• A medical science PhD research thesis has won the finals of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)© competition held at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie in August

A science PhD candidate exploring protein gene therapy to suppress cancer tumours won the recent Charles Sturt University finals of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)© competition held at the University in Port Macquarie.

Ms Sarah Esmaeili (pictured left), a PhD student in the Charles Sturt School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Health, won the 3MT finals for her presentation ‘p53: A Target for Cancer Gene Therapy’.

The 3MT competition challenges university PhD students to present their research in just three minutes with a balance of technical depth and public accessibility while using only one projected PowerPoint graphic.

Winning the Charles Sturt 3MT finals means Ms Esmaeili will represent the University in the Asia-Pacific 3MT finals to be held online.

“Winning the Charles Sturt University 3MT competition is an incredible honour,” Ms Esmaeili said. “I’m thrilled to represent our University at the Asia-Pacific 3MT finals.

“I’m deeply passionate about my research and grateful for the opportunity to share it on a larger stage.”

Ms Esmaeili’s research thesis explores the ‘p53’ protein family, which includes p53, p63, and p73, which plays a pivotal role as transcription factors involved in regulating various cellular processes, particularly tumour suppression.

“My research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the nuclear - as in cell nucleus - import mechanisms of the p53 protein family, which could potentially pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting nuclear import,” she said.

The ‘People’s Choice’ and runner-up was Ms Kate Margetson (pictured left) in the Charles Sturt School of Education in the Faculty of Arts and Education with her thesis ‘Moving beyond monolingual practices with multilingual children’.

Director of External Engagement (Port Macquarie) Ms Kate Wood-Foye congratulated the seven Charles Sturt PhD students who competed in the 3MT finals, which were held for the first time at the Port Macquarie campus.

“Each candidate compressed and shared their impressive 80,000-word thesis into a single slide and 180 seconds of commentary, condensing hours of passionate research and discovery into a bite-size piece of brilliance,” Ms Wood-Foye said.

“Bravo to each and every one of the candidates for their poise and courage, and a big ‘thank you’ to the Charles Sturt 3MT finals panel of expert judges Professor Sarah O’Shea (Charles Sturt Dean of Graduate Research), Mr Stewart Dowrick (Chief Executive of Mid North Coast Local Health District) and Mr Scott Castle, Conservation Manager with Koala Conservation Australia.”

The diverse presentations were followed by a panel discussion by researchers at the University in Port Macquarie - Dr Ian Skinner, Associate Professor Pauletta Irwin and Dr Arash Mahboubi – who shared their research passions and the impact in local communities.

Manager of Graduate Research in the Charles Sturt Office of Research Services and Graduate Studies and organiser of the Charles Sturt 3MT Mr Paul Shaw said feedback from Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidates who have been involved in the 3MT competition is very positive.

“The feedback consistently shows that all the PhD 3MT competitors have gained a great insight and understanding of their research and enhanced their ability to explain their research to peers and a wider audience,” Mr Shaw said.