Sahar Naim successfully defended her doctoral thesis

Sahar Naim successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled “From Methyl Thioethers to Methanesulfonic Acid: Direct and Indirect Photodegradation Pathways in Aquatic Environments.” Her work focused on understanding the mechanisms of the photochemical transformation of methyl thioethers in water, leading to methanesulfonic acid production. The model methyl thioethers selected were methionine and 3-(methylthio)benzoic acid. Based on product screening, kinetics modeling, and the assessment of the photophysical properties of the excited states, plausible pathways were proposed. Her thesis highlights the significance of photochemical processes in the aquatic environment in forming methanesulfonic acid, a vital component of the sulfur cycle.

The defense was chaired by Prof. Dr. Reto Knutti (ETH Zürich, D-USYS), and the defense committee consisted of Prof. Dr. Lenny Winkel (ETH Zürich, Eawag and D-USYS), Dr. Elisabeth Janssen (ETH Zürich, Eawag), Prof. Dr. Amisha Shah (Purdue University, EEE), and Prof. Dr. Kristopher McNeill (ETH Zürich, D-USYS). After the defense, an apéro was held on the Green Floor of the CHN building. The party included Lebanese specialties, some fun games, and the presentation of the PhD hat.