PhD student Mindula Wijayahena wins first place at UB's eighth annual Three Minute Thesis Competition

Person standing in a laboratory wearing a lab coat, safety glasses and gloves holding colorful bond structures in each hand.

Ten finalists competed in the 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. But it was Chemistry's PhD student Mindula Kaumadi Wijayahena who took the grand prize of $2,000 for her presentation Breaking Bad Bonds: Will PFAS-munching Microbes Save Us? Her research aims to break down polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and eliminate the negative health consequences posed by these so-called "forever chemicals." By exploring environmentally friendly ways to break these chemicals down, she hopes to create a safer world by eliminating these substances from human blood, breast milk and so much more.

Read more about UB's Eighth Annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition