July 9, 2026
Leukaemia survivor's brain cancer research wins UOW Three Minute Thesis Final
Winning presentation explores whether fasting could improve brain cancer treatment as researcher prepares to represent UOW internationally
A University of Wollongong (UOW) PhD candidate researching whether fasting can improve brain cancer treatment has won the University's 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Final, drawing on his own experience surviving leukaemia as a teenager to win over the judging panel.
Kiarn Roughley, from UOW's School of Mathematics and Physics, was announced winner of the final held on the Wollongong campus on 8 July. He competed against six other PhD candidates who each had just three minutes and a single static slide to explain years of doctoral research to a non-specialist audience. Kiarn will now go on to represent UOW at the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition later this year.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Max Lu AO, one of the judges on the day, said the competition captured the heart of why universities do research in the first place.
"Research changes society and transforms lives, but only if it can be communicated clearly beyond academic circles," Professor Lu said.
"3MT challenges researchers to explain not just what they study, but why it matters - and in doing so, to win over future collaborators, partners and supporters."
Judges selected Kiarn's presentation, May the Fast Be With You: Can Fasting Conditions Enhance Brain Cancer Therapy?, for its compelling storytelling and strong personal connection to cancer research. After surviving leukaemia as a teenager, Kiarn chose to pursue cancer research in the hope of improving treatment for future patients. His PhD is focused on patient-centred approaches and explores whether fasting conditions could be used to improve brain cancer treatments.
Runner-up was Jessie Sheridan-Moules, from the School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, whose presentation, Brain Tissue: The Missing Puzzle Piece of Psychiatry, explored the molecular mechanisms underlying schizophrenia using donated human brain tissue.
The People's Choice Award, voted on by the audience, went to Sanchita Dewanjee, from the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM), for her presentation, Battling the Australian Sun: Smarter Protection Against Skin Cancer, on advanced nanomaterials for sunscreen and biomedical applications.
Developed by the University of Queensland, 3MT is a globally recognised competition that challenges PhD candidates to present their research to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes using a single static slide. More than 900 institutions across over 85 countries now participate, showcasing the breadth and impact of doctoral research.
