Case Western Reserve University is excited to hold the fifth annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) competition on Friday, February 27th, 2026 at the Tinkham Veale University Center! View this year's event agenda with competitor times.
Developed by the University of Queensland and now held at over 900 institutions across more than 80 countries around the world, 3MT celebrates the exciting research conducted by grad students around the world. This competition cultivates students' academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Presenting in a 3MT competition increases your capacity to effectively explain your research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience with a single PowerPoint slide.
Congratulations to all of our 2026 winners!
Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship 1st Place (TIE) ($2,000)
Brandi Martz
PhD Student, Macromolecular Science and Engineering,
A New Spin on Sustainable Plastics: Biaxial Roll Milling
Research Advisor: Gary Wnek
School of Graduate Studies 1st Place Prize (TIE) ($2,000)
Joel Linebach
PhD Student, Macromolecular Science and Engineering
Embodied Learning for Polymer Science
Research Advisor: Gary Wnek
Spoken English Language Programs 3rd Place Prize ($1,000)
Emma Scritchfield
PhD Student, Pharmacology
Using Molecular Mechanics to Restore Protein Delivery in Autism
Research Advisor: Ashleigh Schaffer
Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership People's Choice Awards ($350)
- Aneesha Avasthi
PhD Student, Physics
How Studying Space Saves Lives
Research Advisor: Benjamin Monreal - Brandi Martz
PhD Student, Macromolecular Science and Engineering,
A New Spin on Sustainable Plastics: Biaxial Roll Milling
Research Advisor: Gary Wnek - Osahenrumwen Ofumwengbe
PhD Student, Organizational Behavior
Exploring the Impact of Followership on Leadership Effectiveness: A Qualitative Study
Research Advisor: Diana Bilimoria
Watch the full 2026 final competition or specific pitches on the CWRU Youtube Channel