UT Tyler Announces 2026 Research Competition Winners

April 27, 2026 | Hannah Buchanan

Event highlights outstanding graduate student research across disciplines

The University of Texas at Tyler announced winners of the 2026 UT Tyler Graduate School Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition, which showcases engaging research presentations across disciplines.

UT Tyler student participants have three minutes to present a compelling speech on their research and its significance to a general audience. A panel of community experts and UT Tyler faculty and staff serve as judges.

“This prestigious competition gives our master’s and doctoral students the opportunity to showcase their outstanding work to a broader audience using easy-to-understand language,” said Dr. Amir Mirmiran, UT Tyler Graduate School dean and chief research officer. “We congratulate this year’s winners on a job well done.”

UT Tyler winners are listed by hometown with place, field of study and cash prize awarded.

ARP – Autumn Ladd, second place, doctorate in nursing, $500.

LONGVIEW – Antay Waters, first place, doctorate in nursing, $1,000.

TYLER – Lillie Watson, third place, master’s in biology, $250.

Ladd, Waters and Watson will graduate from UT Tyler in May.

UT Tyler master's and doctoral students regardless of their field of study can participate in this competition, which follows the model first developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland in Australia.

The Graduate School at UT Tyler boasts a dynamic community of scholars and problem-solvers, spanning the fields of art, science, business, education, psychology, engineering and the health professions. To learn more, visit uttyler.edu/graduate.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.