The winners of InstituteQ’s 2026 3-Minute Thesis Competition were announced on September 10, the second and final day of the Finnish Quantum Days 2026, which was hosted at the University of Jyväskylä.
The competition featured presentations from five finalists:
Alina Helena Sánchez Gallardo (Overall winner)
University of Oulu
Nature’s quantum tool
Rajlaxmi Bhoite (Runner-up)
Aalto University
Crafting quantum materials
Clemens Lindner (People’s choice award)
University of Jyväskylä
When quantum states look alike
Pedram Yousefi (Finalist)
University of Jyväskylä
Preparing for Q-Day with QKD
Ashutosh Kumar (Finalist)
University of Jyväskylä
Correcting quantum errors with AI
The competition was hosted by InstituteQ’s 2025 3MT Winner Christa Schauman was judged by Jorden Senior (VTT), Aline Ramires (TU Wien) and Mažena Mackoit Sinkevičienė (Vilnius University & Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC)).
A concept first developed by the University of Queensland, this competition challenges doctoral students to synthesize their research topics into concise presentations. Finalists are judged on the clarity of their presentation, clear communication about their research motivation, and multiple other metrics.
Congratulations to the winners and finalists for their great presentations! View the full competition recording below.
