Explaining complex science in just three minutes is no small feat, but that’s exactly what the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition challenges researchers to do. This annual KU Leuven event invites PhD candidates to distill their research into a short, accessible pitch. Out of all applications, 15 candidates were selected to take the stage in front of a top-class jury of academia.
This year, several VIB researchers rose to the challenge and impressed the judges with their creativity and clarity.
Aarushi Caro from the Laoui Lab at the VIB VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research took the top prize with her pitch, “Treating ovarian cancer with our own cells!” Aarushi’s research focuses on understanding the role of dendritic cells in ovarian cancer and exploring their potential as a personalized tumor vaccine. Her victory means she will represent KU Leuven at the Coimbra Group 3 Minute Thesis and Universitas21 3 Minute Thesis international competitions in 2025.
Congratulations Aarushi! We’ll be rooting for you when you take the international stage!
The Audience Award went to Lidiia Rumiantseva from the Ghesquière Lab at the VIB-KU Leuven VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology. Lidiia talked about the metabolic labyrinth and how isotopomers give us insights into nutrients’ metabolic paths.
Congratulations for winning over the audience, Lidiia!
Also representing VIB was Nóra Baligács from the De Strooper Lab at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, who presented her work on human microglia transplantation to study the genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
