28. August 2026

Foto: HRA/Wied

Nine doctoral researchers, three minutes each, and just one slide: On 25 August, Hamburg’s sixth Three Minute Thesis competition brought together researchers from across the city to present their work to a non-specialist audience. The competition once again took place at "Halle 424" in the Oberhafenquartier. After an evening of impressive presentations and a close race for the top spot, the jury awarded two first places: José Manuel Crego Lozares from the Technical University of Hamburg and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology for his presentation "From Powder to Orbit: Multi-material 3D Printing for the Next Generation of Reusable Rockets" and Silvie Akua Rohr from the University of Hamburg for her presentation "Corporate Purpose Beyond the Price Tag". Congratulations to both winners! We asked them about their experiences in the competition.

Why did you decide to participate, and how was the experience ?

Silvie: It was a good testing ground for my defense. I do multidisciplinary research, so I wanted to see if I could make my work clear to people with very different backgrounds. The experience also forced me to really understand what the value of my research is and to explain that without getting lost in all the details. Overall, it was a small race against the clock, but a fun one!

José: I saw it as a challenge to disseminate my topic – combining metals through 3D printing for aerospace applications – to a lay audience, and a chance to share my world of research with people outside my field. The experience was super enriching: it's a 360-degree challenge for your communication skills, and overall it was genuinely fun being at the venue on the day.

How did you prepare?

Silvie: I attended the 4.5-hour preparation workshop organized by the HRA, which was very helpful for orientation. But the actual work happened later. I made a rough sketch on the evening after the workshop, then set it aside for almost six weeks. About two weeks before the competition, I started polishing the pitch. That took longer than expected, since there are many different ways to frame and structure the same research. I guess it took me a little too long, so I only started practicing the actual performance the day before the competition. I admit, that added a bit of unnecessary stress!

José: I also attended the HRA preparation workshop, and the year before I'd also attended one in Melbourne. I started preparing the materials about two months in advance, and began rehearsing more seriously around a week before the event – though I wasn't too strict about a fixed schedule. It's really about repeating, repeating and repeating until the content is memorized, and only then comes the less obvious part: working on your non-verbal communication.

What does science communication mean to you?

José: Science communication is the pipeline we use to translate the complexity of our lab work into something a lay audience can understand. To me, it's the way we let people know how discoveries actually happen – how asking the right question, like how to 3D-print two very different metals into a single reliable part, can turn into a key answer, and how that answer can become a major scientific breakthrough.

On a personal level, it's how we transmit hope, initiative and excitement – to both older and younger generations – about taking on the unknown. And sometimes we're given the gift of inspiring a new generation of researchers to pursue a research career themselves.

Silvie: For me, science communication is about access to knowledge. Knowledge shouldn’t be locked behind doors that only a few can open. Science communication is the key. It puts knowledge into the hands of many. And when people have knowledge, they can make better decisions. That, too, is a form of justice and empowerment.

Do you have any tips for other doctoral researchers who might also want to participate in a 3MT ?

Silvie: Shoot for imperfection.

I really wanted to have fun. So despite all the overthinking during the prep phase, I practiced until I felt confident enough, not until I got every single word right. That felt a little scary, but what really helped was having a backup idea for what to do if I forgot a line or didn’t get the wording right. Once I knew I could handle that, everything felt way more relaxed.

José: One non-technical, and one technical:

I'd strongly encourage you to just take part. This experience can really bring out the most creative version of yourself once you find your own way of explaining your topic – so be yourself while explaining it, and you'll genuinely enjoy it.

On the technical side, I think my non-verbal communication is what really made my talk stand out, paired with passion for the topic. Your slide is there to support you, but people are listening to you – so own the stage and give them a performance.