Brookes research students shine in Three Minute Thesis contest

Twelve Oxford Brookes students presented their postgraduate research projects to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes, gaining valuable skills in the process.

They were taking part in this year’s Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges doctoral students to give a compelling spoken summary of their project - without props or multimedia and using only one static slide.

Maria Brown, Research Degrees Training and Events Coordinator, says: “Three Minute Thesis is a fantastic way for doctoral students to hone their presentation and research communication skills, and to meet and network with students from other subjects. This year’s participants were all brilliant, and it was fascinating to hear about research projects from across the University.”

We spoke to two of the participants about their experience of taking part in Three Minute Thesis.

Zeena Hicks (competition runner-up) - Professional Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring

“I took part in Three Minute Thesis because I love storytelling and wanted to challenge myself to distil my research into a short, concise presentation that engages those from any background or interest. As a researcher-practitioner with ADHD and dyslexia, being succinct is not a natural strength, and I was keen to embrace discomfort and learn as much as I could from the experience and from watching others present. The competition was just two weeks before I was due to give two short presentations in Brisbane, Australia, so the experience was invaluable in preparing me for that event.

“My research focuses on the topic of positive psychology coaching. I am curious and love learning, so having the opportunity to take a deep dive into a subject I am hugely passionate about through my doctorate feels like such an enormous privilege. I chose Brookes because of its focus on applied, real-world impact. The community here is incredible and I feel supported, suitably challenged, and confident that it’s the right place for me to grow both academically and personally. My mission is to develop self-coaching as a practical, science-based tool that helps people become greater than their environment.”

Kamran Zeb - PhD in Literature

“I participated in the Three Minute Thesis competition a few years ago when it was all online, and as my research has progressed since then and I am nearing the end of my PhD, I thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit it. My research explores ideas of what it means to be human through the lens of depictions of dragons in literature.

“Three Minute Thesis has helped me learn how to present my work in a succinct and very different format than I am used to. It has also been beneficial academically to think about my research in these terms - it forces you to focus just on the essentials. You can hear more about my research in a recent episode of the Brookes Unscripted podcast.

“I did my MA in Creative Writing at Brookes and felt very comfortable in the environment here. I also discovered an area of research that I am passionate about and which hasn’t been studied. Brookes was able to provide PhD supervision, so it was a good match. After finishing, I’d ideally like to pursue a career in academia.”

Prize winners

• Anneka Fisher (Professional Doctorate in Education) - winner
• Zeena Hicks (Professional Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring) - runner-up
• Amy Poole (MPhil/PhD in Healthcare) - people’s choice
• Ruth Simpson (PhD in Coaching) - special commendation