UNC Charlotte’s 3MT Winner Caroline West Heads to Regional Competition and TEDx Stage
Caroline West ’23, a Ph.D. candidate in bioinformatics and computational biology, brings advanced concepts to life through engaging presentations. The winner of UNC Charlotte’s annual Three Minute Thesis competition — West prepares for a whirlwind week where she will present at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools 3MT Competition in Baton Rogue, Louisiana, Feb. 18-20, and immediately fly back to Charlotte to take the stage at TEDxUNC Charlotte on Saturday, Feb. 21.
West, who started with dreams of being a medical doctor, has found her passion exploring the medical field’s big questions and communicating them for broad understanding through scientific research. She does it all while raising two daughters.
“I kind of thrive in chaos; that’s one thing I miss about my time working as a nurse in the ER,” West said. “Eventually it’d be nice to slow down, live life at a normal pace, but I figure I only have this much energy once.”
Communicating scientific research
West graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Clemson University in 2018. To prepare for the MCAT, West enrolled at Charlotte in pursuit of a master’s degree in chemistry, and it was here that she found a new passion — reshaping the medical field through research.
“Working as a bedside nurse, I liked that I could change lives in a hands-on way, but I wanted to affect systemic change,” West said.
While engaged in research at Charlotte, a new opportunity opened to West — presenting research. She first participated in a pitch competition in 2023 and was invigorated by the challenge of communicating the complexities of research around DNA. But after her pitch, she received feedback that shifted her perspective: “Why should I care about DNA?”
“I live, eat and breathe everything DNA, but I realized that just because I care about my science doesn’t mean other people care about my science,” West said.
Inspired to better her skills, West went on to present at the National Science Foundation I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Regionals, twice. She also presented at SERMACS in 2023 and 2025, Middle Atlantic States Mycology Conference at Duke University in spring 2024 and the 2024 Biological Sciences Symposium.
West earned a Master of Science in chemistry in 2023 and is now working toward a Ph.D. in bioinformatics and computational biology — a program she says is equipping her with the tools to tackle her big research questions.
Now, do it in three minutes
3MT is a pitch competition on steroids. Presenters have three minutes or less to convey their research to an audience of nonspecialists, maximizing engagement while only being afforded a single slide.
The first year West competed in 3MT at Charlotte, she didn’t place. The second year she competed, she got to the top 10 but still didn’t place. The third time proved to be the charm.
In her competition-winning three-minute thesis, West explained her research around biomolecular condensates — a relatively new area of study — through a surprising comparison.
West explained liquid phase separation in cells by comparing it to an egg. Inside an eggshell, the egg white and yolk separate into distinct liquids with different roles. In cells, a similar process allows molecules to gather into liquid compartments called condensates.
Healthy condensates help cells function by protecting important molecules, such as RNA, during periods of stress. They also speed up key reactions by bringing the right molecules together while keeping others out. In addition, condensates can act like temporary storage lockers, holding molecules the cell does not need immediately but may use later.
However, sometimes condensates can lose their liquid nature and become more solid or sticky. This behavior has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS, although researchers are still working to understand exactly how this happens.
“People may not be familiar with biomolecular condensates, but almost everyone can picture an egg,” West said. “When an egg is boiled, it changes from a liquid to a solid and can no longer function the same way. Similarly, when a condensate hardens, it can lose its normal function, and in some cases this change may not be reversible.”
Explain it to me like I’m five
West believes the scientific community often has great ideas that get locked away in journals. West said this can be limiting, and at worst can lead to fundamental misunderstandings and mistrust.
“I believe knowledge is power, and by only speaking in jargon, you’re excluding a lot of people from these great ideas,” West said. “I try to make everything so my five-year-old can understand it.”
West has two daughters who she is very close to. Despite her rigorous academic responsibilities, West still finds time to coach their sports teams. Seeing the world through their eyes, West gets plenty of practice breaking down the science of the everyday, from yeast in the kitchen to flowers at UNC Charlotte’s Botanical Gardens.
“It’s really fun to see that five-year-old excitement and it gives me more excitement to want to explain science to more people,” West said.
Hear Caroline West speak at TEDxUNC Charlotte, Saturday, Feb. 21.