Tanuja delivering her winning presentation.

Tanuja Rajah brings new meaning to the phrase “make love, not war” – no one is going to look at cells the same way again.

The PhD student described how cells divide, multiply and commit suicide in a way that non-scientists would easily understand.

When cells make love, they multiply; when cells make war, they kill invading cells like bacteria and viruses, and, cells also kill themselves.

Successfully describing cell division and multiplication in an easy-to-comprehend manner was the winning attribute that gained Tanuja the title of Monash University champion of the Three Minute Thesis competition.

“I tried to make it animated and find a way to show how significant diseases. I then needed to show how understanding T cells behaviour could possibly help fight certain diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis,” she explained via a telephone interview from Melbourne.

Tanuja, who represented the Sunway campus competed against 10 other contestants from various Monash University Faculties, was the only Malaysian. She won AUD1,000.

She will meet fellow champions from other Australian and New Zealand universities at the transnational competition on Sept 29 at the University of Western Australia.

The 27-year-old received a bachelor of science in genetics from the University of Melbourne and later completed her Honours at the Sunway campus. Tanuja is currently in the third year of her PhD at the School of Science, studying the regulation of human T cell activation and proliferation at the School of Science.

The competition is organised specifically for HDR students to challenge them in sharing their research work in everyday language within a three-minute deadline.

The competition hopes to develop students’ academic and research communication skills through sharing the importance and potential impact of their research to their colleagues and a broader community. At the same time, students learn about other research happenings at Monash, the 3MT website read.

Tanuja was the first participant from the Sunway campus to take part in the competition, which is initiated by the Monash Research Graduate School.

“How do I feel?” she chuckled when asked about her win. “I definitely wasn’t expecting this!”

Tanuja’s decision to enter the competition was a last minute one.

“I only signed up for this one hour before the registration, but I am so glad I did! This has been such an experience,” she gushed, adding she was honoured to be representing Monash University.

Vice Chancellor Professor Ed Byrne was joined on the judging panel by Professor Kim Langfield-Smith of the Faculty of Business and Economics, and Professor Graeme Davison of the Faculty of Arts.