Thank you to the Graduate Coordinator Network for co-sponsoring this event!
Developed in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, Empower Your Research Pitch is an engaging, dynamic research communication contest. Alongside a comprehensive skill-development series, EYP is designed to equip participants with the strategies needed to effectively communicate complex ideas in just three minutes. All graduate students and postdocs from across disciplines are welcome to participate.
This campus-wide research communication competition is co-sponsored by the Graduate Coordinator Network and the Graduate School Office of Career and Life Design.
The 2026 competition has ended. We look forward to your participation in 2027!
2026 Winners
Neuroscience Ph.D. candidate Kat Motovilov won with the presentation, “Should You Trust Your Gut?: The Decision to Drink.”
Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. candidate Alice Zhang won with the presentation, “The Next Vital Sign: Quantifying Social Connection with Wearables.”
Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. student Subhashini Sugumar won with the presentation, “Reading a Battery's Mind.”
Rhetoric and Writing Ph.D. student Kirill Veselkin won the Community Choice Award for Excellence with the presentation, “We Imagine the Bomb So It Can Explode.”
2026 Finalist Judges
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Sarah Ades
Dean of the Graduate School
Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
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Conor Cunningham
Vice President of Engineering
Microsoft
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Archie Holmes
Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Texas System
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MacGregor Stephenson
Chief Deputy Chief Information Officer
Texas Health and Human Services
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Matthew Watkins
Editor in Chief
Texas Tribune
2026 Finalists
Kiersten Bell, Doctoral Candidate
Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
“Timing as a Nutrient: How Feeding Schedules Shape Health and Mood”
Md Enayet Chowdhury, Doctoral Student
Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
“Who is Your Flood Criminal?"
Alex Dunmyre, Doctoral Candidate
Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences
“Treating the "Untreatable"
Wasiq Javed, JD Student
School of Law
“Why the FAIR Act is Necessary to Protect Consumers”
Kat Motovilov, Doctoral Candidate
Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences
“Should You Trust Your Gut?: The Decision to Drink”
Ahmed Sihorwala, Doctoral Candidate
MKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
“Building Synthetic Tissue from Scratch”
Subhashini Sugumar, Doctoral Student
Materials Science and Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
“Reading a Battery's Mind”
Tharan Suresh, Doctoral Student
Kinesiology, College of Education
“Learning Reshapes Brain Rhythms”
Sreeram Venkat, Doctoral Candidate
Computational Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences
“Outrunning The Wave: Digital Twins for Tsunami Early Warning”
Kirill Veselkin, Doctoral Student
Rhetoric and Writing, College of Liberal Arts
“We Imagine the Bomb So It Can Explode”
Kylie Jaeyun Yim, Doctoral Candidate
Sociology, College of Liberal Arts
“Envisioning Parenthood: The Social Shaping of Fertility Decisions in the U.S. and South Korea”
Alice Zhang, Doctoral Candidate
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
“The Next Vital Sign: Quantifying Social Connection with Wearables”
Upcoming Events
Hear from our 2025 Participants
UT graduate students and postdocs talk about their experience participating in the 2025 Empower Your Pitch research communication competition. They share what they learned and how it felt to participate in a cross-campus community of engaged scholars and researchers to refine their core research messages.
Competition Prizes
Cash prizes will be awarded to four competition winners.
- Overall Excellence in Research Communication – $1,000
- Outstanding Public Engagement – $1,000
- Outstanding Creativity – $1,000
- Community Choice Award for Excellence – $500
Competition Timeline
First Round: Tuesday, March 10 - Friday, March 13
Second Round: Tuesday, March 24 - Friday, March 27
Finale: Wednesday, April 15, 5-8 p.m.
Competition Guidelines
Add a creative flair to your pitch
You’re invited to add a creative flair to your pitch using presentation aids, including audio/visual media, equipment, and props, in line with safety protocols.
Feel free to utilize diverse strategies in your communication—spoken word, poetry, music, rap—the stage is yours!
Timing is key
Your pitch must not exceed three minutes. The clock starts ticking once you begin speaking, interacting with your props/equipment or using any form of expression to convey your message.
Decisions are final
And finally, please note that the judge panel’s decisions in rounds 2 and 3 are final and binding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Slides
There is no limit on the number of slides that can be used. Other visual aids such as props or posters are also welcome.
Delivery method
This format encourages creativity, so forms of expression other than oration are allowed (e.g. singing, poetry, dance).
Audience
Assume a reasonably well-informed and educated audience, but non-specialists. Most judges will be current faculty and staff.
Participation for applied or creative field
All current graduate students are welcomed and encouraged, regardless of discipline.
