ECE 3MT Competition: Graduate Students Advanced to Semi-Finals

ECE graduate students Jonas Welsch and Mohammed Elnawawy made a significant impact at the ECE 3MT competition on March 4th, 2025. Jonas’s first place win and Mohammed’s second place triumph not only showcased their hard-work in ECE but also advanced them to the semi-finals competition hosted by UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

ECE spoke with Jonas and Mohammed about the research they presented during the competition and their future plans. Read on to learn more!

Jonas Welsch

Research presented at 3MT

I am working on small Ultrasound sensors called polyCMUTs to monitor ultrasound signals of microscopic cracks and defects in Materials and structures. The specific topic I presented is the monitoring of hydrogen tanks for aircraft as an alternative fuel to classic kerosene. 

What was your favourite part of this experience?

Seeing everybody else’s research and presentation style is always very interesting. It gives you a good chance to connect to grad students from other departments. 

What was your biggest challenge?

The overall quality of presentations and presenters was really really high this year so it was a tough competition. 

What are your future plans in research and work?

For now I will stay at UBC as a postdoctoral fellow. I’ll try to take one step at a time at the moment due to all the chaos around us.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of school and work?

I love the outdoors, skiing in the winter and hiking and off-roading in the summer. 

Do you have any advice for students who want to participate in 3MT?

Especially if you are from engineering try and use as little jargon as possible. Don’t go too much into detail, be aware that all the other people listening have no idea of engineering or all the things familiar to you. Try and make your presentation as easy to understand as possible. 

Mohammed Elnawawy

Research presented at 3MT

Safety-critical applications such as healthcare and autonomous vehicles use machine learning models like deep neural networks (DNN) to make predictions and infer decisions. However, DNNs are susceptible to evasion attacks, which trick the DNN into making wrong decisions at inference time, leading to catastrophic consequences. Current defences treat every threat the same, making them either too weak or too slow. My research introduces a smarter defence: one that adapts in real-time using risk profiling. If the system detects a low-risk attack, it uses lightweight defences to stay efficient. If the risk is high, it deploys powerful defences to ensure safety. This approach makes AI systems more secure without sacrificing performance.

What was your favourite part of this experience?

My favourite part was interacting with the audience after the event and seeing their excitement about my research. It was rewarding to hear their questions and realize that I had successfully communicated a complex topic in a way that resonated with them!

What was your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge was simplifying my research without losing its essence. I’ve always struggled to explain my work to people outside my field, but 3MT pushed me to find creative ways to make it accessible. It was tough at first, but learning to tell a clear, compelling story about my research was incredibly rewarding.

What are your future plans in research and work?

I would love to return to my undergraduate alma mater as a professor, where I can mentor the next generation of researchers and share my passion for AI security. At the same time, I want to continue my research on building robust and resilient AI systems, especially for autonomous vehicles.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of school and work?

I’m a passionate soccer fan—I love both playing and watching the game. I also enjoy board games, especially the fun moments they bring. When the weather is nice, I love going for walks to clear my mind. But above all, I cherish spending quality time with my wife and family—it’s what truly matters most to me.

Do you have any advice for students who want to participate in 3MT?

There’s nothing to stress about…except the 3-minute timer, of course! But seriously, practice your talk until you’ve nailed it. Once you step into the room, let go of the nerves and focus on delivering with confidence. Give it your all, enjoy the experience, and remember—it’s just as much about sharing your passion as it is about the competition!