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UCC doctoral student to represent Ireland in international TMT180 finals
A University College Cork (UCC) doctoral student will represent Ireland at the international ‘Ma Thése en 180 secondes’ (TMT180) finals in Bucharest later this year.
Mélanie Depret, a PhD student in the Departments of Anatomy & Neuroscience and Pharmacology & Therapeutics and APC Microbiome Ireland – a world leading Research Ireland Centre, is awarded a place in the international finals after she claimed first place in the national MT180 competition held at the University of Galway.
Organised by The Embassy of France in Ireland, The Irish Universities Association, and the Association for Franco-Irish Studies, the MT180 competition is open to French doctoral students researching in Ireland. 15 finalists presented their research in 3 minutes, with Mélanie emerging as the winner for her presentation entitled 'Functional Mapping of Brain Pathways Involved in the Gut Microbial Modulation of Social Behavior.'
Funded by the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, and under the supervision of Professor John Cryan and Dr Linda Katona, Melanie’s research explores how gut bacteria influence social behaviour, with a particular focus on the gut microbiome-brain communication through the vagus nerve - the major pathway linking the gut to the central nervous system. Using models, her work manipulates the composition of the gut microbiota of the models and observe the impact on social interaction and brain activity in socially relevant brain regions. The goal of this work is to identify specific neuronal pathways by which the gut microbiota modulates social behaviour through the vagus nerve. These insights could pave the way for the development of personalised probiotic or prebiotic strategies to support mental health.
Congratulating Mélanie on her MT180, UCC’s Dean of Doctoral Studies Professor Orla Lynch said: "The three minute thesis competition is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the groundbreaking research being conducted by French speaking doctoral students in Ireland. TMT180 provides a platform for these students to enhance their communications skills by presenting their research to a diverse audience. I would like to extend my congratulations to Mélanie on her fantastic win and wish her every success representing Ireland at the international finals later in the year."
The international finals in Bucharest, Romania, take place from October 1st-3rd 2025.