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These are the winners of the second edition of VU's 3MT competition

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16 April 2026

In 2026, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam hosted the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for the second time, culminating in the finals on Thursday, April 9. Ten finalists were allowed to present their research in 3 minutes. Two finalists won prizes with their presentations.

There were three prizes to be won in Theatre 1 of the NU building. The first and second-placed entries received prizes based on the scores awarded by the jury, comprising Frederike Schmitz (Programme Leader for Citizen Science & Societal Engagement, Open Science NL), Päivi Reckman (Board Member of the VU Association), and Davide Ianuzzi (VU Chief Impact Officer and Vice Dean for Research, Faculty of Science, VU). There was also an audience award to be won. Master of Ceremonies Wouter Buursma did a wonderful job of hosting the evening. Last year’s winner, Karlijn Kooijman, was also present and shared her experiences with the audience whilst the votes were being counted.

Two winners, three prizes
First prize went to Julia Beets, whose presentation “Small changes, Big consequences: Building life one brick at a time” won her no fewer than two prizes: both first prize and the audience award.

Second prize went to Eva J.E. de Bock, for “Monthly torture: uncovering adenomyosis using microbubbles”.

The finalists were (in order of presentation):

  • Gustė Stasevičiūtė, Department of Language, Literature and Communication (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities; and Meertens Institute): “Best Friends with Cows: Exploring Human-Animal Relationships in Industrial Farming.” 
  • Lisette Dirksen, Department of Criminology (Faculty of Law): “Risky or at risk?” 
  • Laurence Cleenewerk, Department of Molecular Microbiology at Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE, Faculty of Sciences): “A better way to find new antibiotics.”
  • Joyce Burger, Department of Human Movement Sciences (Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences): “Finding the Sweet Spot: How Task Difficulty Impacts Students’ Motivation During Physical Education.” 
  • Francesco Persico, Department of Educational and Family Studies (Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences): “The First Bonds That Shape Us.” 
  • Eva J.E. de Bock, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute (Amsterdam UMC): “Monthly torture: uncovering adenomyosis using microbubbles.”
  • Timo van den Bogaard, Department of Human Movement Sciences (Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences): “Too fatigued to handle the heat?” 
  • Sahar Fazli, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery (Amsterdam UMC): “Sleep Your Way to a Straighter Spine.”
  • Niels Meijns, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences (Amsterdam UMC): “The evolution of myelin damage in Multiple Sclerosis.” 
  • Julia Beets, Section Ecology & Evolution at Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (ALIFE, Faculty of Science): “Small changes, Big consequences: Building life one brick at a time.” 

With many thanks to the organizers of this amazing event: Andrés Vidal-Itriago en Marc Lamain.

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