Young researchers from 20 countries participated on Thursday in the international final of the science outreach competition in the French-speaking world, 'My Thesis in 180 Seconds,' which was hosted by the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (USAMV) and organised by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Friday, the international jury awarded First Prize to Diana Donoaga, from the Republic of Moldova, while Kantapon Intamart from Thailand and Melanie Depret from Ireland were awarded the second and third prizes respectively.

The Audience Award was granted to Rahim Ky, from Côte d'Ivoire, following strong support from both the online and in-person audiences.

Held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, the 11th edition brought together finalists from 20 countries: Austria, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, France, Ireland, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Moldova, Romania, Senegal, Chad and Thailand.

Each candidate had three minutes to present the topic of their doctoral thesis in a clear, accessible and engaging manner. The prizes were awarded as follows:

*First Prize - Diana Donoaga, PhD student at the 'Ion Creanga' State Pedagogical University of Chisinau, for her research on 'The Axiology of Academic Freedom from the Perspective of the Philosophy of Education';
*Second Prize - Kantapon Intamart, from Thailand, PhD student at Chulalongkorn University, for his research on 'Critical Discourse Analysis of Institutional Texts on the Feminisation of Professional Titles in Francophone Countries';
*Third Prize - Melanie Depret, from Ireland, PhD student at University College Cork, whose thesis focuses on 'Identifying Interactions between the Gut Microbiome and Human Brain Neural Networks';
*Audience Award - Rahim Ky, from Côte d'Ivoire, PhD student at Nangui Abrogoua University, for his presentation on 'Adaptation and Productivity of Cashew Trees: Internal Structure Analysis in Relation to Sunlight Exposure and Drought in the Cashew Basin of Côte d'Ivoire'.

Organised in France by France Universités and CNRS, and internationally by AUF, Acfas, the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research, and Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco, the 'My Thesis in 180 Seconds' competition invites PhD students to present their research in French, in simple and accessible terms, to a broad audience. Each presentation lasts three minutes and tests the candidates' clarity, conciseness and persuasive power.

Founded in 1961, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) is today the largest university network in the world, with over 1,000 members: universities, grandes écoles and research centres from around 120 countries. A global promoter of scientific Francophonie, AUF is an international non-profit organisation. In Central and Eastern Europe, AUF has 139 members from 24 countries, 47 of which are in Romania. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Roberto Stan; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)