Research and Innovation

Miami University’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition winners for 2025-2026

Meet the winners at the Graduate Research Forum Nov. 7

by Susan Meikle, University Communications and Marketing • Published 10/21/25 • Last updated 2/20/26 15:17:3

Left to right: Onisha Thapa, Anastasiia Evstifeeva, and Dustyn Weber won the top three spots in Miami's 2025-2026 Three Minute Thesis competition.

Research and Innovation

Miami University’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition winners for 2025-2026

Meet the winners at the Graduate Research Forum Nov. 7

by Susan Meikle, University Communications and Marketing • Published 10/21/25 • Last updated 2/20/26 15:17:3

Ten finalists competed in the Miami University Graduate School Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition held Oct. 18.

Finalists were selected from among graduate students who participated earlier this month in the research communication competition.

The 3MT, held at more than 900 universities worldwide, challenges participants to present their research in just 180 seconds in an engaging format that can be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the research area.

Winners

First place ($1,200 prize): Onisha Thapa, second-year doctoral student in Chemistry, with advisor Gary Lorigan, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, for her presentation “Study of Structural Dynamics and Topology of the TatE Peptide in a Lipid Bilayer.” Thapa, an international student from Nepal, conducts research on membrane proteins and their structural topology, using various biophysical techniques to understand protein-membrane interactions and conformational dynamics. She will compete in the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Three Minute Thesis competition in Kansas City, March 2026.

Thapa also won the People's Choice award ($500 prize).

Second place ($950 prize): Dustyn Weber, MS ’23; second-year doctoral student in Chemistry, with advisor: Cory Rusinek, assistant professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, for Detection and Quantification of Manganese in Pretreated Samples by Electrochemistry.

Third place ($600 prize): Anastasiia Evstifeeva, fifth-year doctoral student in Chemistry, with advisor Rick Page, associate vice president for research and innovation and professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, for her presentation “Understanding How NDM Enzymes Defeat Antibiotics.”

Miami's 3MT competition is sponsored by the Graduate School and in memory of Gerald Sanders, professor emeritus of Communications and chair of the department of Communications, 1981-1992.