Four PhDs, four big questions, three minutes each

Why do shoppers switch devices? Can chatbots improve surveys? How can companies prove they're not greenwashing? And can we limit AI bias in housing data?

Those were some of the questions explored by Business School doctoral candidates at the 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

During the faculty heat on 8 June, four doctoral researchers were challenged to explain their research in just three minutes using a single slide.

Are two devices better than one?

For winner Vickie Mingxia Ma, the inspiration for her PhD came during a family holiday to Shanghai Disneyland in 2022.

She and her daughter noticed a Wi-Fi-connected smart mirror in their hotel room.

"We realised we could buy Disneyland tickets using the mirror, but when it came to the payment stage, I switched to my smartphone."

That instinctive move inspired her thesis.

"It made me question people's device use and preferences: are two devices better than one?"

Every year, more than 900 universities participate in 3MT, which challenges doctoral candidates to communicate complex research to a general audience.

Vickie says preparing for the heats forced her to think carefully about her audience and the practical relevance of her work.

"A recent survey found 97 percent of US consumers switch devices when shopping online. This is a really common thing."

Using a large US dataset, she found smartphone-to-laptop switching was more common than laptop-to-desktop combinations.

"This told me that people are not simply switching devices for no reason. They're choosing devices that work well together. I call this device complementarity."

The judges – senior economics lecturer Dr Chanelle Duley, senior operations management lecturer Dr Binyamin Oz, and 2025 3MT finalist Malinda Sari Sembiring – said all four participants opened with relatable stories or questions that immediately engaged the audience.

Who here enjoys filling out surveys?

Marketing PhD candidate Liz Yingxue Zhao tackled a challenge familiar to many researchers: getting people to complete surveys.

"Who here enjoys filling out surveys?" she asked.

“Every year, businesses, governments and researchers collect millions of survey responses, but participants often become bored, skip questions or abandon surveys altogether.”

Liz's research explores whether chatbots can improve engagement by creating a more conversational experience.

"Chatbot-enriched surveys can help researchers collect deeper insights and better understand the people behind the responses. Because better data leads to better decisions."

AI bias in property data

Kiki Zhang (property) spoke about her work examining the growing use of artificial intelligence in property markets. Her research investigates how different market participants influence housing outcomes and how AI bias can distort findings.

She started by talking about her name and the assumptions people might make about her ethnicity, gender and age.

"In my research, I tried to correct bias in housing data and pull the result closer to the truth.

"Some effects looked insignificant before correction. It seemed like there was no impact. But after correcting AI errors, the results became significant."

The 'wild west' of sustainability assurance

The final presenter, accounting PhD candidate Hanyi Xu, began by asking the audience to imagine booking a flight online.

"You're booking an airline ticket, and a little box pops up showing your flight's carbon emissions. Then it asks: 'Would you like to offset your emissions for a few dollars?'"

The experience can make people question whether the information about offsetting is credible or potentially greenwashing, says Hanyi.

Her research examines sustainability assurance – the process by which organisations have their sustainability reporting independently verified. Sustainability assurance, she says, is a bit like having financial statements audited.

"But the assurance market is a bit like the wild west. Providers come from all backgrounds – from consultants and engineers to non-profits. Standards vary, and companies can try to spin their stories."

Hanyi aims to identify the factors that determine assurance quality and she’s developed a framework for assessing it.

"Think of my framework like a detailed scorecard. Through a systematic review, I've identified critical factors across the entire assurance process."

Heat winner Vickie Ma will represent the Business School at the Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland 3MT final on 17 July.