In the Grand Final Matthew Putland, a doctoral researcher from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS), was crowned as this year’s winner for his presentation “Running Wild: The Benefits of Green Exercise”. His research is supervised by Dr Danny Longman, Professor Stacy Clemes and Dr Stephen Bailey.
Each contestant is asked to communicate their research into a three-minute pitch using just one static slide. Matthew fought off tough competition to win the SSEHS competition in June, before presenting his work at the Loughborough University 3MT® final at the University’s Summer Showcase in July.
Matthew’s research explores how emerging evolutionary theory can help address one of today’s biggest public health challenges: physical inactivity. By studying green exercise—physical activity in natural environments—he has found that people perform better and feel better in nature. His findings highlight the potential of nature-based movement to inspire more sustainable and enjoyable ways to stay active.
His win means Matthew will represent Loughborough University at the East Midlands Doctoral Network Regional Final and the quarter-finals of Vitae’s National 3MT® Competition.
Reflecting on his win, Matthew shared: "I am so honoured to have won the University’s three-minute thesis competition. I entered the competition to gain experience at presenting my work, so to now be representing Loughborough University at the national quarter finals is incredible. It was so much fun listening to all the presenters and seeing the wide range of research happening at the University. The atmosphere throughout the entire event was so positive and provided a great environment to push myself out of my comfort zone. I would really encourage everyone to enter the 3 competition. It is a really fun way to get your research out there to a wider audience and helps build your own confidence on the way."
To read more about the world-leading research being undertaken in SSEHS by our Doctoral Researchers, please visit our Research and Innovation pages