MT 180 in Nîmes:UM Third Place on the Podium
An all-female podium will mark the 2026 edition of the Occitanie regional final of the “My Thesis in 180 Seconds” competition, held on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at the University of Nîmes. Jeanne Jacinthe Naby, a doctoral student at the University of Montpellier and at the Laboratory of Mechanics and Civil Engineering (LMGC) , won third prize from the jury.
This public outreach event has become a must-attend part of doctoral life, bringing together twenty candidates this year from the University of Nîmes, the University of Montpellier, the University of Perpignan Via Domitia, and the University of Montpellier Paul-Valéry. What is the premise of this competition, which is open only to doctoral students? To present their research topic clearly, accessibly, and convincingly in just three minutes to an audience of non-specialists. It is a demanding challenge that highlights both the scientific quality of the research and the young researchers’ ability to communicate their work to the general public.
The 2026 list of winners was praised by the jury and the public
This year, the Occitanie regional final was held in Nîmes. About 400 people came to watch the twenty presentations by the contestants before deciding the winners. At the end of the evening, three jury prizes and one audience choice award were presented.
Marie Aragon, who is working on her dissertation at the G-eau laboratory, won over the jury with her presentation on the consistency between institutional guidelines and individual practices in response to floods.
The jury’s second prize and the highly coveted audience award went to Angèle Palermo, who is also enrolled at the University of Nîmes in the APSY-v independent research unit. Angèle Palermo won over the Nîmes audience with a presentation on the role of social design in promoting physical activity among seniors.
The University of Montpellier still managed to make it onto the podium thanks to Jeanne Jacinthe Naby, who devoted her three minutes to finding a practical solution for manufacturing foundation piles for structures in marine environments.
The evening also featured the presentation of the 2025 High School Students’ Award, which was given to Klara Asselin, a doctoral student at the University of Montpellier.
High School Students at the Heart of the Initiative
In addition to the local finals, the University of Montpellier’s doctoral college and the Languedoc-Roussillon doctoral college continue to run an annual outreach program for high school students in the Occitanie region. In 2025, this included the High School Students’ Prize, which engaged 1,659 students from 60 classes across 18 high schools in the region, as well as the organization of an open house on campus.
On April 14, the University of Montpellier welcomed nearly one hundred students from the Jean Monnet, Pompidou, and Paul Valéry high schools in Sète. Organized by the doctoral college and the Department of Scientific Culture and Historical Heritage, this event was intended to thank the schools that had been most actively involved in the initiative.
On the agenda: a tour of the Triolet campus, an immersion in the university environment, and a presentation of the University of Montpellier’s academic programs. Through its participation in “My Thesis in 180 Seconds,” the University of Montpellier reaffirms its goal: to make research visible, accessible, and inspiring to everyone.