19 November 2025 – Presenting on creating bespoke breast prostheses for women post-mastectomy, EmmaJude Lyons from University of Limerick has been named the winner of the national final of this year’s Three Minute Thesis competition.
Áine Gorman from University College Cork was awarded the Audience Choice Award, with Almudena Moreno Borrallo from Trinity College Dublin named as the runner-up.
The Irish Universities Association (IUA) today held its annual Three Minute Thesis National Final. Competing for the national prize were seven PhD Researchers, each the winner in their individual university competitions held throughout the year.
Winner of the competition EmmaJude Lyons from University of Limerick said: “It’s been a fantastic journey taking part in the Three Minute Thesis, from the university challenge to the national final, and I am thrilled to have won the national competition. Women’s health is an important but often overlooked national issue and this competition is a good opportunity to shine a spotlight on this. Many of us have friends or family members who have experienced breast cancer and through my research I’m hoping that cancer survivors will not just survive but thrive.”
The Three Minute Thesis concept was originally developed by the University of Queensland and has become an event that’s replicated around the globe. The competition supports graduate research students in their development as confident research communicators.
Participants are challenged to present their research in three minutes, to a non-specialist audience, using only one slide. Entrants must distil their niche subjects and intensive research into bite-sized presentations that will inform and entertain the general public.
Today’s competition saw researchers compete from Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway and University of Limerick.
The 2025 finalists were:
- Almudena Moreno Borrallo (TCD) presented on developing materials that outsmart brain cancer
- Megan Griffiths (DCU) presented on best practices in science education for gifted students
- EmmaJude Lyons (UL) presented on creating bespoke breast prostheses for women post-mastectomy
- Kevin Murray (University of Galway) presented on developing new personalised approaches to chronic pain management
- Oluwayomi Akinfenwa (MU) presented on finding better ways to visualise country level data.
- Rioko Moscardini (UCD) presented on using geothermal energy as a renewable solution to help decarbonise Ireland’s heating.
- Áine Gorman (UCC) presented on the Economic and Social Value of Community Healthcare Organisations (like the CRANN Centre).
The judging panel scored the competitors on four aspects ‘Comprehension and Content’ and ‘Engagement and Communication’. They decided the overall winner and runner up while the audience got to choose their favourite also.
Speaking after the event, Chair of the Judging panel and new Director General of IUA, Paul Johnston said:
“This globally renowned competition provides a great opportunity to showcase the talent of our young university researchers in Ireland. The fact that they have to present their thesis in three minutes, which is no mean feat, also tests their communications capabilities. I’d like to congratulate all the competitors participating in the national final. I hope the experience gives each of them a sense of accomplishment and the empowerment to continue communicating the relevance and impact of their research. It is also encouraging to note that the Government announced greater research funding as part of the recent NDP review and in particular a Research Infrastructure and Talent Fund which could help support the young researchers here today.”
This year marks the third year the IUA hosts the competition in Ireland to celebrate the achievements and talent of Irish university PhD researchers.
Short videos of the work of the competitors can be found at :https://www.iua.ie/events/three-minute-thesis-iua-national-final-2025/
Ends.
For media queries:
Lia O’Sullivan, Head of Communications, Irish Universities Association.
E: Lia.osullivan@iua.ie M: +353 85 714 1414
Photography: Photography from the event will be issued by Maxwells
Notes to Editors
The judging panel, chaired by Paul Johnston, Director General of IUA includes:
- Dr Aisling Soden, Manager, Talent, Talent Transformation & Innovation, IDA Ireland
- Paul Sweetman, CEO of AmCham
- Alva O’Cleirigh, Head of Communications, Research Ireland
Purpose of the winning Research
The purpose of the research is to create a bespoke breast prosthesis for women post-mastectomy, to ensure that ladies can be comfortable and thriving post-mastectomy.
There are many different issues when it comes to the generic silicone breast prosthesis. Firstly, they are overly heavy, causing issues like weighing down on lady’s bra straps, moving around in the bra.
Secondly, they are one generic triangular shape, they are not fitted to each individual person
Both of those issues combined can also result in a lack of symmetry, the generic triangular shape does not match its respective breast on the other side. The weight of the prosthesis is causing it to sag down, so they are not level.
The purpose of the research is to create a bespoke breast prosthesis, that is totally custom to the woman themselves. The breast prosthesis is an exact replica of the residual breast, to create symmetry. The posterior of the breast prosthesis, the part that touches the women’s mastectomy site, is an exact replica of the mastectomy site, creating a jigsaw piece that stays in place. I tested several materials and infill patterns that go inside the breast prosthesis to understand which combination would give a lightweight and soft breast prosthesis for the women, so that they can have a lightweight breast that feels soft. Finally, a range of softness was created that the women could feel, giving women the choice to pick the combination that felt most like them.