Dozens competed, but only 13 graduate researchers clinched their spot to face off in the Dalhousie 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) finals happening next Tuesday (March 31).
The finalists chosen during preliminary 3MT heats this week — including the first-ever round held on Dal's Agricultural Campus in Truro — bested their competition when judged across three key categories: comprehension, engagement and communication.
They did so, of course, within the parameters of the competition, which gives each competitior just three minutes and one PowerPoint slide to punch their ticket to the finals.
This year introduced a new wildcard category for undergraduate honours, course‑based master’s, professional programs, and post‑doctoral fellows, opening the door for a broader range of research to be showcased.
The winner of the 3MT finals will go on to represent Dalhousie at the 3MT regional competition, administered by the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies (CAGS) down the road at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax on June 5. (Please note: If the wildcard finalist wins, they are confirmed the Dal 3MT champion, but the next-closest thesis-based Master’s or PhD candidate moves on to nationals as per CAGS rules).
All are welcome to attend 3MT finals, which take place March 31, 6-9 pm in the McInnes Room on the second floor of the Dalhousie Student Union Building in Halifax.
Now, meet our 2026 3MT Finalists:
Sahil Sahil, PhD Engineering
Presentation Title: Waste to energy: Unlocking the potential of organic waste for biogas generation
Problem statement: Sahil is using microbes to turn waste into energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change.
Caitlin McCavour, PhD Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences
Presentation Title: Stop treating soil like dirt
Problem statement: Caitlin is exploring how we depend on soil to sustain our forests and ecosystems, yet as climate change and wildfires place increasing pressure on these landscapes, we are managing them without knowing what healthy forest soil even looks like.
Annika Benson, PhD Biomedical Engineering
Presentation Title: Small & mighty: A miniature ultrasound probe for safer brain surgery
Problem statement: Annika is investigating whether a miniature, high resolution, tracked ultrasound probe can enable more precise and effective brain tumour surgery.
Sibi Chakravarthy Parivendan, Master’s Computer Science
Presentation Title: Farmbook: Using AI and Social Networks to Save Lives
Problem statement: Cows hide pain to survive, often making medical treatment too late. Sibi is developing "Farmbook," an AI system that tracks "friendships" to catch hidden illnesses and save farm families.
Daniel Basso Master’s Psychiatry
Presentation Title: Adapting to a world not meant for you: An exploration of Autism, substance use, and young adulthood
Problem statement: Daniel is unravelling why autistic people may be at a higher risk for substance use through interviews with autistic young adults.
Emily Burke, PhD Chemistry
Presentation Title: Turning waste into worth: The SF6 challenge
Problem statement: Emily develops catalysts that can transform the potent greenhouse gas SF6 into valuable SF5-containing compounds that have promising applications in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and advanced materials.
Aisha Rahman Asha, PhD English
Presentation Title: Motherhood in War: Sacrifice and Resistance
Problem statement: Aisha is exploring how literature and film portray mothers in conflict zones, asking how nations make maternal sacrifice seem necessary and what happens when mothers resist.
Valerie Schagen, Master’s Biology
Presentation Title: Bioactive compound/s: The balance between lifeand death in Lace Plant
Problem statement: There is a mysterious pink chemical that appears when lace plant cells self-destruct. Valerie is identifying what that pink chemical is, and figuring out why it is there.
Martins Obialor, PhD Chemical Engineering
Presentation Title: The quiet moment before a battery fails
Problem statement: Martins is investigating the thermal reactivity of high-energy battery materials and evaluating how composition optimization and surface coatings can improve their stability in lithium-ion cells.
Claire Floras, PhD Materials Engineering
Presentation Title: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen: Baking lithium-ion batteries
Problem statement: Claire's research focuses on extending the lifetimes of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage by operating batteries at high temperatures.
Noah Doucette, PhD Nursing
Presentation Title: Towards Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine equity and inclusivity
Problem statement: Noah is researching how we can make equitable and inclusive Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination a tangible public health objective.
Kevin Nguyen Master’s, Physiology and Biophysics
Presentation Title: A novel approach to treating aggressive breast cancer
Problem statement: Kevin is investigating a novel therapeutic target to combat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)—the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, which remains resistant to current gold-standard treatments.
Wildcard Participant
Eshaa Amer Undergraduate Honours, Psychology and Neuroscience
Presentation Title: Beyond baby blues: Postpartum mental health in racialized mothers
Problem statement: Eshaa is exploring how structural barriers limit access to postpartum mental health supports for racialized, immigrant, and refugee women in Canada.