UNIVERSITY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
UPEI graduate students captivate audience at 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition

Big ideas took centre stage at the University of Prince Edward Island on March 20 as graduate students transformed complex research into compelling three-minute stories at the 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, held at The Fox & Crow in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

Left to right: Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, Associate Vice-President Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at UPEI, congratulates the winners of the 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition: Owen Brown, first prize; Kaushik Raj Bengahalli Kundu Raja, second place; and Mukhayyo Sultonova, third place.

Taking first place was Owen Brown (Master of Applied Health Services Research) for his presentation, "A Different Kind of Virtual Care: Simulating an Emergency Department." He will represent UPEI at the regional 3MT® competition, which will take place at Saint Mary's University in Halifax on June 5, 2026.

Second place was awarded to Kaushik Raj Bengahalli Kundu Raja (MSc, Sustainable Design Engineering) for "Industrial Vision for Frozen Fries: Measuring Blemish Severity, Enabling Automated Sorting." Third place went to Mukhayyo Sultonova (PhD, Molecular and Macromolecular Sciences) for "Developing New Strategies to Find Protein Targets."

The competition brought together an outstanding group of graduate student researchers who delivered fast-paced, engaging presentations to faculty, staff, students, and community members. Each presenter was challenged to communicate their research clearly and creatively in three minutes using just one slide, demonstrating academic excellence and exceptional storytelling.

The students in this year's competition showcased an impressive range of topics, including drone-based agricultural decision-making, wildfire risk mapping, virtual emergency care simulations, machine learning applications in food quality assessment, protein targeting strategies, neurodegenerative disease research, sustainable crop protection, using the arts to help future teachers make students feel included and engaged, renewable energy challenges, and climate impacts on wild blueberry production in Atlantic Canada.

The competition highlighted not only the diversity of research at UPEI but also the ability of graduate students to translate complex ideas into accessible, impactful messages for a broad audience.

The judges included Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, Associate Vice-President Research and Dean of Graduate Studies; Nancy Russell, CBC reporter and UPEI alumna; and Doug Keefe, Senior Director, Cyber, Information Management and Data Service, Veterans Affairs Canada.

Dr. Wendy Rodgers, President and Vice-Chancellor of UPEI, welcomed everyone in attendance and also announced the winners.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition is an internationally recognized academic event that challenges graduate students to present their research in just three minutes. It celebrates research excellence, creativity, and the ability to connect with diverse audiences.