Finalists of the 2024 3MT^® Université Paris-Saclay Competition
 

David Boulesteix
Graduate School: Geosciences, Climate, Environment, and Planets
3MT® Title: "Discovery of a Titan bigger than ever imagined!"
 
I'm a globetrotter who loves to be immersed in new cultures and environments. I swim like a fish and scuba dive to explore underwater worlds. I also enjoy exploring pristine environments with others and working with colleagues in planning the exploration of extraterrestrial worlds. Alongside all these interests, I thoroughly enjoy popularizing science.
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
I want to give a sense of what the brand-new disciplines of Astrobiology and Astrochemistry are, and maybe by communicating my research with the public, it will inspire young students to dream.

Dina Gnichi
Graduate School: Engineering and Systems Sciences
3MT® Title: "Love, lust, corrosion, and the electrical field."
 
I'm Dina, a chemistry student and creator of the website Chemattraction, an online platform that teaches people the fun side of chemistry. In the field of science, my greatest ambition is to bring creativity to each stage of the research process, to increase the number of possibilities, to let new ideas emerge, and to develop uncommon methods to understand phenomena or solve problems.
 
Most recently, I've been interested in energy fields, a challenging but very important domain. As I am concerned for the future, by being a part of this research field, I hope to be part of a solution for a better tomorrow.
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
I am doing it to promote science in a very unique, fun, and captivating way.

Djihad Amina Djemmah
Graduate School: Engineering and Systems Sciences
3MT® Title: "Turning the ordinary into extraordinary: TiO2 at ultrahigh frequencies"
 
As a young researcher, I'm working on all-dielectric metamaterials for terahertz frequencies, focusing on simulations and some aspects of their fabrication. But I also have interests that go beyond the lab. I have a passion for travel and photography, which I share on my blog and Instagram, and I collect keyrings from across the globe, reflecting my love of diverse cultures.
 
I want to encourage the interaction of scientists with the broader world, and aim to make complex concepts accessible and intriguing to a general audience.
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
I chose to do the 3MT® because it's a great way to practice explaining my research simply and clearly. It's important to share what we do with people who aren't experts in our field. Also, 3MT® lets me meet other researchers and learn from them, which is really exciting and helpful for my work.

Eka Putra Gusti Ngurah Putu
Graduate School: Chemistry
3MT® Title: "Mapping DNA damage."
 
I come from a small island called Bali in Indonesia, and I'm currently in my third year of a PhD program. I have diverse research interests ranging from biochemistry to nanotechnology. Outside of the lab, I enjoy hiking and playing board games. I also like experimenting with different recipes in the kitchen.
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
Growing up as a child, I loved sharing what I learned at school with my parents. Sometimes, the topics I shared with them were rather complex or abstract scientific concepts such as atoms, electrons, DNA, etc. I realized that I needed to simplify these ideas and use analogies that my parents could understand. I found joy in explaining what I was studying and making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or expertise. So, I decided to do 3MT because it gives me the perfect opportunity to share my research.

Eric Aubinais
Graduate School Mathematics
3MT® Title: "Can we trust AI?"
 
Besides loving maths (obviously), I engage in an intense type of workout known as a "street workout" on a daily basis. I'm known to be hyper-focused in anything I do, so after a full day of thinking and working on my thesis, and then working out, cooking is a great outlet! I love to cook and enjoy preparing a variety of dishes, and most recently I've been doing a lot of Japanese meals!
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
Improve my speaking skills and the way I speak about complex subjects.

Fanny Lehmann [Winner 2024]
Graduate School: Engineering and Systems Sciences
3MT® Title: "When the earth quakes, AI responds."
 
I am a mathematician doing my PhD with the Laboratoire de Mécanique Paris Saclay at CentraleSupélec and CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission). I have a broad range of interests related to the environment, and so my research applies artificial intelligence (AI) to better estimate earthquake risk. I am not trying to predict when an earthquake will occur, but instead, evaluating the consequences of different earthquake scenarios in earthquake-prone areas. This is crucial to ensure that infrastructures such as power plants or dams do not break down in case of a strong and unexpected earthquake.
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
I wanted to make my PhD topic understandable and attractive to the general public because it is so frustrating to feel that you lose people when you start talking about the work you love.

Jesus Alfredo Godinez Leon [Runner-Up 2024]
Graduate School: Chemistry
3MT® Title: "Nanoparticles: Tiny heroes against Tuberculosis."
 
I am currently a PhD student in Chemistry at the Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay, where I am delving into the world of nanomedicine. I was awarded the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Scholarship in the SERP+ program and have received the Gabino Barreda medal for obtaining the highest GPA during my undergraduate degree in science at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. I firmly believe in making science accessible to everyone, so I enjoy working in science communication. When I'm not busy looking for a new taco place in Paris, you can find me singing Taylor Swift songs.
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
I think it is always important to bring science to all people and I think this competition does just that. This competition allows us to be able to explain in a simple way what we PhD students do and I think in a way this brings people closer to knowing more about the science that moves the world.

Jomar Sangalang [People's Choice 2024]
Graduate School: Life Sciences and Health
3MT® Title: "Unlocking the genetic puzzle of breast cancer."
 
I’m Jomar, and I’m doing my PhD at Institut Gustave Roussy, where I am analyzing the genetic data of breast cancer patients to discover how they become resistant to anti-cancer treatment and how their cancer metastasize.
 
Previously, I completed my Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Calgary, and my Master of Biomedical Engineering degree at Fachhochschule Aachen. Though I’m from Canada, I have lived in Europe since 2019 and I am loving it so far! I am also an avid foodie, and I blog about my food and travels on Instagram and on my blog at jomamaeats.com

Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
I decided to do the 3MT® because I want to explain my PhD to family, friends and those around me, in a simple yet concise way. It also helped me to explain my work to the general public, who are the main beneficiary of our research.

Maria Aurely Yedmel
Graduate School: Engineering and Systems Sciences
3MT® Title: "Frozen with natural magic!"
 
I'm a PhD student in my 2nd year at the Université Paris-Saclay, and I'm working at the laboratory FRISE of INRAE to figure out how to keep vapour compression systems, like refridgerators and freezers, functioning in the event of a power cut. I did my bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wolverhampton and my master's degree in Energy at Université Paris-Saclay.
 
I come from Côte d'Ivoire, and I have always wanted to contribute to the success of our current energy transition, and to find solutions to climate change. I hope that my thesis will enable me to do just that!
 
Why did you decide to do the 3MT®?
During my master's internship, my supervisor, a PhD student, took part in the French version of the competition. I thought it was a brave and fun way of promoting science and research to the general public, and an unforgettable experience! Ever since then, I've wanted to take part in the competition. I also want the general public to know that research is very active in finding solutions to the problems of the energy transistion, and has been so even long before I started my PhD on the topic. So, I was even more enthusiastic about the idea. I also wanted to challenge myself and give the next generation a taste for research. 

Vincent Cavez
Graduate School Computer Science
3MT® Title: "Structure versus freedom."
 
I am completing a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction, analyzing issues that people encounter when working on tablets, and proposing techniques to solve them in several cases. During my bachelor's degree in Mathematics, I developed an interest for coding projects, which fueled my masters' degree in Applied Mathematics and led me where I am today.
 
Beyond academia, I compose electronic and orchestral music. This passion intertwines with my Ph.D., because I chose to focus on music score writing as one of my use cases. I am eager to work on more projects at the intersection of art and science.

Why did you decide to do the 3MT^®?
I wanted to work on my public speaking skills and at the same time have the chance to inform people about my thesis work.