An IP Paris PhD Candidate Wins Top Honors at the 2026 Inter-University 3MT® Final

26 Jun. 2026

On Thursday, June 25, 2026, Institut Polytechnique de Paris hosted the interuniversity final of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition. Safa Gharbi, a PhD candidate at the Laboratory of Physics of Interfaces and Thin Films (LPICM), won first prize, as well as the People's Choice Award and, new this year, the Middle Schoolers' Award. Linnéa Strandberg, a PhD candidate from Université Paris-Saclay, was awarded second prize.

An IP Paris PhD Candidate Wins Top Honors at the 2026 Inter-University 3MT® Final

The contestants, surrounded by the judges and the organizing team of the 3MT Intercollegiate Finals

A Successful Edition

Seven finalists from IP Paris laboratories, Université Paris-Saclay, Université PSL and HEC Paris took part in the inter-university final of the 3MT competition on Thursday, June 25, 2026. Held at Télécom Paris, before a full audience of non-specialists in the Thévenin amphitheatre, each finalist presented their doctoral research in English in a clear and accessible way.

Following the presentations, the audience and the jury voted for the most compelling performance based on the official competition criteria: scientific clarity, accessibility, presentation skills and accuracy.

New this year, a delegation of students from Les Goussons and Juliette Adam middle schools in Gif-sur-Yvette also presented an award to the candidate they found the most convincing.

Safa Gharbi, an IP Paris PhD candidate at LPICM* at Ecole Polytechnique, received the Jury's First Prize, the People's Choice Award and the Middle Schoolers' Award.
Linnéa Strandberg, a PhD candidate at Université Paris-Saclay within the Plant Sciences: From Gene to Ecosystem doctoral school, was awarded the Jury's Second Prize.

Congratulations to both winners for their outstanding performances!

Congratulations also to the other finalists:

Jakob Maier (Université PSL, École Normale Supérieure), Naija Pison (Université Paris-Saclay, Graduate School of Chemistry), Lisa d'Argenlieu (Université PSL, Université Paris Dauphine), Juan Lorenzo Santana Gonzalez (IP Paris, École polytechnique) and Andrew Funck (HEC Paris, Economics and Decision Sciences).

>> Learn more about the candidates' work

Sharing Knowledge

More than just a competition, the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) contest offers PhD candidates a unique opportunity to develop their communication skills and share their research with a wider audience, as highlighted by the members of the jury:

Jamal Attif, Jury Chair, Vice President for Research and Innovation, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
John Cagnol, Professor at Université Paris-Saclay, CentraleSupélec, Department of Mathematics
Eirini Nikolintaga, Vice Principal, Lycée International de Palaiseau Paris-Saclay
Simon Mauras, Researcher at INRIA, member of the FairPlay team
Jennifer Timani, HEC Paris student and Stan Schwab Scholarship recipient

The 2026 edition of the interuniversity 3MT competition was a great success. Institut Polytechnique de Paris hopes this event will inspire many more PhD candidates to take the stage in future editions and encourage an ever-growing audience to attend.

*LPICM is a joint research unit of the CNRS, École polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France.

Photos credits: @blocquaux