Big ideas take centre stage on September 18 at the fourth annual Three Minute Postdoctoral Competition (3MP).
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) will showcase the research and communication skills of its postdoctoral fellows at the fourth annual Three Minute Postdoctoral Competition (3MP) on September 18. This year's UM 3MP competition will help kick off National Postdoc Appreciation Week, taking place September 21–25, 2026. The celebration recognizes the significant contributions postdoctoral scholars make to research, innovation and discovery, while highlighting the important role they play in advancing knowledge across disciplines. FGPS is proud to host this event to provide postdoctoral fellows with an opportunity to develop their research communication and presentation skills while highlighting the diverse and impactful research taking place at the University of Manitoba. Dean Kelley Main welcomes members of the UM community to attend and cheer on the postdoctoral fellows taking part in the competition:
Six postdoctoral fellows from across the University will take on the challenge of explaining their research in just three minutes, using a single slide and making their work accessible and engaging to a broad audience.
The judges will evaluate each presentation based on its clarity, engagement, and ability to communicate the significance of the research. Audience members will also have the opportunity to participate by selecting their favourite presentation for People’s Choice.
In just three minutes, this year’s six challengers will demonstrate how powerful research communication can be—and why postdoctoral fellows are an essential part of UM’s research community.
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Theatre B, Basic Medical Sciences Building, Bannatyne Campus
Program: College of Community and Global Health
Supervisor: Robert Lorway
Thesis Topic: Queer/Muslims/Manitobans
Research Summary: His research is concerned with how queer Muslims in Manitoba navigate intersecting oppressions while still building resilience, identity, and belonging.
Biography: Drawing on qualitative, ethnographic, and participatory methodologies, Dr. Noor examines how structural inequalities, stigma, migration, and geography shape the health and wellbeing of sexually and gender-diverse populations. His work contributes to advancing inclusive approaches to sexuality research, with current projects exploring queer Muslim placemaking, sexual healthcare access, and community-engaged research methods in Canada
Program: Plant Science
Supervisor: Professor Robert Gulden
Research Title: Deep Learning–Based Crop–Weed Semantic Segmentation Across Soybean, Canola, and Wheat Using Drone and High-Resolution Imagery
Research Summary : Using drone imagery and deep learning to map crops and weeds in soybean, canola and wheat fields for precise, sustainable weed management
Biography: Masoomeh Gomroki is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba. She aims to transform complex agricultural imagery into practical information that supports precise and sustainable weed management.
Program: Physiology and Pathophysiology
Supervisor: Dr. Michael Czubryt
Research Title: A Tale of Two Cells: The Healers and the Scar Makers in a Healing Heart
Research Summary: This study tests whether switching off scleraxis can stop harmful repair cell activity, preserve helpful cells, and prevent the heart from becoming stiff.
Biography: Dr. Siddik completed his Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba and holds a master’s degree in Molecular Biotechnology from the University of Skövde, Sweden, supported by the Swedish Institute Scholarship. His current research focuses on cardiac fibroblasts, heart scarring, and the role of scleraxis in fibrosis. His work has been recognized through research awards and presentations at national and international scientific meetings.
Program: Biological Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Olivia wilkins
Research Title: Linking Natural Genetic Variation to Cell-Type-Specific Mechanisms of Water-Stress Response in Rice
Research Summary: Integrating rice leaf anatomy, physiology, GWAS, and single-cell genomics to understand how domestication shaped cell-type-specific mechanisms controlling water-use efficiency and drought resilience
Biography: Dr. Oluwatoyosi Adaramodu (Lisa) is a Nigerian plant biologist studying how plant development drives physiological adaptation to environmental stress. She received her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she used single-cell transcriptomics to study developmental transitions in sorghum leaves and leaf hydraulics, with a specific interest in bulliform cells. Her current research integrates plant physiology, developmental biology, anatomy and genomics to understand how grasses evolve and coordinate cellular functions that contribute to drought stress resilience and adaptation. When she is not in the lab, you will probably find her curled up in her apartment with a good book. She also loves traveling and is always on the lookout for great food wherever she goes.
Program: Applied Health Sciences
Supervisor: Lisa Lix
Research title: Rethinking Chronic Kidney Disease: Is remission Possible
Research Summary: My research proposes a definition for chronic kidney disease remission, investigates how often remission occurs and whether it translates into better long-term health.
Biography: Dr. Reaume completed his medical degree at the University of Ottawa, residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Manitoba, and subspecialty training in Nephrology at the University of Ottawa. He also earned an MSc in Biostatistics from Queen’s University, where he developed expertise in analyzing population-based health administrative and survey data. His postdoctoral fellowship is jointly funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the University of Manitoba’s Department of Internal Medicine. His research focuses on chronic kidney disease epidemiology, health services research, and health equity.
Program: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Supervisor: Peng Hu
Research Title: Constellation-Level Power Allocation for LEO Space-Based Solar Power
Research Summary: A novel LEO SBSP system model ran over 24-hour system level simulation of a Walker 4×5 LEO SBSP constellation at an altitude of 450km.
Biography: Before joining UM, Amjad Iqbal was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University, Canada. He received his B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from CECOS University, Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2014, and his M.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar, in 2017. In 2022, he earned his Ph.D. in Wireless Communication from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia. He has a passion for advancing wireless communications. His research interests include deep reinforcement learning, Satellite Networks, 5G/6G networks, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS).
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