Celebrating Research Excellence: Caitlín Campbell Wins Ulster’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition

Ulster University is delighted to announce Caitlín Campbell, PhD researcher from the Centre for Optometry and Vision and School of Biomedical Sciences, as the winner of the 2025 Ulster Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition.

Hosted annually by the Doctoral College, the 3MT challenges PhD researchers to communicate their research and its impact in just three minutes, using non-specialist language. This year’s final, now in its eighth year, brought together eight exceptional candidates, each demonstrating not only the depth of their research but also the clarity and confidence to communicate complex ideas to a broad audience.

Caitlín’s winning presentation focused on the world’s leading cause of permanent blindness—glaucoma—and its under-diagnosis in people with myopia (short-sightedness). Her research explores a new vision test designed to detect glaucoma earlier and more accurately in this group, with the potential to transform diagnosis and save sight.

The judging panel praised Caitlín for her engaging delivery, clarity of message, and the clear societal relevance of her research. She will now go on to represent Ulster University in the UK-wide 3MT semi-final later this year.

Congratulations to Our Runners-Up

We are also proud to recognise our two runners-up for their excellent presentations and compelling research:

Niamh Magee (School of Biomedical Sciences) is working to improve the diet-related quality of life for people living with a stoma. Her research is helping to develop clear, evidence-based dietary advice aimed at reducing malnutrition, dehydration and hospital readmissions—issues that significantly affect this patient group.

Berienis Muki (School of Biomedical Sciences) is addressing the challenge of low fish consumption in children by using creative, interactive workshops in schools. Her work draws on insights from children, parents and educators to promote healthier eating habits and improve long-term nutrition.

2025 3MT Finalists – Spotlight on Research Impact

This year’s competition highlighted the diverse, impactful work taking place across our PhD community. We are proud to celebrate all the finalists:

• Sabrina Demirdjian (School of Biomedical Sciences)
  Investigating the impact of obesity on iron levels during pregnancy to support better maternal and infant health outcomes.
• Nevena Klobučar (School of Communication and Media)
  Exploring how children learn to use pronouns across languages, offering insights into language development and education.
• Rabinder Kumar (School of Architecture and Built Environment)
  Examining how buildings respond to ‘travelling fires’ to improve fire safety design standards.
• Niamh Magee (School of Biomedical Sciences)
  Supporting people living with a stoma by developing evidence-based dietary advice to reduce malnutrition and hospital readmissions.
• Lauren Mullan (School of Nursing and Health)
  Raising awareness of head and neck lymphoedema after cancer treatment and promoting effective self-management strategies.
• Berienis Muki (School of Biomedical Sciences)
  Tackling low fish consumption in children through interactive educational workshops focused on nutrition and food skills.
• Samantha Royston-Woods (School of Psychology)
  Investigating how children in Northern Ireland understand their wellbeing to better inform school-based policies and interventions.

A Showcase of Communication and Engagement

Lisa Thompson from the Doctoral College has been leading the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition since 2018 at Ulster:

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition is the highlight of the PhD calendar for me. It is so much more than a competition—it’s a transformative skills development journey. What the audience sees on stage is the polished tip of the iceberg, but behind every compelling 3MT presentation lies hours of refining, rehearsing, and distilling complex ideas into clear, engaging stories. The process challenges participants to hone their communication, creativity, and confidence, making 3MT an invaluable experience for any PhD researcher. We wish Caitlin all the very best in the UK quarter finals.

3MT winner and runners up