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What it takes to Compete in the Heat!

Ka Wing Chan 2025 3MT Journey

Published on the 18 August 2025 by 黑料网大事记 Business School EDI Team

The 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition that showcases 黑料网大事记鈥檚 innovative PhD candidates, who have just 3 minutes to explain their world-changing research and why it is important.

The 2025 Business School 3MT Competition Heat was on 14 July, and was well-attended both in person and online, by academics, professional staff, and our HDR students, where 8 Business School PhD students presented their research in this year鈥檚 3MT.

The 3MT competition was first developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. Each year, 黑料网大事记 faculties hold their own 3MT Heats, and the top three contestants go on to compete in the 黑料网大事记 3MT Finals. The winner of the 黑料网大事记 3MT Final will participate in the Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition Final at The University of Queensland.

This year Ka Wing Chan, PhD Marketing student, received the SDG Award, along with the First Place and People鈥檚 Choice Awards at the 2025 黑料网大事记 Business School 3MT Competition Heat and will compete against 21 other participants in the , held on 2 September 2025.

In celebration of this achievement, the 黑料网大事记 Business School EDI team spoke to Ka Wing to learn more about her exciting journey and what it takes to compete in the Heats!

What motivated you to participate in the 黑料网大事记 Business School 3MT Competition?

I first heard about the was when I started my Marketing Research Degree in 2023 and thought it was a cool concept.

The idea of condensing years of complex academic work into a concise, engaging three-minute presentation sounded both exciting and daunting. During my first two years as a research student, I attended the Business School 3MT competitions and always found them inspiring. However, I couldn鈥檛 compete at the time since I hadn鈥檛 yet completed my confirmation milestone.

In 2024, I was eligible to compete but unfortunately, I was away on a research visit, so I missed the opportunity once again, which made me even more determined to participate this year.

With everything finally lining up, I was on campus, eligible, and ready to go. So, I signed up, and I am glad I did!

How do you prepare for the competition?

Having attended the Business School鈥檚 3MT finals for two years in a row, I already had a good sense of what to expect. I also spent time and finalists, both from my university and others. This gave me a better understanding of what makes a strong 3MT presentation: clear messaging, storytelling, confident delivery, and audience connection.

I started by thinking carefully about the heart of my research, what is the one key idea I want the audience to remember? Then, I focused on how to communicate that idea in the simplest, most engaging way possible. I practiced many times, both in front of the mirror and with friends, and made sure I could deliver the presentation smoothly within the strict three-minute time limit.

Tell us a bit about your research and its potential impact?

My research looks at the effect of electric vehicle (EV) charging availability on grocery store performance.

As more EVs hit the road, charging infrastructure is becoming an increasingly strategic consideration, not just for energy planners, but also for businesses. I focus on how installing EV chargers at grocery store locations can influence customer behaviour and ultimately impact store performance.

The results are quite fascinating. I find that EV charging availability leads to a significant increase in both sales revenue and the number of transactions, while basket size remains mostly unchanged. This suggests that the increase comes from more shoppers visiting the store, rather than existing customers buying more.

I also examine where this increase in revenue comes from and when it happens. Most of the boost is from impulse product categories and promoted items, and the effect is strongest during weekends and off-peak hours, when customers may be more relaxed and open to spontaneous shopping.

Finally, I explore how store-level and neighbourhood characteristics affect these outcomes. Stores with limited parking benefit more, and local demographics, such as the apartment-to-house ratio, neighbourhood wealth, and surrounding amenities, play an important role.

These insights can help both store managers and head-office strategists make better decisions about where and how to invest in EV infrastructure.

What was one of the highlights of your 3MT experience?

One of the most enjoyable parts of this experience was finding new ways to communicate my research to a broader audience.

I liked being able to leave out the complicated technical details and focus on the fun, impactful parts of the story. In many ways, preparing for the 3MT felt like re-discovering what makes my research interesting, not just to academics, but to everyday people who may never have thought about how EV chargers influence grocery shopping.

I believe that sharing our research in an accessible and engaging way is an important skill. The 3MT gave me the space to practice that, and to see how my work resonates beyond academic circles.

What would be some advice you have for future 3MT participants?

If you鈥檙e thinking about participating in 3MT, my biggest piece of advice is to make it fun. This is not a traditional academic presentation. It鈥檚 your chance to tell a story, to connect with people, and to share your research in a way that sparks curiosity.

Keep your slide/s simple and uncluttered, so the audience focuses on what you鈥檙e saying. And practice your timing, but don鈥檛 worry about being word-perfect. What matters most is that your message comes across clearly and confidently.

Most importantly, enjoy the process! Whether you鈥檙e presenting in front of a room of peers or recording a video submission, the experience will help you grow as a communicator and as a researcher.

Congratulation to all of our 2025 黑料网大事记 Business School 3MT Competition winners!

Winner, SDG Award, and People鈥檚 Choice Award: Ka Wing Chan

School of Marketing

Title: EV Charging Availability and Grocery Store Performance

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Runner-up: Mohamed Ibrahim

School of Risk and Actuarial Studies

Title: Using Smart Driving Data and AI to Set Fair Car Insurance Premiums

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Third place: Yawei Wang

School of Risk and Actuarial Studies

Title: Retirement Income Product Innovation

We also greatly appreciate the judging panel;