My thesis in 180 seconds: "this experience unlocked something in me"
This article was originally published in L'Édition n°24.
Every year, PhD candidates from Université Paris-Saclay take part in the “Ma thèse en 180 secondes” (My thesis in 180 seconds, MT180) competition, hoping to make it to the national and international finals. We take a look back at the experiences of three former Université Paris-Saclay candidates.
Three minutes, and not a second more, to explain your research project clearly and concisely but convincingly, to an uninitiated audience. All with the support of a single slide. There is no doubt that MT180 is a complex exercise. Yet every year, dozens of PhD candidates from Université Paris-Saclay embark on this adventure. All the way to the Université finals, where the most talented of the 15 or so contestants must win over the jury and the public.
Dare to have a go
Elise Bordet was one of these finalists in 2018: "Doing this competition during my thesis was a bit stressful. But I don't regret it for a second, I have good memories of it," confides the young woman. Like many participants, the student hesitated before taking the plunge. "I knew about MT180 but I didn't dare sign up. Then I attended a presentation by a PhD candidate from my laboratory who had entered the competition. It encouraged me and showed me that it was possible."
After registration, there are several half-days of education to practise public speaking, eloquence, stage presence and more. "It was all new to me. It's a very special and complicated exercise. The most difficult thing is to explain what you are saying in layman's terms because to us it sounds clear, but in reality, it's not at all," explains Elise Bordet, whose thesis focused on the "innate and adaptive immune response of pigs to the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus".
A salutary step back
For Ombeline Labaune, MT180 finalist in 2020, this is precisely the point of the exercise. "Popularising your subject is the hardest part, but it's also the most interesting. That's why I was there. It forced me to set aside time to step back from my subject and think about how to talk about it simply," explains the PhD candidate, who entered the competition in the second year of her thesis on "the vigour of human movement: from action to cognition".
"During the preparation phase, there is also a lot of very useful interaction with other PhD candidates and trainers. You realise that you share the same presentation issues, even though your subjects are completely different," she points out. During her participation, 2022 finalist Isabelle Hoxha also saw everyone progress, gaining in ease and expression with each passing week.
"I think reaching out to people and explaining what we do in the labs is a really important part of being a scientist. With MT180, you learn a lot in terms of disseminating science," confirms the PhD candidate whose thesis focused on "neurocognitive mechanisms of perceptual anticipation in decision-making".
Developing new capabilities
With MT180, you also learn how to manage stress. Because there is a lot of stress on the big day when it is time to take to the stage for the Université final. "The first thing I remember about my presentation is the journalist asking me if I was ready, and my voice was so small because I had a lump in my throat. My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding during my presentation," recalls Isabelle Hoxha. "But when I watched my presentation, I saw that it didn't show at all. It means our training had paid off!" And what a success it was, as the candidate was awarded the Jury Prize in the 2022 competition. The award took her to the semi-finals and then to the national final in Lyon. "I never thought I would get that far. I went into the competition with no ambitions, and at each stage of qualification, I was really surprised when I heard my name."
The same stress and unexpected qualification awaited Elise Bordet in 2018. She won the Audience Prize and went on to the national final in Toulouse, before presenting her thesis a few months later. "The final was another factor in building my self-confidence and public speaking skills. Before that, I didn't know how comfortable I could be. I feel like MT180 unlocked something in me. It taught me to manage form and content, and to put myself forward," continues Elise Bordet.
Profitable lessons
Five years later, this experience prompted the young woman to embark on a new adventure, as she co-founded the 2082 association, whose aim is to help women negotiate their salaries. "Even today, women earn 25% less than men on average. 2082 is the estimated year of equal pay for men and women," explains Elise Bordet. "Our aim is to help women build up their self-confidence and combat 'imposter' and 'good girl' syndromes."
Isabelle Hoxha, meanwhile, defended her thesis one year after taking part in MT180, in July 2023. "The competition helped me improve my public speaking skills. I even reused a science outreach section at the very beginning of my dissertation to introduce the subject," smiles the researcher, who is now a member of the Cognitive Studies Department at the École normale supérieure (ENS).
In 2020, Ombeline Labaune did not have the chance to continue the experience as far as the national final, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "The final at Université Paris-Saclay was a very special moment because it was on that evening that the closure of Université and the shops was announced," she recalls. "But I have very fond memories of my time on stage." This experience reinforced her taste for science outreach, and the following year she put teaching aside to devote herself to this. This is a second hat that Ombeline Labaune, now a lecturer at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of Université Paris-Saclay, still wears today: "I manage the outreach workshops and other events we take part in to make sport sciences accessible to the general public."
Three minutes on stage and three different experiences, but the three young women have just one piece of advice for any PhD candidates who may be hesitating: go for it and sign up for MT180!
- Learn more on https://mt180.fr/
Attend the 2025 final of Université Paris-Saclay
The final of Université Paris-Saclay of the "Ma thèse en 180 secondes" 2025 contest will take place on the 13 March 2025 at 6h30 pm in Gif-sur-Yvette.
Join us and discover the young doctoral students and their dynamic presentations (in French), full of energy and creativity!
This article was originally published in L'Edition No. 24.
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