julia Rubin 

  14. Mara McLaughlin, MSc in Forestry, Landscape-level detection of Gwininitxw archaeological sites using airborne laser scanning, supervised by Drs. Nicholas Coops and Chelsey Geralda Armstrong

  15. Tarek Ghoul, PhD in Civil Engineering, Transportation before the crash: Real time crash risk and its applications, supervised by Dr. Tarek Sayed 

3MT Final

  • Thursday, March 12, 3 – 5 pm
  • Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall
  • Audience Registration

The presenter order chosen at random, is:

  1. Jalisa Karim, PhD in Women+ and Children's Health Sciences, Navigating Endometriosis Treatment Decisions in the Context of Future Pregnancy Planning, supervised by Dr. Gillian Hanley
  2. Sogand Golshahian, MASc in Biomedical Engineering, The Heart Disease You’ve Never Heard Of; And the Blood Test That Could Stop It, supervised by Dr. Kelly McNagny
  3. Christopher Lamb, PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences, The Sound of Movement and the Brain: What you Hear can Amplify Pain and Fear, supervised by Dr. Lara Boyd
  4. Mara McLaughlin, MSc in Forestry, Landscape-Level Detection of Gwininitxw Archaeological sites using Airborne Laser Scanning, supervised by Drs. Nicholas Coops and Chelsey Geralda Armstrong
  5. Hrishabh Srivastava, MSc in Astronomy, Probing Dark Matter with Nature’s Magnifying Glass, supervised by Dr. Douglas Scott
  6. Elizabeth Russell, PhD in Applied Animal Biology, Weighing in on Weaning: Benchmarking Calf Growth on Dairy Farms, supervised by Drs. Dan Weary and Nina von Keyserlingk
  7. Tarek Ghoul, PhD in Civil Engineering, Transportation Before the Crash: Real Time Crash Risk and Its Applications, supervised by Dr. Tarek Sayed
  8. Jason Fu, MASc in Biomedical Engineering, Making Wearable Data Trustworthy, supervised by Drs. Calvin Kuo and Mahsa Khalili
  9. Shaima Hourani, PhD in Medical Genetics, Myelin Alterations in Fragile X Syndrome: Insights into the Leading Inherited Form of Autism, supervised by Dr. Mahmoud Pouladi
  10. Katrina Jewell, MASc in Biomedical Engineering, From Development to Cancer: How One Protein Controls the Fate of Liver Cells, supervised by Dr. Pamela Hoodless  

For more information on UBC 3MT, visit the website. 

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