Following success at the University of Westminster’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition, held as part of the 2026 Graduate School Festival, doctoral researcher Akma Nazar has made it through to the national UK 3MT® competition final.
Founded by the University of Queensland in Australia, 3MT® is an academic research communication competition that offers doctoral researchers an opportunity to communicate the significance of their research to audiences beyond their field and colleagues in just three minutes, using only one slide and no notes.
Westminster’s internal competition featured eight presentations from doctoral researchers across the University, with Akma Nazar from the School of Architecture + Cities, being named the Judges’ Winner for her presentation titled Counterdrawing the Home: Design, Dispossession and the Kerala Housewife.
Akma is based in the Architectural Humanities Research Group and funded by a University Architecture and Cities Research Studentship. Her doctoral research explores the manifestation of gender in Mappila Muslim homes, and she works with critical feminist research methodologies, including oral history research and feminine writing.
Having achieved this success, Akma was then entered into the UK 3MT® competition, which since 2014 has been hosted by Vitae, and brings together all the finalists from Vitae member Higher Education Institutions throughout the UK. Akma advanced through both the quarter and semi-finals to become one of six finalists in this year’s national competition which will take place in the Autumn.
On her experience of taking part in 3MT®, Akma said: “Winning the Judges' Choice Award at the Graduate School’s 3MT® competition was itself an unexpected honour for which I'm truly grateful; the conversations that followed were more precious still. Hearing how my research resonated with others was a powerful reminder of its value, rekindling my curiosity and commitment to my work. Now advancing as one of the six finalists at the national level feels so exciting and a bit surreal. I'm so grateful to everyone in the Graduate School, my coaches and peers for all the support and guidance. This has been such a joyful ride of so much growth and learning and helped to reinforce faith in myself.”
Each of Westminster’s 3MT® participants are supported by Dr Sylvia Shaw from the School of Humanities as well as Dr Bradley Elliott and Professor Lewis Dartnell from the School of Life Sciences.
Responding to the news of Akma’s advancement to the final, Dr Shaw said: “Congratulations to Akma for reaching the 3MT® Vitae final! All the hard work and dedication have paid off. This is a wonderful, thought-provoking presentation about a research project that will make a difference to people’s lives. We are very proud of you, Akma!”
Dr Aleksandra Psarrou, Assistant Head of the Graduate School, added: “We are delighted to see Akma reach the final of the 3MT® competition. This achievement is a testament not only to the excellence of Akma’s research but also to her ability to communicate complex ideas in a clear, engaging and accessible way. We are incredibly proud of what Akma has accomplished and wish her every success in the final.”
The final will take place on 1 October.
The competition directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about the Graduate School Festival at the University of Westminster.
3MT Judges Winner Akma Nazar
Akma in action
The coaches Dr Bradley Elliott, Dr Sylvia Shaw and Professor Lewis Dartnell
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