Veronika Merold successfully defends her doctoral thesis
22.09.2025
On September 22, 2025, Veronika ("Vroni") Merold, PhD student in the lab of Prof. Carina de Oliveira Mann at TU Munich's NTase Lab, successfully defended her doctoral thesis titled "Structural and Biochemical Analysis of OAS2."
Since TRR237's second funding period—when Prof. Mann's project joined the consortium—her work advanced understanding of OAS1's dsRNA activation mechanisms, including sequence specificity, 5'-triphosphate effects, and length-dependent recognition in antiviral immunity—key insights for TRR237.
Not only awarded her degree, but also celebrated with colleagues, family, and a traditional doctoral hat decorated with personal lab anecdotes by her fellows, she became the NTase Lab's first PhD graduate.
TRR237 congratulates Dr. Veronika Merold on this milestone and her lasting impact on our consortium!