Zainab Iyiola Wins First Place in OU’s 2025 Three-Minute Thesis Competition
Zainab Iyiola, a master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Ramadan Ahmed at the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering, won first place at the 2025 University of Oklahoma Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. The event was held on February 28, 2025, at the Sam Noble Museum. Zainab is the first student from the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy to win this competition.
Her winning presentation, “A Smart Approach to Safe Hydrogen Transport in Natural Gas Pipelines,” was selected for its clarity, creativity, and impact. The Three-Minute Thesis (3 MT) competition, originally founded by the University of Queensland, is now a global research communication event. It challenges graduate students to present their work to a non-specialist audience using only one static slide and under three minutes. The goal is to make complex research accessible, engaging, and impactful.
Zainab advanced through the preliminary and semifinal rounds to compete in the final against nine doctoral students. Her ability to communicate a highly technical topic with confidence, precision, and passion earned her top recognition.
Her success highlights the innovative and interdisciplinary research taking place in the Petroleum Engineering department at the University of Oklahoma. It also underscores the department’s commitment to addressing real-world energy challenges through impactful research and public communication.
As the 2025 OU 3MT Champion, Zainab will go on to represent the University of Oklahoma at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 3MT Regional Competition in Indianapolis this spring.
“I am incredibly grateful and humbled to be the first student from my college to win this competition,” said Zainab. “As someone deeply passionate about the future of the energy industry, this experience has been empowering. A huge thank you to my advisor, Dr. Ramadan Ahmed, for his invaluable guidance, and to everyone who supported me along the way.
