3MT stand for "Three Minute Thesis". It is a pitch competition that was originally started at the University of Queensland, but has blossomed into an international competition with representatives of 900 universities from 85 countries all competing against each other. The pitches revolve around explaining your PhD research to a lay audience in a video of no more than three minutes.

This year, for the first time, the University of Amsterdam has joined the competition. In the past few months researchers from five different UvA faculties were given the opportunity to sign up. All candidates received training and coaching to try and produce the best video.

AI and cancer histopathology

On 7 September the pre-selected three best candidates from each UvA faculty competed against each other. They were judged by a jury consisting of Jan Lintsen (Member of the Board of the UvA), Henriëtte van Oosterzee (Director Alumni Office & University Fund) and Jim Jansen (Chief editor New Scientist NL). Yoni Schirris was the overall winner with his pitch on AI and cancer histopathology. He is working on an AI application that can determine which cancer patients may benefit from immunotherapy based on standard microscopic images of their tumour.  Schirris has received an award of 1000 Euro and gets to record a new pitch to represent the UvA in the international competition.