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Congratulations to SFU's 3MT Runner-Up, Joshua Yu!

We’re thrilled to celebrate Joshua Yu's outstanding achievement in this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at SFU! With just three minutes and a single presentation slide, Joshua dominated this year's competition by transforming complex research into an engaging and accessible presentation.

Explaining intricate research topics to colleagues and fellow students in the department has never been a challenge for Joshua but engaging with friends and family about his research proved trickier. “My rambling just didn’t engage them,” Joshua shared. “I wanted a ‘pitch in a pocket’—something short, pointed, and memorable. The 3MT competition gave me the motivation I needed to step back and understand what people really want to hear.”

The Three Minute Thesis competition tasks graduate students with the challenge to condense years of research into just three minutes and one slide whilst providing an opporunitiy to sharpen their communication skills for a broad audience. Joshua felt that mastering his delivery was key to doing well in the competition: “You can’t say everything, but small details like tone, pauses, and body language can convey so much and keep the audience engaged.”

The result after many hours of hard work in perfecting his presentation? A remarkable reception. Audience members were impressed by not only Joshua's presentation, but also by SFU’s cutting-edge research. “Many were surprised to learn the Chemistry department has a nuclear science laboratory,” Joshua said. “It was a great opportunity to raise public awareness about the kind of research happening here.”

The experience has Josh offering some practical advice for future competitors from Chemistry: “When it’s time to memorize your script, practice every day. I made it part of my routine on the drive to SFU. And seek feedback from someone unfamiliar with your work — that’s where you’ll get the most honest insight.”

Congratulations again to Joshua on this outstanding achievement — and for helping place a spotlight on the world-class research happening at SFU! We are proud to have him part of our department.