The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition challenges graduate students to present their research to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes, using only one slide and no technical jargon. This year, two exceptional F-1 international students earned top recognition for their ability to communicate complex research with clarity and impact.
Here are their experiences in their own words:
Abhishek Kulkarni
Participating in 3MT this year was a truly motivating experience. Listening to my peers, each presenting such compelling and diverse research, was inspiring. Distilling years of work into just three minutes pushed me to identify the core of my research and communicate it in a way that is accessible and meaningful to a broad audience. My dissertation focuses on interest-based learning and the design of AI-driven pedagogical conversational agents that personalize instruction at scale. Across multiple studies, I examine how students’ interests (such as soccer, music, or literature) can be integrated into learning, how this affects motivation and engagement, and what design principles are needed to create effective learning experiences. Placing third in this year’s 3MT is truly an honor. It represents not only my work, but also the support of my advisor, my lab, and the UF community, all of whom have shaped my development as a researcher.
Tajera Henry
Participating in the UF 3MT competition was such a fun and meaningful experience for me. I’m someone who thinks a lot about the “why” behind my research, and 3MT pushed me to strip away all the technical details and get back to the heart of my project. Being able to share that in a room full of people and then winning still feels surreal. It reminded me that storytelling is just as important as the science itself and that my voice and perspective matter in these spaces. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to represent my lab, my program, and now UF at the CSGC 3MT Competition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this coming February.
My dissertation focuses on how the human gut microbiota protects against Clostridioides difficile infection, a major cause of antibiotic-associated illness. Using a mouse model colonized with healthy human donor microbiota, I study how specific microbial communities and their metabolites influence whether C. difficile can successfully establish infection. My goal is to identify key microbial and metabolic signatures that contribute to natural colonization resistance. Ultimately, this work may help guide the development of targeted microbiome-based therapies to prevent or treat C. difficile in vulnerable patients.
Great job, Global Gators!