Texas A&M 2025 Three Minute Thesis Final Set

Graduate students to compete for research presentation supremacy before a live audience

COLLEGE STATION, October 31, 2025 — The Graduate and Professional School at Texas A&M University is proud to host the 13th Annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Final on Friday, November 14, from 6 - 8 p.m., at Rudder Forum. This signature event challenges graduate students to distill their research into a compelling three-minute presentation for a general audience.

After a competitive preliminary round held on October 23 and 24, seven doctoral students and three master’s students have advanced to the final. These finalists will compete for $4,000 in prize money across both divisions, and the overall winner will go on to represent Texas A&M at the regional 3MT competition in February 2026, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Originating at the University of Queensland in 2008, the 3MT® format has become a global platform for graduate students to sharpen their communication skills and share the impact of their research. Texas A&M adopted the format in 2013, and the event has grown into a campus-wide celebration of graduate scholarship.

This year’s final will be hosted by Dr. Adam Seipp, professor of history and associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. The judging panel includes:

• Karla Castillo, Morning Anchor and Executive Producer, KBTX
• Zahra Ghiasi, PhD student in Chemical Engineering and Winner of the 2024 Texas A&M University 3MT Competition
• Kristen Gunn, Assistant Vice President for Creative and Storytelling, Texas A&M Marketing and Communications
• Julie Kopycinski, Chief Government Relations Officer at Texas A&M
• Dr. David Staack, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research at the Texas A&M University System and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
• Patrick Williams, Vice President for Development, Texas A&M Foundation

The winning student’s department will claim the 3MT Cup, currently held by the Department of Chemical Engineering, thanks to Zahra Ghiasi’s victory in 2024.

The event is free and open to the public, and all members of the campus and local community are encouraged to attend and support these outstanding graduate scholars as they showcase their skills as presenters and offer a glimpse into the future of research.

This year's finalists:

Master’s Division

Abigail Dwelle, Rangeland Wildlife & Fish Management
"From Helicopters to Habitat: Mapping Javelina Across Southern Texas"
Faculty Chair: Steven Webb

Prajina Neupane, Soil and Crop Sciences
"Mitigating Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions through Chicken Manure Incorporation and Biochar Co-Application in Soil"
Faculty Chairs: Anil Somenahally and Terry Gentry

Valentina Torres Nieto, Mechanical Engineering
"Designing Composite Materials for a Sustainable Future"
Faculty Chair: Marcia Cooper 

Doctoral Division

Paria Dehghanian, Dentistry
"When Tendons Become Bone: Building the Joint That Lets Us Smile"
Faculty Chairs: Yan Jing and L. Bruno Ruest

Sasha George, Materials Science and Engineering
"Bacteria for Infrastructure: Destroyers to Defenders"
Faculty Chair: Homero Castaneda

Tanay Kumar, Aerospace Engineering
"Modular Robotics: Bridging Science Fiction to Reality"
Faculty Chair: Raktim Bhattacharya

Thalma Orado, Biomedical Engineering
"Green Means Go! A Color-Changing Smart Material for Chronic Wound Dressing"
Faculty Chair: Mary Beth Monroe

Lea Poellmann, Small Animal Clinical Sciences
"Prevalence of Heterobilharzia americana in crowd-sourced fecal samples from dogs in the southwestern United States: a cross-sectional study"
Faculty Chair: Kathleen Aicher

Pepito Thelly, Mechanical Engineering
"Bio-Inspired Makerspace Networks"
Faculty Chair: Astrid Layton

Tessa Williams, Veterinary Pathobiology
"Nutritional Strategies for Treating UTIs"
Faculty Chair: Sarguru Subash

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