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Past Three Minute Thesis Winners

Explore past winners of the University of Rochester’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, segmented by year.

Fall 2023 winners

Presentation winners

Winner: Quinny Campbell – PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering, School of Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Runner-up: Gloria Asantewaa – PhD Candidate in Biochemistry, School of Medicine and Dentistry

People’s Choice: Kala Hardy – PhD Candidate in Pathology, School of Medicine and Dentistry

Sub Heat Winners: Azmeer Sharipol – PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering and Shannon Cooney – PhD Candidate in Chemistry

First Place and Runner Up

3MT First Place Award Winner Quinny Campbell and Runner Up Award Winner Gloria Asantewaa with UGEPA Dean Melissa Sturge-Apple and Provost David Figlio (from left to right: Dean Sturge-Apple, Gloria Asantewaa, Quinny Campbell, Provost Figlio)

People’s Choice

3MT People’s Choice Award Winner Kala Hardy with Provost David Figlio

Spring 2023 winners

Presentation winners

Winner: Betul Zeyrek – PhD Candidate in Developmental Psychology

Runner-up: Gabrielle Kosoy – PhD Candidate in Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry

People’s Choice: Tie between:

  • Sara Blick-Nitko – PhD Candidate in Pathology, School of Medicine and Dentistry
  • Sanjana Kapisthalam – PhD Candidate in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences

Other finalists included:

  • Katie Zheng – PhD Candidate in Business Administration, Simon Business School
  • Vincent Tanzil – PhD Candidate in Philosophy, School of Arts and Sciences
  • Harry Golborn – PhD Candidate in Philosophy, School of Arts and Sciences
  • Lynn Sidor – PhD Candidate in Biology, School of Arts and Sciences
  • Tre DiPassio – PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering, Hajim School of Engineering
  • Ziyang Ye – PhD Candidate in Materials Science, Hajim School of Engineering
Poster session winners

Winner: Adrian Molina Vargas – PhD Candidate in Genetics

Runner-up: John Miller – PhD Candidate in Microbiology and Immunology

People’s Choice: Adrian Molina Vargas – PhD Candidate in Genetics

2022 winners

  • Winner: Tara Vrooman from the Immunology program
  • Runner-up: Tie between Uday Chockanathan from the Neuroscience program, and Courtney Kellogg from the Cell Biology of Disease program
  • People’s Choice: Raquel Ajalik from the Biomedical Engineering program

Other finalists included:

  •  Alyson March – Biomedical Engineering
  • Emily Quarato – Toxicology
  • John Steinmetz – Physics and Astronomy
  • ​Sarah Morgan – Toxicology

Check out a video from the 2022 finals

2021 winners

  • Winner and People’s Choice: Jeffrey Beard, a doctoral student in the Biomedical Engineering program
  • Runner-up: Ian Krout, a doctoral student in the Toxicology Program

Other finalists included:

  • Emily Edwards – Chemistry
  • Emma House – Cell Biology of Disease
  • Jacob Kallenbach – Biomedical Engineering
  • Julie Kittel-Moseley – Epidemiology
  • Savannah Moritzky – Translational Biomedical Science
  • Yunpeng Pang – Neuroscience
  • Katrina Ponti – History

Check out a video from the 2021 finals

2019 winners

  • Winner: Emily Hangen, a doctoral student in the Social-Personality Psychology program
  • Runner-up: Greg Madejski, a postdoctoral appointee in the Biomedical Engineering department
  • People’s Choice: Brandon Berry, a doctoral student in the Pharmacology & Physiology program

Other finalists included:

  • Elizabeth Anson – Human Development
  • Rainier Barrett – Chemical Engineering
  • Nancy Cardona – Obstetrics & Gynecology
  • Kolja Keller – Philosophy
  • Emily Warner – Neuroscience

2019 video and photo gallery

Check out a video recording of the 2019 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.

2018 winners

  • Winner and People’s Choice: Jillian Ramos, a doctoral student in the Biology program
  • Runner-up: Parker Riley, a doctoral student in the Computer Science program

Other finalists included:

  • Simeon Abiola – Translational Biomedical Science
  • Marian Ackun-Farmmer – Biomedical Engineering
  • Derek Crowe – Genetics, Development, and Stem Cells
  • Robert Maynard – Cellular Biology of Disease
  • Lauren VanGelder – Chemistry
  • Kathryn-Mary Wakim – Neuroscience

2018 video and photo gallery

Check out a video recording of the 2018 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.

2017 winners

  • Winner: Thuy-vy Nguyen, a doctoral student in the Social-Personality Psychology program
  • Runner-up: Scott Friedland, a doctoral student in the Genetics, Development and Stem Cells program
  • People’s Choice: Sarah Catheline, a doctoral student in the Pathways of Human Disease program

Other finalists included:

  • Stephanie Carpenter – Chemistry
  • Claire McCarthy – Toxicology
  • Taylor Moon – Immunology, Microbiology and Virology
  • Manisha Taya – Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology
  • Janelle Veazey – Immunology, Microbiology and Virology

2017 video and photo gallery

Check out a video recording of the 2017 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.

2016 winners

  • Winner and People’s Choice: Jennifer Judge, a Toxicology PhD student

Other finalists included:

  • Jannai Shields – Philosophy
  • Evan Ranken – Physics & Astronomy
  • Sara Nowacki – Biomedical Engineering
  • Zachary Murphy – Pathology
  • Michael-John Beltejar – Genetics
  • Martina Anto-Ocrah – Epidemiology
  • Anas Abidin – Biomedical Engineering

2016 video and photo gallery

Check out a video recording of the 2016 finals competition, and explore a photo gallery of the big day.

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