3-Minute Thesis Winners from Finnish Quantum Days 2025

The winners of InstituteQ’s 2025 3-Minute Thesis Competition were announced on September 4, the second and final day of the Finnish Quantum Days 2025.

The competition featured presentations from four finalists:

Christa Schauman (Overall winner)
Aalto University
Managing hype in quantum computing

Alina Helena Sánchez Gallardo (People’s choice award)
University of Oulu
NV- centres in diamond. The power of one missing atom.

Kristiana Frei (Finalist)
Aalto University
Interacting with anyons in a 2D world​

Anshika Mishra (Finalist)
Aalto University
Mapping magnetism at atomic scale​

The competition was hosted by InstituteQ’s 2024 3MT Winner Rahinatou Njah Nchiwo and was judged by Tzula Propp (Diversity in Quantum) and Service Designer Jimmy Salermo.

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 winning presentations below, as well as the full, uncut competition.