PhD Thesis in Three Minutes

“Your PhD Thesis in Three Minutes” (T3M2024)
A Coruña, June 2024

Contest to disseminate doctoral research in Computer Architecture and Technology in Spain. Rules for participants, 2022 edition.

Contest Rules

1. Objectives of the contest

The contest «Your PhD Thesis in Three Minutes» (T3M) is an activity that will take place during the Jornadas SARTECO 2023, organized by the Spanish Society of Computer Architecture and Technology (SARTECO). The objective of this initiative is to promote communication skills among PhD students in Spain who have recently defended their PhD or will defend it in the near future. The research topic of the PhD thesis must be in the area of Computer Architecture and Technology.

2. Requirements of the candidates

Any researcher in the area of Computer Architecture and Technology who has recently obtained a PhD or will obtain it in the near future can participate in this contest. Candidates with a PhD must have defended their thesis in the 18 months prior to the closing date of this contest. Candidates in the final stage of their PhD must obtain the PhD within 6 months of the closing date of this contest. In the second case, candidates must provide a signed letter from their advisors specifying that they are eligible for this contest. Any confidentiality requirement of the research performed in the PhD rests exclusively on the candidate, with the SARTECO society being totally free from any resposability regarding potential confidentiality infringements. Researchers who have been awarded in previous editions of the T3M competition will not be eligible to participate.

3. Contest development

The contest will have two separate phases:

    • Selection Phase
    • Final phase
    3.1. Selection phase

In this first phase, all candidates will submit a video of up to 3 minutes where they describe the most relevant contributions of their PhD thesis, the problem that they have identified, the proposed solutions to this problem, and the potential impact of this research on society. The video must be presented in either Spanish or English. To support the presentation, a single slide without animations may be used; other audio-visual effects, sounds, animations, accessories or decorating elements are not permitted.

The SARTECO society has the right to disqualify any candidate that presents a video infringing the abovementioned requirements, or that is not well aligned with the area of Computer Architecture and Technology or the objective of the contest of disseminating scientific advances in this research area.

A maximum of 10 videos will be selected from the list of submitted videos. The selected candidates will qualify for the final phase of the contest. The SARTECO society will propose a Board of Experts that will evaluate all the submitted videos. The list with up to 10 selected videos will be made public through the webpage of the Jornadas SARTECO.

    3.2. Final phase

Selected candidates for the final phase have to attend the final contest during the Jornadas SARTECO. The final phase consists of an open session where the candidates will present their thesis in an order specified by a draw. The results of this draw will be announced at the beginning of the open session. The candidates will have a maximum of 3 minutes to describe their work using a presentation that might be different from the one used in the selection phase. The rules for this final phase are the same as for the selection phase.

The duration of the presentation is a strict requirement that must be satisfied. Candidates that exceed the 3-minute limitation will be automatically disqualified. Presentations may be recorded on video and the winning entry may be published online on the webpage of the SARTECO society under a creative commons license.

4. Application process and important dates

Interested candidates should send an e-mail to t3m@jornadassarteco.org containing the following information:

    • Author of the thesis
    • Website: URL hosting the submitted video (Youtube, Vimeo or similar).
    • Title of the PhD Thesis and short summary (up to half a page).
    • Keywords.
    • Place and date of the PhD defense: The name of the university/institution where the thesis was defended and the date of the defense.
    • PhD advisors.
    • In the case of PhD students in the final stage of their PhD, a signed letter from the PhD advisor specifying that the PhD thesis will be defended in the next 6 months.

The fulfilment of the requirements of this contest will be verified. Candidates do not need to provide documentary evidence that they fulfil these requirements unless they are explicitly asked to do so.

Important dates of the contest:

    1. Contest presentation opening: February 16 2024.
    2. Application submissions: February 16 - April 26 May 7 (plazo de entrega extendido).
    3. Final stage: During Jornadas SARTECO 2024.

Participants in the contest fully accept the described rules for participants, as well as the decisions made by the Board of Experts and the SARTECO society, who are responsible for interpreting these rules.

5. Board of Experts and evaluation criteria

The SARTECO society will select a Board of Experts for the final phase of the contest. The members of this board will be announced after the application submission deadline. The Board of Experts will consider the following criteria when evaluating the presented candidatures:

    • Presentation clarity: the research objectives, relevance and potential impact of the research have to be clear and understandable to the general public.
    • Effective communication skills: the presentation motivates the interest of the audience and maintains their attention.
    • Quality of the presentation: adequate time management, well-structured ideas and organization, and use of appropriate language for the general public.
    • Support slide: the prepared slide is useful, complements the presentation, and is helpful to better understand the presentation.

6. Awards

The Board of Experts will grant three awards consisting in a certificate to the best presentation “Your Thesis in Three Minutes” of the SARTECO society. An honorarium of 800, 500, and 300 euros will be given to the first, second and third awards, respectively. The endowment will be subject to the corresponding taxes according to the current legislation.

The final decision will be made public in the same session of the final phase of the contest. The Board of Experts will have a private meeting to decide the awards and, in case of a tie after the members’ vote, the president of the board will have a golden vote for the final decision.

The Board of Experts will make public the proposed awards justifying the fulfilment of the requirements of the contest and the quality of the presentation.

The Board of Experts has the right to decline the award of a particular prize due to the lack of high-quality presentations or the absence of candidates.

The different awards will be given in a public event during the Jornadas SARTECO.

The infringement of the described rules for participants might lead to the revocation of the awards and the corresponding reimbursement of the prizes.

7. Publication

The rules for participants and all the relevant information of the current contest will be made public in the webpage of the SARTECO society.

T3M 2024 Committee

  • Francisco Quiles Flor (UCLM) (Presidente)
  • Gracia Ester Martín Garzón (UAL) (Secretaria)
  • Francisco Tirado Fernández (Honorary President)
  • Dora Blanco Heras (USC)
  • Vicente J. Blanco Pérez (ULL)