Vitae 3MT® 2026

Eleanor Marsden – University of Winchester

Eleanor received her MA in English Literature from The University of Southampton and is a part-time PhD student in Creative Writing at The University of Winchester, investigating fiction-writing as a therapeutic process. She has presented her research locally and nationally – most recently at the 2026 international Great Writing conference – whilst her short fiction and poetry has won various prizes and been published online and in anthologies.

Eliz Kilch – University College London

Dr. Eliz Kilich is an Infectious Diseases (ST4) physician and Clinical Research Fellow, where she is undertaking her full-time PhD at University College London (UCL). She began her PhD in the Nikolic Group in 2023, supported by a Medical Research Council fellowship, investigating how vaccination during pregnancy shapes maternal and foetal immunity. Dr. Kilich studied Medicine at the University of Oxford and holds a postgraduate diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She co-created and co-hosts the Cocooned Health podcast, promoting evidence-based information on infection prevention during pregnancy and neonatal health.

FINALIST – Akma Nazar – University of Westminster

Akma Nazar is a PhD researcher in the Architectural Humanities Research Group, funded by the university’s A+C Research Studentship. Her doctoral research explores the manifestation of gender in Mappila Muslim homes. Her research interests include gendered domesticities and spatial agency, and contemporary architectural historiography in India, specifically post-colonial modernist housing. She works with critical feminist research methodologies, including oral history research and feminine writing. Akma also serves as a visiting lecturer in the School of Architecture + Cities.

Kearn Williams – Leeds University

Kearn Christopher Williams is a PhD researcher in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds and is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. His research explores power, culture, and Carnival, examining how historical patterns continue to shape contemporary cultural production. Informed by a lifelong involvement in Carnival and over a decade of experience across Caribbean and diaspora Carnival industries, his work investigates the tensions between community, commerce, governance, and cultural identity. Kearn also serves as a Trustee of Leeds West Indian Carnival and is committed to making Caribbean cultural knowledge accessible through research and public engagement.

FINALIST – Peter Akor – Glasgow Caledonian University

Peter Akor is a PhD researcher in the School of Science and Engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University. His research focuses on developing artificial intelligence and wearable EEG technologies to provide early warning of epileptic seizures, helping people live more safely and independently. Before joining GCU, Peter spent nine years as a university lecturer in engineering in Nigeria. His research has been recognised through publications, conference presentations, the Epilepsy Research Institute Best Poster Award, being featured as the face of Glasgow Caledonian University’s Impact research magazine and winning the 2026 GCU Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Judges’ Choice Award. He is passionate about translating research into technologies that improve lives.

Jodie Mills – Ulster University

Jodie is a speech and language therapist and PhD candidate at Ulster University, specialising in Parkinson’s Disease. She works with Parkinson’s UK to champion accessible, person centred voice support. Jodie’s PhD explores how smart speakers, like Alexa, can support people with Parkinson’s to practice loud, clear speech strategies in everyday life, empowering them to stay confident, connected and heard. By using everyday devices in new therapeutic ways, Jodie tackles the systemic barriers that limit access to gold standard speech therapy across the UK. Her work aims to make speech support more accessible, more independent and more sustainable for people living with Parkinson’s.

FINALIST – Rachel Bernasconi  – University of Surrey

Rachel has recently completed her PhD at the University of Surrey. Her thesis, ‘A functional anatomy of sleep/wake modelling’, explored how mathematical models can be used to help people sleep better. This work drew upon Rachel’s passion for interdisciplinary research, and follows her studies in Biomedical Science, Mathematics and French at the University of Queensland, Australia. Rachel is currently continuing her research at the interface of mathematics and sleep, contributing to innovative projects at both Surrey and the University of Oxford.

Chella Quint – Sheffield Hallam University

Chella Quint OBE is an author, artist and PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University’s design and health institute, Lab4Living. Her practice-led research uses craft and co-design to explore how intergenerational activities can help families and communities share experiences from first periods to post-menopause. She hopes the inclusive tools offered through her PhD will enable shared reflection and mutual support while generating insights that could inform equitable and innovative approaches to menstrual span health provision and literacy now and for future generations. Chella founded the Period Positive movement, building on innovations from her master’s research, and is the author of Own Your Period and Be Period Positive.

FINALIST – Helen Norris – University of Reading

Helen Norris is a final-year interdisciplinary PhD researcher at the Institute of Education, University of Reading. Following a 15-year marketing career and a role as a Research Assistant in Oxford University’s Department of Experimental Psychology, Helen channelled her interest in language, cognitive development, and mental health into doctoral research, using a blend of corpus linguistics and psychology. Holding a Classics degree from Oxford University and an MSc in Psychology from Oxford Brookes, her thesis, ‘Fiction and Emotion in Adolescence’, investigates how adolescent fiction acts as a socio-emotional training ground using a 2.4-million-word corpus curated from fiction titles read by 684 teenagers.

FINALIST – Jonathan Chan – University of Oxford

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Jonathan graduated with a 1st-class degree (MBiochem) in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford as Proxime Accessit (2nd) of his 2022 cohort. His Master’s research with Prof. Yang Shi identified potential therapeutic targets in a paediatric brain cancer. Inspired by summer research with Prof. Jacques Fellay at EPFL, he pivoted to bioinformatics for his DPhil in Medical Sciences and now builds multifactorial, predictive models of inherited heart disease with Prof. Hugh Watkins and Prof. Anuj Goel as a Clarendon Scholar at the University of Oxford.

