RIIS proudly supported four HDR students who participated in today’s UNSW Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES) Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Centre Heat.

The 3MT competition challenges research students to present their research and its significance in just three minutes using a single presentation slide. The event is designed to strengthen research communication skills and encourage engagement with broader audiences beyond individual research disciplines.

Representing RIIS at this year’s CIES Centre Heat were:

Maha Ali Haider — Hydrogen Exploration
Mohammadsaeed Heidary — From Scattered Data to Connected, Interactive Construction Insights
Sina Akhyani — Listening to the Ground: AI for Safer Infrastructure
Yafei Sun — Building Reliable AI for Infrastructure Standards

All four students delivered thoughtful and engaging presentations, demonstrating both the quality of their research and their ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively.

RIIS congratulates all participants on their hard work and professionalism throughout the competition.

We also congratulate the overall winners of the CIES Centre Heat:

1st Place – Annmary Vincent — Roads That Fight Heat and Harvest Energy
2nd Place – Tareq Khondoker — Building Faster and Greener: Low-Carbon 3D Printed Concrete
3rd Place – Raja Dilawar Riaz — From Wooden Ghosts to Intelligent Skins: The Zero Waste Future of Construction
4th Place – Dengyu You — The Housing Crisis: Can 3D-Printed Construction Help?

who will progress to the School Round on Friday, 22 May 2026.

RIIS extends its thanks to the judging panel, including RIIS Chief Investigator Dr Mehri Makki Alamdari, alongside Dr Milad Mousavi, A/Prof Ali Kashani, and Professor Adrian Russell, for their valuable contributions and support of HDR students.

Special thanks are also extended to RIIS Chief Investigator A/Prof Johnson Shen for hosting the event and helping create a positive and supportive environment for all participants, and to Grace Zhu, CIES Centre Manager, for organising such a successful and enjoyable event.

The event highlighted the strength of the UNSW research community and the importance of developing the next generation of researchers who can communicate their work with clarity, confidence, and impact.