Aston University postgraduate researcher Diana Galiakhmetova has reached the semi-finals in the national Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
The 3MT competition, organised by Vitae, originated at the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008 and has since gained worldwide recognition. The competition attracts entrants from more than 900 institutions from across the world, making it a highly competitive and diverse platform for showcasing ground-breaking research. The competition challenges doctoral researchers to present their research to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes; a substantial challenge, considering a typical PhD thesis is around 80,000 words, which would take nine hours to present.
Diana’s journey to the semi-finals began with her victory in Aston University’s internal 3MT competition, where she explained how she is using lasers to restore brain functionality and treat dementia, through a technique called optogenetics.
Current dementia treatment requires surgical procedures, so being able to use non-invasive lasers have the potential to revolutionise the field. Diana’s thesis looks at making the treatment more accessible and scalable for a wider population.
Diana said:
“Reaching the semi-finals of the Three Minute Thesis competition has been an absolute honour for me, as I had the privilege to represent Aston University among nearly 100 UK universities. I cannot express enough gratitude for the unwavering support, encouragement, and belief in the success of our work from my friends and colleagues. I am especially grateful to Eren Bilgen (Researcher Development Advisor, Aston Graduate School) whose detailed training and dedicated assistance helped me to prepare for the competition and made this achievement possible.”
Professor Phillip Mizen, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor Researcher Development, said:
“Diana’s success is a testament to her dedication, innovative research, and exceptional communication skills. Aston University takes immense pride in nurturing talented doctoral researchers like Diana, who strive to tackle critical challenges within society and the NHS.” .