Essex Psychology PhD student Katie Groves is one of the six finalists in the national Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

Katie qualified for the nationals by winning the University’s Three Minute Thesis competition earlier this year and then one of the online semi-finals. Her research looks at the special areas of the brain dedicated to the visual analysis of the human body and studies the relationship between body image disturbances and what happens in the brain when you see one.

The 3MT competition challenges students to present an engaging summary of their thesis and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

She said: “I was genuinely shocked when I found out that I had been selected as a finalist. I was not expecting it at all!

“I am incredibly grateful for all of the support I have received and I am very excited about participating in the final. Promoting my research in such a way is beyond what I could have imagined when I started my PhD. I only hope that I can do everyone proud, especially my department, supervisors and my participants because without them, I wouldn't have a thesis to talk about.”

Katie will present her research at the final on Monday 12 September at the Midland Hotel in Manchester where she will get the chance to win a £3000 grant to spend on public engagement activity and a £500 cash prize. Using just a single slide, she will have to bring her research to life in a concise and engaging way, before the three-minute bell chimes.

The 3MT competition has become hugely successful since it was created by the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2007 and has extended to higher education institutions around the globe. This is the second year Essex has taken part in the competition.

• Read more about our PhD students who shared their inspiring research at a special event at the Colchester Campus

Katie Groves - Three Minute Thesis Competition from University of Essex on Vimeo.