Interview with the winner Raghav AroraThree Minute Thesis Competition 2024

17 September 2024

Photo: HRA/Wied

On 27 August, eight doctoral researchers from Hamburg took on the challenge of presenting their doctoral theses in three minutes and with only one presentation slide. The fourth edition of Hamburg’s Three Minute Thesis competition again took place in the "Halle 424" in the Oberhafenquartier. After an evening full of great presentations and a close race in the rankings, Raghav Arora from Hamburg Observatory/University of Hamburg took first place with his presentation “Feathery star formation in galaxies”. We asked him about his experiences in the competition.

When you stood on stage and the countdown started – how did you experience your presentation?

It was thrilling! I was very nervous, but I managed to do what I had planned to do. So after my presentation, I was satisfied.

How did you prepare for the 3MT, and what were the challenges you faced?

I started my preparations about a month before the 3MT. First, I wrote a script. Second, I prepared my slide – and then I kept checking back to make sure that every new idea that came up during the process was reflected both in the script and on the slide. Third, I practiced a lot – in my office, in my bathroom, I slept on the script. I also got very helpful feedback from a friend who has no connection to science. Based on his honest feedback, I felt that my main message had not yet come across – so I changed my introduction.

What do you take away from your participation in the competition?

Taking part in the 3MT did not influence my research, but it did influence the way I communicate it – not only to a lay audience, but also to a scientific audience. The 3MT presentation has given me more confidence also for scientific presentations. And I have experienced that in a short presentation, every word matters. That is something you don’t usually think about when preparing a conference presentation, but it really helps to focus on your core message. Soon, I actually have an upcoming conference presentation in the format of a “flash talk” – which means I’ll present my research in three minutes.

Do you have any tips for anyone who might want to participate next year?

Start from the heart! Present something that you really want to share with the audience, that you want them to relate to. And note your personal idea first before looking at too many other examples – actually, I didn’t look at any examples at all besides watching last year’s 3MT.