Check out the list of winners from the 2026 Côte d'Azur final "My Thesis in 180 Seconds"

Inspired by the Australian “Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)” competition, “My Thesis in 180 Seconds” is organized in France by France Universités and the CNRS. Since 2014, it has invited young researchers to explain their thesis topic to a non-specialist audience in an accessible, clear, and convincing manner, using a single slide.

Since January, the candidates have received coaching in public speaking and science communication, helping them prepare for this demanding challenge. This year, 22 candidates participated in the competition.

At the end of an evening rich in scientific discoveries, reflecting the diversity and excellence of research conducted at Université Côte d’Azur, the jury* selected the following winners:
•    1st Prize from the Jury: Céline
Bouissou• 2nd Prize from the Jury and Audience Choice Award: Antoine
Hauser• 3rd Prize from the Jury: Julie Piano•
High School Students’ Choice Award: Lola Bellone

The four winners will represent Université Côte d’Azur at the regional final, to be held on April 28 in Marseille.

Reaching Out to High School Students

As part of its commitment to fostering dialogue between science and society, Université Côte d’Azur once again welcomed high school students to a special session held prior to the finals. The students were able to watch the presentations by the doctoral students and vote for their favorite candidate, awarding the High School Students’ Prize to Lola Bellone.

A competition at the heart of research promotion

Beyond the competition, “My Thesis in 180 Seconds” serves as a formative experience for doctoral students, equipping them with key skills in scientific communication. It also helps bring research closer to the general public by highlighting the challenges, applications, and prospects of the work conducted in laboratories.
A true highlight of the scientific community on the French Riviera, this 2026 edition once again demonstrated the ability of young researchers to share their passion and make science accessible to everyone.

Here is the complete list of winners for the 2026 edition:

1st Prize from the Jury	Céline BOUISSOU	Laboratory of Human Motor Skills, Sports, and Health Expertise (LAMHESS)	Modeling the strategies used to investigate the clinical health of French music students
2nd Prize from the Jury + Audience Award	Antoine HAUSER	Inria Center at the University of Côte d’Azur	Optimization of the design of peptide ligands for therapeutic applications
3rd Prize from the Jury	Julie PIANO	Laboratory of Clinical, Cognitive, and Social Anthropology and Psychology - LAPCOS	Part’Ages: a project bringing together young children in Priority Education Networks and isolated seniors from the same metropolitan area
High School Students’ Prize	Lola BELLONE	Nice Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging - IRCAN	The role of “Neutrophil Extracellular Traps” in the initiation of squamous cell skin carcinomas

             *The 2026 jury is composed of:
• Hervé Dole, Jury Chair, Professor at the Institute of Space Astrophysics, Orsay, of Paris-Saclay University and the CNRS, Vice President of Paris-Saclay University for Art, Culture, Science, and Society•
    Stéphanie Becher, Director of DOME, the Departmental Center for the Environment and Observation in
Valberg• Sophie Casals, Journalist and Editorial Project Manager at the
Nice-Matin Group•    Nicolas Mangiapan, Cultural Outreach Officer at the National Sports Museum in Nice•
Margaux Sanchez, PhD candidate at the CHREA laboratory—Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS—and winner of the MT180 High School Students’ Award in 2025