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3MT crowns its 2025 PhD national competition winner

28 October 2025 | Story Andile Mbowana | Photo Supplied

PhD candidates at the 2025 National 3MT Competition, hosted at the University of the Free State.

The University of the Free State Centre for Graduate Support (CGS) hosted the 2025 National Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on 24 October in the Albert Wessels Auditorium, bringing together some of South Africa’s brightest PhD minds under one roof. The annual event, which has become a highlight on the national academic calendar, challenges doctoral candidates from universities across the country to present their complex research in just three minutes, using language accessible to a non-specialist audience.

This year’s competition drew impressive presentations from top scholars representing various disciplines – from health sciences and agriculture to humanities – all showcasing the depth and diversity of South Africa’s research landscape.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation at the UFS, reflected on The Essence of Postgraduate Studies and Success in South Africa. He emphasised that postgraduate research plays a critical role in shaping innovation and addressing the country’s most pressing challenges. “As postgraduates, you represent a powerful tool of transformation, equity, and innovation, and every thesis is a story of resilience and a long journey of research,” he said. Prof Reddy also talked about how “competitions like the 3MT not only celebrate research excellence but also teach scholars how to communicate their ideas to inspire real-world impact,” praising the competition for opening opportunities for postgraduate scholars.

The University of the Free State was represented by two candidates, Rentia du Plessis from the Faculty of The Humanities, who presented her 3MT title, Exploring Instructional Communication Strategic for Holistic Student Development, and Naquita Fernandes from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, with her 3MT title, Triggering Online Review Generation Behaviour.

Other universities, such as the Nelson Mandela University, Unisa, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Johannesburg, and the University of Pretoria, were also present.

After a series of captivating presentations, Robinah Nakawunde from Stellenbosch University claimed the top prize. Representing the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, her presentation titled, Cured but Not Healed: Uncovering the Lung’s Struggles after TB, captured the attention of both the judges and the audience. Her research sheds light on how pulmonary tuberculosis continues to affect lung function even after successful treatment, highlighting the need for improved post-TB health-care interventions.

The first runner-up position went to Aaron Harvey from the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, whose research explores how avocado plants fight root rot disease using RNA interference mechanisms. His presentation, titled How Avocado Cells Fight Against the Root Rot Disease Caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi, Using RNAi Gatekeepers, impressed the judges with its clarity and scientific depth.

Morgan Lee from the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Humanities took home the second runner-up prize. Her presentation, Locked In: The Hidden Barriers to Sustainable Agriculture, tackled the challenges facing South Africa’s commercial grain sector in transitioning towards more sustainable practices, offering insights that bridge environmental and social considerations.

The 2025 3MT National Competition once again demonstrated the power of concise, impactful communication in research. As the curtain closed, it was evident that South Africa’s future of research and innovation remains in capable hands, ones that can not only investigate deeply, but also explain passionately

News Archive

Minister Jeff Radebe commends UFS for measures taken to address racial prejudices

2013-10-21

18 October 2013

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Minister Jeff Radebe lecture: YouTube video

Mr Jeff Radebe, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, last night delivered a lecture in the Prestige series of the Dean: Faculty of Law, at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).

In a packed hall with, among others, university students, staff and members of the judicial system, Minister Radebe said that many other academic institutions should look to the UFS when they deal with the challenges of racism in its various manifestations in their midst. “I commend the university for taking drastic measures to address the challenges of racial prejudices in its own backyard,” he said.

“Government can and must provide leadership, but it is the collective efforts of all our people that will ensure that we bridge the racial and historical divides that stand in contrast to our noble virtues as entailed in the Constitution,” the Minister said.

On the topic “Access to Justice” the Minister said that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has channelled more than 80% of its nearly R16 billion budget to the Access to Justice programme.

Minister Radebe talked about the reintroduction of the Sexual Offences Courts, which attests to the unrelenting resolve to eliminate the scourge of gender-based violence. “Fifty-seven of the department’s Regional Courts are being upgraded to operate as dedicated Sexual Offences courts during the 2013/2014 financial year. We believe that these sexual offences courts will help address the growing challenge of sexual offences in the country, particularly against vulnerable groups.”

The Minister also pleaded with law teachers to avail themselves to preside in the courts in our country to complement the decreasing number of presiding officers that are drawn from the attorneys’ and advocates’ profession. These services are normally rendered by the Commissioners pro bono as part of an endeavour to bring justice to all the people, including the poor.

A challenge that the UFS could help resolve,is the transformation of the legal profession. “We need to increase the number of Law students and in turn increase the number of attorneys and advocates in the pool from which we derive candidate judges,” Mr Radebe said.

The Legal Practice Bill and the transformation of the State Legal Service are the most important initiatives underway by which the Institutions of Higher Learning will make a contribution. “The Bill seeks to establish a single regulatory structure, which will be responsible for setting the norms and standards for all legal practitioners. Members of the public, as primary beneficiaries of the legal profession, will also be represented in this structure. Other important objectives of the Bill are the removal of barriers of entry to the profession for young law graduates who aspire to pursue a legal career, and the introduction of measures aimed at ensuring that fees chargeable for legal services are reasonable and within reach of ordinary citizens,” he said.

The Minister concluded: “Our courts must reflect both the race and gender demographics of our country and so must the university communities in their various capacities as a microcosm of the society we seek to build.”

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