The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. 3MT cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes. Graduate students from diverse disciplines will compete to convey their complex research to a general audience in a clear, engaging, and accessible manner. The 3MT competition aims to enhance the profile of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) both within universities and the wider community.

Why attend?

• Gain insights into groundbreaking research
• Support our talented graduate students
• Witness the next generation of innovators
• Network with fellow academics and professionals

NU 3MT 2025 Competition Timeline

The NU 3MT 2025 Competition is now open to ALL eligible PhD students.

• Till September 1: School-level 3MT competitions
• September 10: NU Wildcard Competition
• September 17: NU 3MT Competition Final

NU 3MT Final Prizes

• First Prize: TBA
• Runner-Up: TBA
• People’s Choice: TBA

Contact the NU 3MT coordinator

If you should have questions or concerns regarding the NU 3MT Competition, please email us at 3mt@nu.edu.kz.

For more information please visit NU website.

About the Speakers

Dr. Mariza Tsakalerou is an Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences and the Director of Engineering Management Program.

Dr. Tsakalerou is a researcher in the fields of Innovation Management, Innovation Performance, SME Management, Industry 4.0, Multi-Criteria Decision Making, Gender Gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Education, and also AI capabilities and impact on creativity. She has successfully led two major research grants as PI and is currently completing her third. Her teaching portfolio includes but is not limited to management decision systems, innovation management, and new product and service development courses.

Dr. Tsakalerou has authored many peer-reviewed international journal and conference papers, along with a diverse set of essays in her fields. Her research has been published in highly ranked venues such as Q1 journals including IEEE Transactions of Education, International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, and Scientific Reports. She is also a reviewer in international journals such as Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital and Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management.

Dr. Saltanat Akhmadi is an Instructor at Nazarbayev University at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences. Her research interests include statistical analysis, optimization techniques and econometrics for technology management, operations and supply chain management.

Her research has currently been published in the Q1 and Q2 journals (e.g., International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship and International Journal of Innovation Science) and was presented at several conferences.

• What is Generative AI?
• How it is different from the traditional AI?
• What are the potential benefits and concerns regarding the use of Generative AI?
• In-depth analysis of Scopus Generative AI
• Are the content generated by AI reliable?
• Am I allowed to use Generative AI?
• Should I list Generative AI as an author?
• What about the copyright issues?
• What is meant by the term “AI assisted copy editing”?
• Comparative analysis of Generative AI Policies in Scientific Publishing
• An example of declaration statement

About the Speaker

Dr. Shazim Ali Memon, has more than 17 years of experience and has published more than 130 SCI journal papers (80% published in the Q1 category journals) on various topics, including the development and application of PCMs in buildings. Dr. Memon’s name has been included among the top 2% of the world’s most impactful scientists, according to a bibliometric study conducted by researchers from Stanford University. He is ranked number 1 in Kazakhstan in terms of number of publications, h-index, and citations in several categories enlisted in All Science Journal Classification and Quacquarelli Symonds Classification. As of today, his Google Scholar indices are (Citation 10098 and h-index 53), and his Scopus citation indices are (Citation 7 842 and h-index 50).

Currently, he is serving as an Associate Editor of Advances in Civil Engineering, Frontiers in Materials, Process and Energy Systems Engineering, Frontiers in Built Environment, Frontiers in Energy Research, Academic Editor of Advances in Materials and Engineering and Journal of Energy, and Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports, Buildings, and International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials.

About the Speakers

Aida Nuranova is a Professional Learning and Development Expert at the Center for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at Nazarbayev University, with over five years of experience in higher education. She leads and supports a range of professional development initiatives aimed at enhancing teaching excellence and pedagogical innovation within the university community. Her core interests lie in learning and teaching, pedagogy, and the integration of artificial intelligence in educational contexts.

Aida has actively contributed to international collaborations and global education forums. She participated in the Asia-Europe Foundation’s educational program in Shanghai, and has been part of a consortium led by the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Qatar and the Institute of International Education (IIE) in the United States.

Her recent research, supported by a grant from the Central Asian Research Center for Educational Innovation and Transformation (CARCEIT) at the Graduate School of Education, explores the impact of neoliberal policies on higher education institutions. She presented findings from this study at an international conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, with a talk titled Changing Academic Profession in Kazakhstan: Examining Faculty’s Research Performativity and Accountability in the Post-Socialist Context of Higher Education.

Aiza Bissaliyeva is the Online Learning Multimedia Manager at Nazarbayev University’s Center for Innovation in Learning and Teaching. She oversees the operations of the Innovative Learning Studio, leading the design, production, and management of multimedia resources that support online, blended, and face-to-face learning. She collaborates closely with faculty to support the effective use of educational technologies and facilitates workshops and seminars on AI integration in teaching.

Aiza co-led the research project titled “Outsourcing your Brain”, Principled Resistance or Enthusiastic Adoption: The Diversity of Faculty Perspectives on the Adoption and Impact of AI at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan. This project, conducted under the WISE Consortium and funded by the Qatar Foundation in partnership with the Institute of International Education (IIE), explored faculty attitudes toward AI in higher education.

Aiza is also an alumna of NU’s Graduate School of Education, where her master’s thesis focused on faculty perspectives on Edtech and AI integration, reinforcing her commitment to the ethical and innovative use of emerging technologies in academic practice.