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Meet the winners of the 2024 dance your phd contest, "one of the main messages i wanted to convey... is that differences lead to diversity.".

Jennifer Ouellette - Feb 29, 2024 5:31 pm UTC

We've been following the annual Dance Your PhD contest for several years now, delighting in the many creative approaches researchers have devised to adapt their doctoral theses into movement—from "nano-sponge" materials and superconductivity to the physics of atmospheric molecular clusters and the science of COVID-19. This year's winner is Weliton Menário Costa of the Australian National University for his thesis "Personality, Social Environment, and Maternal-level Effects: Insights from a Wild Kangaroo Population." His video entry, "Kangaroo Time," is having a bit of a viral moment, charming viewers with its catchy beat and colorful, quirky mix of dance styles and personalities—both human and kangaroo.

As we reported previously , the Dance Your PhD contest was established in 2008 by science journalist John Bohannon. It was previously sponsored by Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is now sponsored by the AI company Primer, where Bohannon is the director of science. Bohannon told Slate in 2011 that he came up with the idea while trying to figure out how to get a group of stressed-out PhD students in the middle of defending their theses to let off a little steam. So he put together a dance party at Austria's  Institute of Molecular Biotechnology , including a contest for whichever candidate could best explain their thesis topics with interpretive dance.

The contest was such a hit that Bohannon started getting emails asking when the next would be—and Dance Your PhD has continued ever since. It's now in its 16th year. There are four broad categories: physics, chemistry, biology, and social science, with a fairly liberal interpretation of what topics fall under each. All category winners receive $750, while Costa, as the overall champion, will receive an additional $2,000.

Further Reading

A native of Brazil, Costa earned a PhD in ecology from ANU in 2021 after spending several years studying eastern gray kangaroos, using a remote-controlled car to determine their distinct personalities. For example, some were bold and would approach the car out of curiosity; others were shyer and would avoid the car. Among his chief findings: Kangaroos like to socialize in groups but prefer smaller social circles. Kangaroo personalities emerge early, just like in humans, with mothers, offspring, and siblings often having similar personalities. But their personalities are also somewhat flexible; kangaroos will adjust their behavior based on social cues from the kangaroos around them.

When it came time to translate his research into movement, Costa decided to represent the rich diversity of kangaroo behavior with an equally diverse collection of dancers and dance styles: classical ballet, Brazilian funk, and urban styles, to name a few. Everyone was free to improvise their moves, with the only instruction being to mingle with others and slowly unify as a group. Costa joined in, adapting his dance style throughout to match other dancers, thus mimicking how kangaroos adapt their personalities to fit into a group. There's even a behind-the-scenes video, which you can watch here .

"There was a sense of surprise and delight in it," visual artist Alexa Meade, one of the content judges, told Science about why they selected Costa's entry. "You could tell they were having fun through the process, that it wasn't this labored, stressful experience."

Costa is the first ANU researcher to win the contest and only the fourth Australian. "I think it not only shows the incredible might of the research conducted here in Australia but also how creative we are as a nation. Even us scientists," Costa said of his win. "One of the main messages I wanted to convey through this piece of work is that differences lead to diversity, and this is evident throughout the entire video. It's evident with the different dancers that herald from various cultures and backgrounds." Costa is pursuing music as "Dr. WELI," and "Kangaroo Time" is one of four songs on his debut EP, Yours Academically, Dr. WELI . But he'll still be working at ANU as a visiting fellow until early 2025.

Check out the winners of the chemistry, physics, and biology categories on the next page.

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The Many Ways to “Dance Your Ph.D”

Once again, researchers get creative in a yearly dance competition to explain their Ph.D. thesis work

Maris Fessenden

Former correspondent

Communicating scientific research can get challenging, but doctoral candidates spend years delving into the minutia of phenomena in biology, astronomy, chemistry or another field. It would be a shame for that work to stay locked up in the pages of journals, only to be appreciated by other experts. That’s why some researchers jump—and leap, spin or plié —at the chance to reach a wider audience with the Dance Your Ph.D. contest.

Every year, the American Association for the Advancement of Science hosts the contest and doles out $2500 worth in prizes to the winners in four categories: physics, chemistry, biology and social sciences. The best dance overall gets a trip to Stanford University. Past winners included dances that explored sperm competition and an arial interpretation of how tornados affect Appalachian mountain ecosystems .

For this year, the 8th annual contest, the top prize was scooped up by the winner of the social sciences category for the first time, reports John Bohannon for Science . Florence Metz of the University of Bern in Switzerland combined hip hop, salsa and acrobatic dancing styles to represent groups fighting over and then discussing water use and protection. In the video, Metz likens successful water policies to the choreography that helps unite diverse dancers.

Metz's dance was chosen from 32 teams’ submissions . Twelve entries made it to the final round . The other three category winners included, for physics, a tango explaining how photon pairs can be used in quantum information experiments.