Ahmad Kamona – Robert Gordon University 

Ahmad Kamona is a PhD researcher in molecular biology at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, investigating new ways to overcome chemotherapy drug resistance in breast cancer. Originally trained as a pharmacist, he worked for nine years as a clinical oncology pharmacist at the National Oncology Centre in Muscat, Oman, before joining academia as a lecturer at Oman College of Health Sciences. His research explores how natural products from Scottish plants can restore chemotherapy efficacy by targeting multidrug resistance mechanisms. Ahmad is passionate about translating laboratory discoveries into treatments that improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Felicity Marx – University of Southampton

Hi, I’m Felicity and I’ve just started the fourth year of my PhD in Cancer Immunology at the University of Southampton. My research looks at how we can use antibodies to kill cells that we don’t want in the body – typically cancerous cells, but also over-active immune cells in autoimmune diseases. Antibody immunotherapies are an amazing treatment for cancer but we’re always looking to improve treatments, as cancers constantly evolve to escape them. My research helps us understand what impacts how well an antibody can kill a cell, so that we can design better treatments in the future.

FINALIST – Yuri Jang – King’s College London 

Yuri Jang is a PhD student in Immunology at King’s College London. Her research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms in Urticaria, a skin disease that causes painful itching and swelling. By uncovering the underlying biology of the condition, her goal is to identify new therapeutic targets and improve patient experience. Prior to her PhD, Yuri earned a First-Class Honours BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow and an MSc in Immunology with Distinction from King’s College London. Outside the lab, Yuri is a runner and can often be found cooking and baking with friends.

From PhD candidate to politician. From parliamentary adviser to policymaker.

We’re delighted to announce that Dr Patricia O’Lynn  will host the Vitae Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) 2026 final.
Patricia’s career across research, politics and governance brings a unique perspective to emerging researchers finding their voice and engaging wider audiences.

A researcher, former MLA politician and education advocate, Patricia made history as the first woman elected to represent North Antrim in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She later founded The Institute for Disruption, a purpose-driven organisation dedicated to challenging the status quo, reducing school exclusion and promoting inclusive approaches that empower marginalised young people.

Her experience reflects one of the core themes at the heart of 3MT®: the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, connect with broader audiences and create meaningful impact beyond a specialist field.

• Chair: Dr Alexander Hasgall, Executive Director of LIBER and CRAC Trustee (the Association of European Research Libraries)
• Jo Adetunji, Executive Editor – Partnerships, The Conversation
• Dr Katrina Roberts, Head of Tutor Engagement, The Brilliant Club
• Dr Jo Baker, 2024 3MT Vitae finalist
• Dr Mathew Tata, Research Programme Manager – EDI in Research & Innovation, Cancer Research UK
• Dr Ross English, Senior Teaching Fellow in Academic Practice, Centre for Higher Education Practice (CHEP), University of Southampton

• Catherine Seed, Researcher Training and Development Officer, MPLS Division, University of Oxford
• Cathy Coombs, Doctoral Student Development and Training Manager, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Georgina Hardy, PGR Development Manager, University of Birmingham
• Justyna Malkuch-Switalska, TRENER NAUKI and Vitae Associate Trainer
• Ross English, Senior Teaching Fellow in Academic Practice (PGR Focused), University of Southampton
• Saneeya Qureshi, Head of Researcher Development and Culture, University of Liverpool
• Shijia Yu, Doctoral Student Development Officer, King’s College London
• Tristan Harkcom, Researcher Development Training Officer, University of Surrey
• Yanhua Liu, Lecturer in EAP and 3MT co-lead, University of Leeds

• Allison McCaig, Head of Impact and Outputs Unit, University of Central Lancashire
• Arnida Jahya, Senior Lecturer, Universiti Teknologi MARA
• Ben Webster, Doctoral Student Development Manager, King’s College London
• Catherine Seed, Researcher Training and Development Officer, MPLS Division, University of Oxford
• Cathy Coombs, Doctoral Student Development and Training Manager, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Elizabeth Scanlon, Researcher Training and Development Manager, Sheffield Hallam University
• Georgina Hardy, PGR Development Manager, University of Birmingham
• Justyna Malkuch-Switalska, TRENER NAUKI and Vitae Associate Trainer
• Kirstie Andrews, Senior Lecturer in Engineering Materials & Bioengineering and former Doctoral College Faculty Head for Science & Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Morwenna Jones, Strategic Project Lead, Daphne Jackson Trust
• Roberto Kulpa, Lecturer in Social Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University
• Saneeya Qureshi, Head of Researcher Development and Culture, University of Liverpool
• Shijia Yu, Doctoral Student Development Officer, King’s College London
• Vicky Gottwald, Director of Postgraduate Research, Bangor University
• Yanhua Liu, Lecturer in EAP and 3MT co-lead, University of Leeds

For the 2026 competition we were delighted to offer multiple prizes for the Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition Judges’ and People’s Choice Award winners.

Prizes for the Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice Award winners

• Mentorship opportunity: Sponsored by The Brilliant Club, Dr Katrina Roberts will provide a mentorship opportunity with the aim of supporting the winners to explore how they can use their 3MT experience in their future careers. As a charity who assesses and recruits hundreds of researchers each year to communicate their research in schools, they are well placed to provide insight on how to talk about and maximise on the experience of taking part in 3MT for the winners’ next career steps.
• Public engagement or Professional development Grants: Sponsored by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Judges’ Choice winner will receive a £1000 grant, and the People’s Choice winner will receive a £250 grant, both to be used for public engagement or professional development activities.

Prize for the Editor’s Choice Award winners

• An opportunity for their presentation to become a piece in The Conversation.

Coming soon.