Australian ‘Thesis Whisperer’ to judge Three Minute Thesis
An academic known as the Thesis Whisperer will sit on the judging panel at this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final.
Professor Inger Mewburn, director of researcher development at the Australian National University, will join a panel of judges as the University's PhD students once again argue the case for their research at Glasgow Caledonian’s annual final.
Professor Mewburn uses social media to provide commentary on researching student experiences (particularly with thesis writing), researching student supervision, and post-doctoral employment pathways.
She will join Dr Stephanie Zihms, Academic Writing Lecturer in the Graduate School; Dr George Loumakis, Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Management; and Steven Vass, Business and Economy editor of The Conversation who has been on the panel the past three years.
The Graduate School will be holding the annual final as part of the University’s revised Research Celebration on Thursday, May 18, at 12pm-1.30pm. For those not able to attend in person, you can watch the event live here and also participate in voting for the winner.
As always, the audience will be able to have their say on the People's Choice vote. PhD students have been attending workshops in preparation for the final throughout April.
Developed by the University of Queensland to celebrate the exciting research conducted by PhD students, 3MT finalists have one slide and three minutes to present their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Since its inception in 2008, the popularity of 3MT has grown, and competitions are now held in over 900 universities across more than 65 countries worldwide.
This year, the Judges' Choice (overall winner) and People's Choice winner will each receive a £100 prize, issued by the Graduate School. The Judges' Choice winner will go on to represent Glasgow Caledonian in the UK 3MT competition and will have their name added to the University’s 3MT Trophy.
The event will be introduced by Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Decent, who will discuss his own research journey. Having graduated with a BSc in Mathematics at Brunel University, and a PhD at the University of St Andrews, Professor Decent is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and specialises in research on free-surface flows, including liquid jets and water waves.
Professor Decent will highlight his own collaborations and impact, before presenting his aspirations on growing the strength and diversity of our research and innovation portfolio.