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Making complex science accessible is essential for researchers, which is why exceptional science communication took center stage at the 2023 Doherty "Explain Your Research in 3 Minutes” competition last month. Once again, graduate researchers from the Doherty Institute were challenged to convey the significance of their research in compelling three-minute orations, using language easily understood by a non-specialist audience. 

A significant event of the Institute’s PhD program calendar, the competition is also an opportunity for participants to hone their communication skills with a training program led by Dr Catriona Vi Nguyễn-Robertson, an immunologist and passionate science communicator who completed her PhD at the Doherty Institute.  

In this year's competition, PhD candidates from various teams and departments brilliantly distilled the essence of their theses into engaging and impactful presentations, leaving the judges with the challenging task of selecting only one winner.  

The first prize was awarded to Jacqueline (Jacq) Prestedge, a Graduate Researcher at the University of Melbourne’s Department of Infectious Diseases. Her winning presentation ‘Beyond the lab: increasing access with point-of-care diagnostics’ captivated the audience, who voted for her en masse in the People’s Choice Award.  

Coming second, Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Harry Stannard, a Medical Scientist at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Doherty Institute, shared a poignant presentation on influenza antiviral titled ‘Searching for new ways to treat influenza’.  

University of Melbourne Rory Shepherd, a Graduate Researcher in the Lewin Lab at the Doherty Institute, took home the third prize with a compelling presentation of his thesis titled ‘Burning it down: a cure for HIV’. 

In fourth position was University of Melbourne Carissa Aurelia, a Graduate Researcher in the Chung Lab at the Doherty Institute, who used the most delicious analogy in her presentation ‘The Perfect Slice of Protection’. 

Congratulations to the winner, runners up, and all the graduate researchers who accepted the challenge, developed their communication skills and stood in front of an audience to share their research in just 180 seconds. The applause in the room was a testament to their talents and to the impact of concise research communication. 

Based on a concept developed by The University of Queensland, the competition was organised by University of Melbourne’s Andrew Howes, Education and Training Coordinator at the Doherty Institute.