My thesis in 180 seconds

MT180 is a competition open to doctoral students. The challenge is for students to present their research topics in simple terms in front of a diverse, non-expert audience.

Each participant must make a clear, concise and convincing presentation of his or her research project in three minutes with a single slide.

More than just a competition, it is also an opportunity for the junior researchers to learn how to communicate and popularise their passion for research.

Inspired by the concept of the Three minute thesis, which originated at the University of Queensland in Australia, the competition was started for the first time in French in 2012 in Quebec by Acfas (Association francophone pour le savoir).

The challenge was launched in France in 2014 by France Universités and the CNRS. Since its arrival in France, University of Bordeaux doctoral students have taken part every year. In 2022, the university participated in its 9^th competition.

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• The final round at the University of Bordeaux with 16 doctoral students leads to the selection of four winners: three are picked by a jury made up of representatives from the world of research, the media or scientific culture, and one winner is chosen by the public. A University of Bordeaux semi-final can be organised if there are more than twenty participants in the competition.
• The regional final brings together the winners from the university clusters, and only two winners are selected from each cluster. The University of Bordeaux belongs to the cluster that also includes the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour, Bordeaux Montaigne University and La Rochelle University

• A nationwide semi-final is then organised over 2.5 days to select 16 candidates who will participate in the national final.
• The national final determines the doctoral student representing France during the last stage.
• The international final is organised in the autumn and brings together the winners from the different French-speaking countries participating in the competition. It is an opportunity for the participants to face other audiences, in other places, to meet other researchers and to confront the universality of research.