Graduate Students Win in 2026 Three Minute Thesis Competition

ATLANTA - Master's and doctoral students were recognized for their ability to clearly explain their research and scholarship through Georgia State University's annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition April 1.

Students across the university took on the challenge to explain their research and scholarship succinctly, developing academic, presentation and research communication skills.

"The foundation of the competition is a critical part of our research mission at Georgia State," said Georgia State President M. Brian Blake. "Your ability to distill complex research is no small feat, and we are proud of you not just for the work that you have done, but how you share it, your clarity, your purpose and integrity."

Winning Students

Held at Centennial Hall, winning students included the following:

Master's Division

1^st Place Winner - Madelief Tilder (Sociology)
Title: The Resurgence of Co-living: A Neoliberal Response to Atlanta's Housing Affordability Crisis
College: College of Arts & Sciences
Adviser: Dan Pasciuti

2^nd Place Winner - Nylah Martinez (Economics)
Title: Back to Normal in a Not So Normal Economy: SNAP Emergency Allotments on Food Insufficiency and Unaffordability
College: Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Adviser: Carlianne Patrick

3^rd Place and People's Choice Winner - Nana Aba Bentum (Biology)
Title: Identifying and Characterizing Nanobodies Targeting Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 (LAG-3)
College: College of Arts & Sciences
Adviser: Jianliang Xu

People's Choice Winner - Nana Aba Bentum (Biology)
Title: Identifying and Characterizing Nanobodies Targeting Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 (LAG-3)
College: College of Arts & Sciences
Adviser: Jianliang Xu

Doctoral Winners

1^st Place Winner - Sydney Ku (Neuroscience)
Title: Studying Women's Health: A Call for Representation
College: College of Arts & Sciences
Adviser: Debra Bangasser

2^nd Place Winner - Ishita Nagpal (Marketing)
Title: Not All Vulnerability is the Same: Who Needs Our Attention Most?
College: J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Adviser: Denish Shah

3^rd Place Winner - Lawan Wijayasooriya (Mathematics & Statistics)
Title: Entrainment for Optimal Pulse Timing in Biological Oscillators
College: College of Arts & Sciences
Adviser: Pejman Sanaei (principal investigator), Igor Belykh

People's Choice Winner - Sydney Ku (Neuroscience)
Title: Studying Women's Health: A Call for Representation
College: College of Arts & Sciences
Adviser: Debra Bangasser

What Is 3MT?

The 3MT event was developed as a research communication competition by the University of Queensland in Australia in 2008.

The competition aids graduate students in preparing for a key skill needed in academic and professional life: effectively communicating their research and scholarship in language accessible to people who are not specialists in the students' fields.

Rather than "watering down" their research, participants are challenged to consolidate their ideas and concisely explain their research discoveries.

"Clear communication is not separate from scholarship," said Nadine Kabengi, faculty associate vice president for research strategic initiatives with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

"For a decade at Georgia State, 3MT has asked students to do something remarkable, to turn complexity into clarity," continued Kabengi, previously an associate dean at The Graduate School. "It has challenged them not only to explain what they studied, but to help others understand why it matters, and that is no small thing."

GSU's 3MT is administered by The Graduate School, with the support of the University Library.

Judges for the 2026 competition included:

• Bryan Sinclair, Associate Dean for Public Services, University Library
• Corrie L. Davis, Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
• Michelle Brattain, Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs

What is the History of 3MT at Georgia State?

The former Office of Graduate Programs, now The Graduate School, held the first 3MT at GSU nearly 10 years ago.

Over that time span, there have been more than 100 finalists, nearly 400 abstract submissions and more than 1,000 minutes of graduate students communicating research, Kabengi said.

"What began as a promising initiative has become an established and meaningful part of graduate life at Georgia State, a tradition our students value and our university is proud to support," she said.

How Else Does Georgia State Prepare and Support Graduate Students?

The 3MT competition is just one of the many activities that The Graduate School at Georgia State offers to help students build skills, navigate graduate education and find opportunities to advance. Other efforts include, but are definitely not limited to:

• Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni: The Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni (CASA) helps to support and encourage Georgia State undergraduates and alumni to pursue Ph.D., medical school and law school programs. The CASA offers professional development workshops, resources and more. The CASA isn't just on the downtown campus: Research opportunities for undergrads extend to the associate degree level as well.
• Graduate Mentoring: It's important to support those who support students, too - especially the faculty mentors who are critical to student success. The university has created a resource hub to support faculty mentoring of graduate students, and also empower graduate students with helpful resources.
• Graduate Conference on Research, Scholarship & Creative Activity: This conference offers a platform for graduate students from all disciplines to showcase their scholarly and creative endeavors. The conference provides an opportunity for graduate students to share their work through posters, oral presentations, films, artist talks, creative displays or musical performances.
• First-in-Family initiative: This initiative expands support for graduate students who are the first in their families to pursue advanced degrees.

Learn more about graduate student opportunities and how Georgia State is making graduate student success a reality by visiting The Graduate School's website here.

- Story by Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager, Office of the Provost