A PhD student from the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana wins the 2016 regional competition "My thesis in 180 seconds"

On April 13, five PhD students took part in the 2016 regional competition "My thesis in 180 seconds" at the University of French Guiana. This challenge was set up in France in 2014 as an original way for students to present their PhD research.

Samantha James from the Virus-Host Interactions Laboratory at the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana won this timed challenge with her PhD thesis on the herpes virus.

The five PhD students were judged on their speaking skills, the way they presented their subject and the structure of their presentation. They each presented an aspect of their PhD thesis in turn to the members of the panel and the assembled audience, which included three classes of high school students. The winner of this regional contest, Samantha James, wrote her thesis on the identification of cellular genes linked to the herpes virus. She will now head to Bordeaux to take part in the grand final on May 31.

Last year, the scientist Lanjiao Wang, also representing French Guiana, made the final of the competition.

Created at the University of Queensland in Australia, the competition, « My Thesis in 180 Seconds » was launched in France in 2014. Today more than ten francophone countries hold this competition. The international finals will take place in Rabat, Morocco next September.