Dr. Katharina Sodnikar

Understanding the fate of organic pollutants in the environment is essential to assess their effect on environmental and human health. In her PhD at ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Katharina investigated the environmental fate of double-stranded ribonucleic acids and deoxyribonucleic acids, the former of which are used as biopesticides in agricultural soils. There, she elucidated the factors governing nucleic acid adsorption to mineral surfaces and determined the effect of adsorption on their biodegradation. As a senior scientist at the University of Vienna, she develops analytical tools to detect organic chemicals such as tire additives, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, water-soluble polymers, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as potential degradation products thereof.