Katie Platt successfully defended

On November 25th, 2024, Katie Platt successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Shedding Light on the Aquatic Photoreactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter and Environmental Organic Pollutants.” The thesis encompassed four chapters of research including: investigations of the photoreactivity of both anilines and phenols with dissolved organic matter, a deep dive on the thermal and photochemical reactivity of 6PPD, IPPD, and 6PPD-quinone (the Coho salmon killer), and a look at the latitudinal variance of dissolved organic matter reactivity across the Americas.
The defense committee members included Prof. Dr. Kristopher McNeill (ETH, D-USYS), Dr. Oleksandr Yushchenko (ETH, D-USYS), Prof. Dr. Nicholas Pflug (SUNY ESF, D-CHEM), and Prof. Dr. Lenny Winkel (ETH, D-USYS). The defense was chaired by Prof. Dr. Ruben Kretzschmar (ETH, D-USYS). The event was followed by a fun “day in the life of Katie” game, presentation of the eclectic PhD hat (shown in the photo), and a delicious apéro. Champagne was popped and celebrations were enjoyed by all!