Tunisia/National final of the 10th "My thesis in 180 seconds" competition - Tunisia

On June 14, 2025, the national final of the "Ma thèse en 180 secondes - MT180" competition was held at the University of Kairouan, revealing to the general public the promising faces of Tunisian research. At the end of this demanding competition, Mayssa Ben Aïcha, a doctoral student in public law, took first prize, winning over the jury with her clarity, pedagogy and communicative passion.

Organized by theAgence Universitaire de la Francophonie - Afrique du Nord, in partnership with the University of Kairouan, and with the support of theInstitut Français de Tunisie (IFT), theAgence Nationale de la Promotion de la Recherche Scientifique, theCitédes Sciences à Tunis (CST) and the Centredes Sciences à Tunis (CST)and theCentre de Publication Universitaire (CPU), this flagship event for the popularization of French-speaking science puts the spotlight each year on up-and-coming scientists and the public speaking talents of the university community.

At this year's final,14 doctoral students from Tunisian universities and a variety of disciplines took up the challenge of presenting their research work in a clear, engaging and accessible way, in just 180 seconds, before a panel of specialist judges:

• Mr. Hedi Dhouibi, President of the University of Kairouan
• Ms Jihane Fouzai, Project Manager, AUF - North Africa
• Mr Pascal Chardonnet, Scientific and University Cooperation Attaché - Institut Français de Tunisie
• Mr. Fathi Zaghrouba, Professor, Carthage University
• Ms Yomna Rebai, Director General of the General Directorate of Technological Studies
• Ms Leila Hmida, Vice-President of the University of Monastir

Results of the 2025 edition

Four prizes were awarded at the end of the presentations:

• First prize:Ms Mayssa Ben Aïcha, Tunis El Manar University
• Second prize:Ms Manel Ibrahim, Université de Carthage
• Third prize:Ms Malek Ghileb, Université de la Manouba
• Audience prize:Mr Mohamed Khayri Rahmani, Université de Sousse

Mayssa Ben Aïcha, doctoral student inpublic law and winner of the jury's first prize, will take part in an intermediate selection where she will be up against the other winners from the 28 national editions organized by the AUF. The 14 best among them will represent their countries in the MT180 international final.

A decade at the service of science and society

TheMT180competition has become a must-attend event for young French-speaking researchers from Tunisia and elsewhere. Its aim is twofold:

• To promotescientific researchin all its disciplines,
• To strengthen thelink between science and society, by making knowledge accessible to the general public.

This year's event once again illustrates the richness of Tunisia's up-and-coming academics, as well as the importance of promoting theFrench language as a vector of knowledge, sharing and international scientific dialogue.

The AUF congratulates all the winners and looks forward to seeing you at the international final, to be held in Bucharest (Romania) from October 1 to 3, 2025.

Source: www.auf.org/