Three minutes. That’s enough time to brush your teeth, make a cup of tea, or take the garbage out – if you hurry. But, could you explain your PhD thesis?
On Tuesday 24 June, higher degree research (HDR) candidates competing in the ANU College of Business and Economics (CBE) Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition did just that.
Held annually across the Asia-Pacific, the 3MT is designed to hone students’ skills in research communication. Participants are given just three minutes and a single PowerPoint slide to explain in plain language what their research is, why it’s important and what they have discovered so far.
Ravini Abhayarathne, a HDR candidate from the ANU Research School of Management (RSM) was the winner with her presentation, ‘Rising Through the Storms: How Small Businesses Develop Entrepreneurial Resilience in the Face of Multiple Adversities’. She will represent the College in the upcoming ANU final.
“It feels amazing to win the CBE 3MT competition. I’m thankful for the opportunity and truly grateful to everyone who supported and encouraged me to take on this challenge,” Ravini shares.
“I was excited just to take part, so winning was a wonderful surprise.”
Inspired by watching previous 3MT competitions at the University, Ravini stepped out of the audience and onto the stage this year.
“I saw competing as a challenge. An opportunity to push myself and step outside the academic hat we usually wear, to see if I could explain my research clearly to a general audience in just three minutes,” she says.
“It’s an effective way to show why your research matters and to confidently answer the question we’re so often asked: So, what’s your PhD really about?”
HDR candidate Zhejing Xu, also from RSM, was named Runner-up for her presentation, ‘Not poor. Not desperate. STILL informal’. She also received the People’s Choice award.
Zhejing entered 3MT to share her research by telling a different story about the informal economy.
“Using a postmodern lens, my research challenges assumptions about formalisation and explores why some entrepreneurs, even affluent ones, choose to stay informal,” she says.
“The 3MT gave me a chance to make this complex social phenomenon more relatable and connect with people who may not have seen informal entrepreneurship in this light.”
Describing competing as ‘meaningful’, it’s an experience Zhejing highly recommends to other HDR candidates.
“It’s a powerful way to find your voice and spark curiosity about the world your research seeks to understand.”
Steven Wu, CBE Director HDR, commended both presenters for their achievement.
“I was very impressed by Ravini and Zhejing’s outstanding presentations. It’s remarkable how they managed to communicate such informative and engaging content in just a few minutes. You could really feel the energy in the room, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the competition – it was a pleasure to watch!”
You can support Ravini at the ANU 3MT finals on Friday 11 July, where she will compete against the other College finalists for the chance to represent ANU at the Asia-Pacific finals, a virtual event hosted by the University of Queensland.
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