Research Communication for Doctoral Candidates

Develop key skills for sharing research with a wide range of audiences and build your reputation as a go-to expert in your research field.

I think all up-and-coming researchers should engage with opportunities to communicate their research to a wider audience. It is easy to forget how amazing our research is, and a lot of the time the only people that know about it are you and your supervisors. 

Inka Pleiss UoA 3MT Winner (2024)

Research Communication at UoA

Growing your communication skills is an essential part of your doctoral journey at the University of Auckland, and so we have developed a comprehensive package of bespoke workshops and resources to help you achieve this goal and set you apart in the job market.

Whether you're looking to improve your skills in public speaking, media liaison, conference preparation, or publishing, or you just want to communicate more effectively with your supervisors and fellow researchers, we have a wealth of training sessions and online guides for you to choose from.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

Our flagship research communication event is the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, which was developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. It is an exciting, fast-paced event that is held annually in more than 900 universities in 85 countries.

In a 3MT competition, doctoral candidates take up the challenge of sharing the story of their research with a general audience in under three minutes, supported by nothing more than a single, static slide. 

All Faculty Heat winners qualify to take part in the University of Auckland 3MT Finals on Friday 8 August.

Sign up now for your 3MT Faculty Heat:

Learn more about 3MT.

Research Communication workshops

What's on in June

What's on in July

What's on in August

  • Tuesday 5 August: Research Comms: Writing for General Audiences (in person) 
    To book, enter this URL in your browser:
    https://wahapu.auckland.ac.nz/q9yy3/research-communication-writing-f
  • Friday 8 August: Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Finals (in person)
  • Tuesday 12 August: Research Comms: Writing for General Audiences (in person) 
    To book, enter this URL in your browser:
    https://wahapu.auckland.ac.nz/q9z87/research-communication-writing-f

Note: Links to SGS events will take you to Wahapū booking pages. If you are a doctoral candidate who does not have access to Wahapū, you can book by completing the Doctoral Event Registration Form.

Join the Communicating Research COI

Doctoral candidates are invited to join the University’s newly-formed Communicating Research community of interest for academics and researchers. The group aims to build skills, knowledge and confidence for engaging with media and communicating your research and expertise to the public, in order to increase research impact, and strengthen the critic and conscience role of the University.

If you’re interested in this exciting opportunity, you can sign up by emailing Research Comms Manager Gilbert Wong.

Resources for Communication and Publishing

Online Courses on Communicating your Research

    Research Hub Guides to Publishing your Research

    Communication skills: a key priority at UoA

    Growing communication skills is reflected in the Doctoral Graduate Profile, which describes the capabilities which the University seeks to foster in all doctoral graduates, in preparation for life and work beyond your studies. It is also reflected in the Doctoral Development Framework, which helps you structure your professional development planning holistically.

    Don't miss out on the wide variety of communication development opportunities on offer for doctoral candidates at the University. You can read about many of them on this page and in our fortnightly Doctoral News.

    Related links