'How does a moment become a memory?' 10 Brandeis grad students explain their research in three minutes

April 2, 2026

Abigail Arnold and Atiqua Prithu | Office of Graduate Affairs

Ahead of the 2026 Brandeis Three Minute Thesis Competition on April 27, Spingold Theatre buzzed with a mixture of nerves and excitement. The ten finalists went over their talks a final time. The organizing team checked that the slides, mics, and timer were all set. And the audience settled into their seats, anticipating all they would learn about the competitors' cutting-edge research. Once the competition began, however, the event was all about the students who commanded the stage, keeping everyone locked in as they presented.

Three Minute Thesis is an international event started at the University of Queensland in Australia in 2008. The Brandeis edition has been going strong since 2022, bringing together PhD and master's students across the disciplines. The rules are simple - present your research in only three minutes using a single slide - but the execution is challenging indeed. "It's not an easy task to take years of research and turn it into a three-minute talk for a general audience," said Marika McCann, Associate Director of Professional Development and Employer Outreach in the Office of Graduate Affairs and co-organizer of the competition, along with Becky Prigge, Assistant Provost for Graduate Affairs; Anahita Zare, Director of Education and Special Programs Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and Director of the Sci Comm Lab; and Abigail Arnold, Assistant Director of Graduate Academic Affairs.

That's without even thinking about the busy schedules that graduate students have. "Balancing the day-to-day of research, teaching, and other responsibilities is hard, and it can be daunting to add more to your plate," McCann added. "We are so impressed with the time that all of our finalists have spent on their talks." "3MT is a perfect showcase of both the wide-ranging research at Brandeis and our students' talent for communicating big ideas clearly," added Zare. "This year was no different."

This year's competition also brought in the broader community with judges across fields. The panel consisted of Dr. Amy Becker, head of T Cell Programs at Averna Therapeutics; William S. Bennett, Assistant Vice President for Academic Advancement at Brandeis; Dr. Alyssa Stalsberg Canelli, Assistant Provost for Graduate Academic Affairs at Brandeis; Jeannette A. McCarthy, the mayor of Waltham; and Rudy Ruggles, president of FutureFixers, LLC.

While the judges were impressed across the board, in the end, the top prize went to Arjun Kumar Singh, master's student in Global Sustainability Policy and Management, for his talk "Paradox of People's Power." In addition to winning $1000, Singh will go on to compete at the regional competition, which two Brandeis students have won in the past. Second place and $750 went to Cali McKenzie, master's student in Anthropology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, for their talk "Listening Beyond Intimacy: How Kink Teaches Us to Relate," and third place and $500 went to Dagny Michaels, master's student in Anthropology, for her talk "Sanctity of the Virtual: Emotion, Objects, and Virtuality." An equally important award is the $500 People's Choice Award, voted on by the entire audience. This year, the prize went to Mike Vivian, PhD student in Neuroscience, for his talk "How Does a Moment Become a Memory?"

Many of the judges came in not knowing what to expect but left compelled by the presentations. "We saw a really diverse range of topics, and it was great to see how well these students communicated their research to a general audience," said Becker. "They all did a wonderful job." "It was fantastic to see how much the students who made it to the finals improved in just two weeks," added Professor Troy Luster of Biotechnology, who was a judge for the preliminary competition.

If there's one group of people who can convey important ideas in a brief time, it's the Three Minute Thesis competitors - so here is what the competition meant to them, in their own words.

• "My thesis advisor came to the presentation and told me, 'This is what is missing from your thesis!' 3MT was a great exercise to help me figure out what was missing and how to clearly communicate my work."--Cali McKenzie, Anthropology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies master's student and second place winner
• "I had seen others from my department participate, which encouraged me. Now, if I need to tell someone about my work at a conference, I can do so quickly. Everyone gave great talks this year - I thought this was the best year yet!"--Tong Lin, Psychology PhD student
• "It feels wonderful to win and move forward to represent Brandeis at the Regionals. I also feel incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me, from the first people who trusted me enough to give me a chance to conduct high-quality research to those who helped me with my 3MT preparation. The biggest lesson for me was never to hide my passion and love for the research that I do."--Arjun Kumar Singh, Global Sustainability Policy and Management master's student and first place winner
• "I participated in the past but wanted to do so again because I like being onstage and had a new topic to highlight. Finding relatable pieces in your research is the strategy to bring people in."--Jillian E. Franks, Psychology PhD student
• "I practiced extensively with people outside of my department. That was a wonderful experience because it taught me so much about the art of communication."--Dagny Michaels, Anthropology master's student and third place winner
• "I decided to do the competition because it was outside my comfort zone, compared to other scientific public speaking and I wanted to be able to explain my work to my family. Everyone has been very supportive!"--Mike Vivian, Neuroscience PhD student and People's Choice winner
• "I had a lot of fun doing this, including practicing my talk in the Buffalo Airport and all sorts of places. I encourage everyone to at least try seeing how you can simplify your research into three minutes! It's great for preparing for the job search process."--Jonathan Schaffer, English master's student
• "This experience taught me that I am capable of pushing beyond my comfort zone. Despite being introverted and anxious about public speaking, I was able to make it to the finals, which is something I will carry with me into future presentations."--Samitha Ranasinghe, Chemistry PhD student
• "I wanted to take advantage of the wider academic community at Brandeis. My favorite part was coming to the final and learning about other disciplines, realizing there's a world outside my own."--Alexandra Burkot, Musicology PhD student
• "This experience showed me how public speaking can truly bring research to life. It reminded me that having strong ideas is important, but how you communicate them matters just as much. That is a lesson I will carry with me moving forward."--Ophelia Delali Akoto, Social Policy PhD Student