from left to right: Mohammad Jahanshahi, Associate Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Courtesy), and Nikkhil Vijaya Sankar, PhD student

Nikkhil Vijaya Sankar, a PhD student in the Elmore Family School of Engineering at Purdue University, has earned second place in the highly competitive Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, taking home a $3,000 prize for his compelling presentation titled “Pothole Patrol, AI on the Streets.” Sankar earned his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering at Purdue.

The 3MT® competition challenges graduate students to present their research in just three minutes, using a single static slide and no props. The competition develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of students' and scholars' capacities to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience.

Under the guidance Mohammad Jahanshahi, Associate Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Courtesy), Sankar focuses on leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality to support the development of smart cities. His work aims to make these innovations not only effective but also affordable for widespread adoption.

Sankar said he was honored to represent ECE and to demonstrate how research can transform into real-world impact.

"It’s been incredibly rewarding to see years of research resonate in just three minutes,” he said. “AI has immense potential to enhance how we tackle everyday challenges, and I’m excited to help make that future accessible. I’m grateful to my advisor and my department for making this research possible, and to the 3MT organizers for the opportunity to share it.”

Specifically, Sankar’s research uses AI to improve the accuracy and efficiency of road inspections—a crucial step in maintaining infrastructure and public safety. By automating the detection of potholes and other roadway defects, his work contributes to smarter, faster, and more cost-effective infrastructure management across the United States. A startup has been formed based on this research, which surveyed over 2,000 miles of roads across Indiana, aiming to improve road monitoring and transportation planning.

The competition is organized by Purdue’s Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development. Enrolled graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in all disciplines are eligible to participate in 3MT®. All research presented must have been conducted at Purdue, not from a previous degree, and should be in the final stages so students and scholars have some sound conclusions and impacts to present.