Nenadi, took on the challenging task to present her PhD research into ‘Young people and the informal economy’ in just three minutes.

She goes through to represent Bedfordshire in the national competition, where an online voting system will decide which students from across the country will make it through to the national finals in September.

Mary Malcolm, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the University, introducing the eight competitors said: “This must seem like a strange and rather cruel thing to do; to boil down 80,000 words to just three minutes and then to present it to people who know absolutely nothing about your research.

“But the ability communicate the importance of your research is a very important skill.”

However the three minute deadline, enforced through a countdown clock, the sound of a bell and the prospect of disqualification didn’t faze Nenadi. She impressed the judges with her clear communication of her research; explaining why young people are attracted to the informal economy – drug, sex work or begging – and why welfare reforms aren’t working for young people.

On hearing she had won, Nendai said: “I’ve got mixed feeling. I didn’t go into this to win but to gain experience and confidence and put it on my CV. I wasn’t expecting to win at all. I was absolutely terrified.”

Second place was taken by Fidelia Bature, also from the Institute for Health Research who spoke about her research into the ‘Signs, symptoms and comorbidities preceding the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease’, while Sisi Wang (Institute for Tourism Research) got the people’s vote, for her presentation on ‘Soft Power’ finishing with 35 seconds still on the clock.

Sisi said her reason for entering the competition was to inspire more Chinese students to take part. She explained how it could be difficult for Chinese students to be understood in English, which often made them reluctant to take part in such events.

“I want to show other Chinese students that you can do this – I want them to stand up and be heard!”

Judging the competition were senior members of staff from across the University. Andrew Kingston, Market Research Manager at the University and a judge said: “The standard of the competition was very high and it was tough to make a final decision.

“The three minute thesis is quite a challenge. The competitors are effectively being asked to sell themselves and their research in just three minutes.

“They need to explain to an audience, who don’t know about their specialised research, what their research is about and why it is important.”

Dr Yannis Pappas who led the initiative at the university said: “I want to congratulate all our students who took part in this competition.

“It has been a privilege to see how our finalists have progressed over the last five months.”

The Three Minute Thesis is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, where research students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis topic and its significance.