My Thesis in 180 Seconds (MT180) is inspired by the competition Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) which was first held in 2008 at the University of Queensland, Australia. It gives doctoral students the opportunity to present their research topic in simple terms to a general and diverse audience. In three minutes each participant must deliver a clear, concise and yet compelling explanation of his or her research topic.

The competition gives participants an opportunity to hone their communication skills, while showcasing their research in a public space. The presentations are filmed and those of the finals broadcast on the Internet.

EPFL Competition – English and French

At EPFL around forty doctoral students participate earch year in the competition and selections take place before the EPFL final. These events are open to the public and presentations can be either in French or in English.

Swiss Competition – French only

Participating universities in Switzerland (EPFL, UNIFR, UNIGE, UNIL, UNINE, UZH) organize their own internal competition. Winners from each institution can compete in the national final coordinated by the Conférence universitaire de Suisse occidentale. This swiss final is in French only.

My Thesis in 180 Seconds is organised at EPFL by the Science Outreach Department with support from the Doctoral School and Learning & Development, and in collaboration with Mediacom, the Audiovisual Service and KeepLearning