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Jill McDermott

Jill received her doctoral degree in Chemical Oceanography in February 2015 under the supervision of Drs. Jeffrey Seewald and Christopher German. Her thesis title is: Geochemistry of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Fluids from the Mid-Cayman Rise, Caribbean Sea.

Some excerpts from nominations:

  • Jill served with noteworthy selflessness as a student rep and was a scientific and overall life role model for many JP students. She participated in countless outreach activities with schoolchildren and acted as a JP ambassador at many WHOI functions (such as trustee events). Her combination of personal strength and kindness was a valuable resource to many fellow students and her positive attitude and sense of humor made WHOI social events significantly more enjoyable.
  • She was a great TA for the marine chem class. Our class was extremely large and Jill handled the workload very well. Her recitations were helpful for doing our problem sets and she always responded promptly to our emails. Jill also contributed greatly to the JP by acting as a student rep.
  • She has continually impressed me with her willingness to help out fellow students - not just when she was my TA in Chemical Oceanography but also as a role model of an older student and fellow woman in science.
  • She was exceptionally welcoming to all new students, across disciplines. My interactions with Jill have always been positive, and perhaps more importantly, honest. Her genuine nature lends to increasing a feeling of inclusivity among JP students, fostering community.
  • I first got to know Jill my first year in the program, when she was my teaching assistant for Marine Chemistry. She did a herculean job (with a particularly big class), and was widely admired for her passion, preparation, and willingness to go above & beyond what was required of her. For the students in my cohort in chemistry, the extra handouts and reference materials that Jill developed and provided to us that first year have been invaluable. I’ve used them to study for my generals exam, in drafting manuscripts, and (uniquely) as a TA myself for Marine Chemistry this past year. As a TA, I found myself referring more than once to Jill’s materials and asking myself, “How would Jill have presented this?”