Ten doctoral students will compete in the Three-Minute Thesis grand finale at 6 p.m. April 7 in the Mountainlair Ballrooms as faculty and staff judges assess finalists on comprehension, engagement and communication to determine first, second and third place winners.
The WVU community is invited to attend the competition and vote for the People’s Choice Award.
The internationally renowned 3MT competition, originally founded by the University of Queensland in Australia, challenges doctoral students to present their research and its significance in three minutes using a single PowerPoint slide.
Competitors develop academic, presentation and research communication skills while gaining experience pitching their research succinctly to a non-specialist audience.
The 2026 finalists are as follows:
Olivia Harvey, a psychology major in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Chelsea Bihlmeyer, a communication studies major in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Dionysios Patriarcheas, a biology major in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Wycliffe Tugume, a mining engineering major in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Ezekiel Irewole, a neuroscience major in the School of Medicine.
Sneha Haridas, a plant and soil sciences (entomology) major in the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Kalyani Bhopi, an electrical engineering major in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Timothy Faerber, a physics and astronomy major in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Daniel Duque Urrego, a biomedical engineering major in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Khrystyna Pelchar, a political science major in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Grand finale prizes include $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place, $500 for third place and $250 for the People’s Choice Award.
For questions, contact graded@mail.wvu.edu.