Judith received her PhD in Chemistry from Caltech in 2014.  Her thesis focused on the organic functionalization of Si(111) surfaces with proton-reduction catalysts for solar-assisted water splitting reactions.  This work involved the use of surface-sensitive characterization techniques, including XPS and FTIR, and electrochemistry to study the interface between the silicon, the surface-bound complexes, and solution.  She joined the Friend lab in September 2014 and studied nanoporous gold catalysts for solution phase oxidation reactions in both batch and flow reactors. These reactions are analyzed by GCMS and the catalysts are characterized before and after reaction using XPS and SEM.