The chemistry prize was awarded to a dance illustrating how white blood cells called neutrophils form toxic nets that destroy invading bacteria and other disease-causing agents. 

Finally, for biology, the award went to a co-choreographed performance about a molecule called tropoelastin’s interactions with cells to create an elastic scaffold for tissues like skin and arteries.

All the performances showcase the drama and excitement inherent in typically invisible processes of the body and the world. It just takes some creativity (and moves) to bring them to life.

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Maris Fessenden | | READ MORE

Maris Fessenden is a freelance science writer and artist who appreciates small things and wide open spaces.

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'Kangaroo Time' wins the annual Dance Your PhD contest in Australia

A former academic at Australia National University won the contest for his musical number about the behaviors of kangaroos. Scientists around the world relay their research through interpretive dance.

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Biologist Wins This Year’s ‘Dance Your PhD’ Contest With a Catchy Song About Kangaroo Behavior

Photo: Nic Vevers/Australian National University (ANU)

Some of the catchiest songs out there are inspired by love, heartbreak, or simply partying; however, the next club hit could be a fun song about kangaroo behavior. If it sounds like an obscure scientific topic, that's because it is. Weliton Menário Costa, who goes by WELI , is a biologist who just won the a science competition named “Dance Your PhD” with an upbeat tune called “Kangaroo Time.” The catchy track is even accompanied by a fun and insightful music video based on his research.

“ Dance Your PhD ” is exactly what it sounds like. Scientists submit videos featuring them dancing while they explain what their research is about, as well as their findings, in simple terms. Even if they are averse to the camera, the researcher must be part of the dance. This wasn't an issue for WELI, a creative soul with a knack for songwriting. Not only does he star in the video, but he is also the one who sings on the track.

“I've had a passion for creative writing since I was 18,” WELI tells My Modern Met. “However, my scientific endeavors somewhat stifled my creative expression, leading to a prolonged creative block. About a year before creating ‘ Kangaroo Time ,' I started performing at pubs and open mics, which reignited my songwriting. I would craft the lyrics and melody, and my guitarist friend would create the chords.”

As an immigrant to Australia from Brazil who identifies as queer, WELI found solace in the different personalities observed in the Eastern grey kangaroos, his subject of study. The “Kangaroo Time” music video cleverly depicts and relays some interesting facts about how diversity is inherent to them and many other species. For example, each kangaroo has a unique personality and it appears early in life; and yet, kangaroos can adjust their behavior when in groups and react in different ways when they encounter something new.

To depict this, WELI summoned a diverse group of friends and artists, including drag queens and samba dancers. By spotlighting several genres of dance—as well as the willingness of them all to fall into rhythm and coordinate with one another—WELI both makes his research accessible and sends an uplifting message. “Differences lead to diversity,” the music video explains. “It exists within any given species, it's just natural.”

“The video shoot felt like my graduation, and its success was akin to winning Eurovision!” WELI says. The momentum of the song has even inspired him to take this endeavor a step further. And so, he has released an EP titled Yours Academically, Dr. WELI . “My heart was torn between science and the vibrant world of pop music. After my PhD, I left academia to explore dance and music more freely, which is when I met many of the dancers featured in my video.” Made up of four songs, The EP chronicles his departure from academia to setting his sights on pursuing a music career.

For WELI, the experience of marrying pop music and science was “incredibly fulfilling.” With a little luck, it won't be long until he is filling dance floors with his research-inspired hits. “I hope listeners will be touched by the exuberance of diversity, collaboration, and interdisciplinarity,” he shares. “Any additional insights they gain, whether about kangaroo science or societal aspects, would be an added benefit.”

Weliton Menário Costa, who goes by WELI, is a biologist who just won the “Dance Your PhD” science competition.

This upbeat tune called “kangaroo time” is accompanied by a fun and insightful video based on the scientist's research..

As an immigrant to Australia from Brazil who identifies as queer, WELI found solace in the different personalities found in the Eastern grey kangaroos, his subject of study.

The “Kangaroo Time” music video cleverly depicts and relays some interesting facts about how diversity is inherent to this and many other species.

To depict this, WELI summoned a diverse group of friends and artists, including drag queens and samba dancers.

By spotlighting several genres of dance—as well as the willingness of them all to fall into rhythm and coordinate with one another—WELI both makes his research accessible and sends an uplifting message.

“Differences lead to diversity. It exists within any given species, it's just natural.”

“The video shoot felt like my graduation, and its success was akin to winning Eurovision!”

For WELI, the experience of marrying pop music and science was “incredibly fulfilling.”

Watch the video for “Kangaroo Time”:

Weli: youtube | spotify, my modern met granted permission to feature photos by anu communications and engagement., related articles:, kangaroo strumming an air guitar wins comedy wildlife photo awards, australia’s oldest known rock art is a 17,300-year-old kangaroo painting, bindi irwin introduces baby daughter to adorable group of baby kangaroos, watch the beatles music video made of 1,300 oil paintings, get our weekly newsletter, learn from top artists.

