OSN PhD Candidate and DoD SMART Scholar Emily Kwapis successfully defended her PhD Disstertation on Feb. 16 titled “OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY AND CHEMICAL DYNAMICS OF LASER ABLATION PLASMAS FOR THE STANDOFF DETECTION OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS.”

Her committee consisted of Dr. Kyle C. Hartig (Chair), Dr. Chris McDevitt, Dr. James E. Baciak, and Dr. Ryan Houim (External Member).

Her time as a PhD student in the group has been nothing short of noteworthy and meritorious. She has authored seven papers in high-impact journals, with three selected as cover articles. Additionally, she has delivered numerous talks at conferences and workshops, several of which were by invitation. Her contributions have garnered recognition through multiple awards, including honors from international scientific societies.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Emily Kwapis on her successful defense and I truly look forward to her future success in her post-graduate career! 🙂