Dr. Rich Monsky assists Choate’s life sciences clients by utilizing his background in Organic Chemistry to help with the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, as well as freedom-to-operate and patentability analyses. Prior to joining Choate, Rich earned his PhD from Northwestern University, where his research focused on the synthesis and characterization of advanced organic materials and the development of low-temperature PFAS destruction methods. His doctoral thesis investigated the complete degradation of several highly stable perfluorinated compounds, such as PFOA and PFOS, employing a variety of analytical techniques paired with computational calculations to elucidate their degradation mechanisms. In addition, he collaborated with several academic and industry groups on multidisciplinary projects. This included optimizing electrochemical conditions for PFAS destruction and exploring PFAS-free alternatives for heat transfer fluids used in industries such as semiconductor manufacturing. Rich also has extensive experience conducting literature and prior-art-style analyses, developing technical summaries for complex chemical technologies, and leading cross-disciplinary research efforts. Publications and Presentations “Electrochemical Degradation of Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonates via Sulfonate to Carboxylate Conversion,” co-author, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2026 “Thiophene-substituted quinoxaline donor-acceptor dyes: Synthesis, NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and photophysical properties,” co-author, Tetrahedron, 2025 “Low-Temperature Mineralization of Fluorotelomers with Diverse Polar Head Groups,” co-author, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024 Education & Credentials Northwestern University, PhD (2022) Organic Chemistry Marist University, BS (2019) Chemistry