Congratulations to Faiyza Alam and all the U of T 3MT winners and finalists!
Winners of the 2025 3MT (from left): Emily Wood (2nd place), Faiyza Alam (1st place), Melissa Suma (3rd place), and Tess Seip (People’s Choice).
PhD candidate Faiyza Alam from the department of medical biophysics is the winner of this year’s University of Toronto Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Final. Faiyza’s presentation “Lighting up the Lungs with Xenon MRI” came out on top in a final where the breadth of U of T research was on full display as the finalists’ topics covered a wide range of disciplines including cinema studies, anthropology, medicine, engineering, pharmacy and education.
The second-place prize went to fellow PhD candidate Emily Wood from the department of speech-language pathology, and Melissa Suma, a master’s student from laboratory medicine and pathobiology, placed third.
PhD candidate Tess Seip from mechanical and industrial engineering, took home the People’s Choice award.
The 3MT® is an academic research communication competition developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland, Australia, that has since expanded to an international event with competitions held in over 900 universities across more than 85 countries. Since 2013, the School of Graduate Studies has presented the U of T 3MT, with winners receiving cash prizes ranging from $200 to $1,250, and the first-place winner with an opportunity to represent U of T at the regional and provincial 3MT competitions.
Eighty participants, eight heats and three semifinals all led to the U of T 3MT finals held March 26, 2025, in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the William Doo Auditorium on the St. George campus. Twelve finalists had just three minutes and one static presentation slide to communicate their research to a non-specialist audience. And five judges had the difficult task of choosing winners from just under an hour’s worth of fascinating research and captivating presentations.
Many thanks to everyone who supported the event, particularly the staff at the Centre for Graduate Professional Development at the School of Graduate Studies for providing information sessions, training and feedback to help graduate researchers prepare for the competition. As Vina Goghari, vice-dean, research and program innovation, noted “we turned what could be only a competition into a professional development opportunity.” Goghari went on to congratulate all the presenters, stating “everyone is a winner as all students who took part have gained many professional skills; thank you to all our graduate students for bringing your research to our community. And a hearty congratulations to all our winners.”
Congratulations to all the finalists and to this year’s U of T 3MT winners. Faiyza Alam will represent U of T at the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) competition on April 25, 2025.
1st place
Faiyza Alam, Department of Medical Biophysics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
“Lighting up the Lungs with Xenon MRI”
2nd Place/Runner up
Emily Wood, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
“Turning the page on unfair reading screening”
3rd Place
Melissa Suma, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
“On the beat: A safety mechanism for heart cell therapies”
People’s Choice
Tess Seip, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
“Hydrogen and Pancakes: The Recipe for a Sustainable Future”
Finalists in alphabetical order
Madeleine Fyles, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts & Science
“Ancient Trees or Ancestral Roots?”
Rachel Gibbs, Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
“Rebuilding the Brain’s Lost Cells”
Ainsley Goldman, Department of Leadership, Higher & Adult Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
“All together now: How students actually learn through internships”
Rida Hasan, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
“From the Lake to Operating Room”
Daniele Iannucci, Cinema Studies Institute, Faculty of Arts & Science
“Portraits to Passports: Identity Documents in Sports-Media”
Cheyenne Matinnia, Graduate Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
“How Conflict is Shaping our Professional Students: The Hidden Adaptations that Students Undergo in Pharmacy Education”
Dasha Sandra, Graduate Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto Scarborough
“Inform and Do No Harm”
Bowen Zhang, Department of Medical Biophysics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
“The Cellular Barista: Uncovering the Vital Ingredients Breast Cells Need to Grow”
Learn more about the U of T 3MT and watch the finalists’ presentations.
Photos by Andy Jibb (Full Effect Media)
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Save the date! Ontario 3MT Final
On May 14, 2025, U of T is pleased to host the provincial 3MT competition for the first time. Register today for this exciting event and be sure to join us as we cheer on Emily Wood* and 11 finalists from across Ontario.
Learn more and register for the Ontario 3MT at U of T.
*Faiyza Alam is unable to attend the provincial finals, so U of T will be represented by runner up Emily Wood.