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ANU academic and singer-songwriter WELI wins global competition for music video about kangaroo socialisation

A Brazilian academic has won the global Dance Your PhD award for an elaborately produced and choreographed video explaining his academic work studying social behaviour in kangaroos.

A global expert in kangaroo socialisation, 32-year-old Weliton Menário Costa of the Australian National University (ANU) wrote and directed the music video Kangaroo Time (Club Edit).

The Dance Your PhD contest challenges researchers around the world to explain their research in a simple, effective and engaging way to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public.

"Winning this contest is the equivalent of winning Eurovision for me," Dr Costa said.

"I think it not only shows the incredible might of the research conducted here in Australia, but also how creative we are as a nation. Even us scientists."

He is the first person from ANU to win the Dance Your PhD competition, and just the fourth person from an Australian institution to do so since the competition began in 2008.

Known creatively as WELI, the singer-songwriter and biologist's winning video includes a funky beat and features a variety of performers including drag queens, classical ballet dancers, urban street dancers and Brazilian funk dancers.

WELI said including this diversity of performers from a variety of disciplines and cultures was important to reflect the spectrum of personality present in kangaroo populations — the key finding of his research.

"Using diversity to communicate results has been so effective, it makes it so easy for people to clearly see differences when you actually, genuinely sample the differences," he said.

Using a remote-controlled car WELI spent over three years studying the spectrum of behavioural differences in a group of more than 300 wild eastern grey kangaroos in Victoria.

"We found that kangaroos like to socialise in groups but prefer smaller social circles. Like humans, kangaroo personalities manifest early in life," he said.

"Mothers and their offspring have similar personalities, and so do siblings.

"Kangaroos are very socially aware and will adjust their behaviour based off cues from other roos."

WELI moved from Brazil to Brisbane in 2013 on a Science Without Borders scholarship for undergrad, and after returning to Brazil two years later decided he missed Australia and began applying for PhD positions in the country — eventually landing his kangaroo research with the ANU in 2017.

He said on the surface Kangaroo Time is science communication about his research utilising the creative arts medium, but the video is also a representation of his time in Australia.

"Kangaroo Time is my Australia time, it's the time I came out and lived as a gay man in the workplace for the first time in my life," WELI said.

"I tried to bring all these different aspects of my background — so the Latino WELI, queer WELI, the scientist WELI, the WELI that's popular but [also] the WELI that is sad.

"There is a very important part of the lyrics that say 'you're surrounded by mates, are you feeling alright?' which shows that sometimes you're in social spaces but you're not feeling quite well."

WELI said his decision to apply for a PhD studying socialisation in mammals came from his upbringing in a conservative space as a queer man and noticing the differences in his behaviour while with others as opposed to alone.

"I think that all comes down from me being queer in a conservative space where I've always felt it's suffocating influence of the people around me, and that was shaping my behaviour in a way that didn't necessarily match what I actually want to be or express."

WELI said at the core of his video is a message of inclusivity and diversity — something he hopes will be the main takeaway for viewers.

"As a queer immigrant from a linguistically diverse developing country, I understand the challenges of feeling disconnected in certain environments," he said.

"One of the main messages I wanted to convey through this piece of work is that differences lead to diversity, and this is evident throughout the entire video. It's evident with the different dancers that herald from various cultures and backgrounds.

"I think it's extremely important that we celebrate diversity and creating a video explaining kangaroo personality was an excellent medium for me to do this."

After winning the competition WELI plans to stay both in the academic and creative spaces, with a new EP called Yours Academically, Dr WELI being released soon and plans to continue working at ANU as a Visiting Fellow until early 2025.

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Russia Sends Waves of Troops to the Front in a Brutal Style of Fighting

More than 1,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine were killed or wounded on average each day in May, according to NATO and Western military officials.

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By Julian E. Barnes ,  Eric Schmitt and Marc Santora

Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt reported from Washington, and Marc Santora from Kyiv, Ukraine.

May was a particularly deadly month for the Russian army in Ukraine, with an average of more than 1,000 of its soldiers injured or killed each day, according to U.S., British and other Western intelligence agencies.

But despite its losses, Russia is recruiting 25,000 to 30,000 new soldiers a month — roughly as many as are exiting the battlefield, U.S. officials said. That has allowed its army to keep sending wave after wave of troops at Ukrainian defenses, hoping to overwhelm them and break through the trench lines.

It is a style of warfare that Russian soldiers have likened to being put into a meat grinder, with commanding officers seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are sending infantry soldiers to die.

At times, this approach has proved effective, bringing the Russian army victories in Avdiivka and Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. But Ukrainian and Western officials say the tactics were less successful this spring, as Russia tried to take land near the city of Kharkiv.

American officials said that Russia achieved a critical objective of President Vladimir V. Putin, creating a buffer zone along the border to make it more difficult for the Ukrainians to strike into the country.

But the drive did not threaten Kharkiv and was ultimately stopped by Ukrainian defenses, according to Western officials.

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