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On Thursday, 2 July, Annemarie Voorberg became one of the first researchers at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� to defend her dissertation in ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� Hall since the start of the lockdown in March. It turned out to be a ‘hybrid’ ceremony, as only some of the committee members and guests were allowed to attend in person. Voorberg: “A hybrid format like this has its advantages. It might be a good idea to keep doing it even after the coronavirus pandemic ends.”

Up in the air

“I’d always hoped that I would be able to defend my dissertation in the Senate Hall”, says an excited Annemarie Voorberg at the beginning of the interview via Teams. “More and more measures have been relaxed recently, but it was still up in the air until the decision was made just a few weeks ago. I’m extremely happy that it all worked out. It was a beautiful, full-fledged ceremony and I look back on it with great fondness."

I’d attended quite a few ceremonies recently, some of them for people I don’t even know

Surreal

The fact that only half of the guests were allowed to attend in person took some getting used to. Voorberg: "I wasn’t able to invite everyone, and it seemed a bit taxing to switch back and forth between a ‘real’ face and a computer screen.” In the end, everything worked out well. “The committee members who participated remotely, I could see well on big screens and the sound was perfect. Actually, it felt pretty natural to answer the questions that way." Moreover, Voorberg didn't feel like she was standing in front of an empty room, because the guests were scattered all over. "They were lined up in neat rows. That was a bit surreal."

Godsend

Guests who were unable to attend in person followed the ceremony via a live stream. This turns out to have some benefits of its own. For example, it makes the ceremony much more accessible for guests from abroad. In the case of Voorberg, people joined from New Zealand to Great Britain. Also for Voorberg herself, the live stream turned out to be a godsend. “I’d attended quite a few ceremonies recently, some of them for people I don’t even know”, she explains. “I really appreciated that, because it helped me with my preparations.”

Malaria is responsible for more than 400,000 deaths per year, which makes it just as deadly as the coronavirus

Dormant malaria parasites

Voorberg did her dissertation at the Faculty of Science, and has developed a system scientists can use to test new medicines, especially medication to fight dormant malaria parasites. These parasites hide in the liver, and can cause a new infection weeks or even months later. The medication currently used to fight malaria is not as effective against the parasites. Malaria is responsible for more than 400,000 deaths per year, which makes it just as deadly as the coronavirus.