Sarah Rehn, Ph.D. is a research scientist in the eco-remediation group at the Materials Discovery Research Institute. Her work focuses on the synthesis, modification, and characterization of advanced materials that support sustainability and new green processes. Currently, she is at work developing inexpensive materials for atmospheric water harvesting in arid regions as well as launching the metals reclamation project.

Prior to joining the institute, Rehn worked as a materials scientist at the startup Mattiq, which focused on the creation of electrocatalyst materials and processes via ultra-high throughput experimentation that build supply-chain resilience and relieve environmental burdens of current technologies. In particular, she developed and managed scalable synthesis and characterization workflows to generate patentable processes and materials. Additionally, she was responsible for performing and managing high throughput electrode fabrication and electrolyzer testing.

Rehn held previous appointments as a postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University in the Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, where she investigated biomarker detection in human eccrine sweat via wearable microfluidics; as an NSF graduate research fellow at Rice University, where she investigated surface chemo-mechanical coupling in high-aspect ratio inorganic nanostructures; and as a Goldwater Scholar/NIH INBRE fellow at Boise State University, where she investigated the detection of cancer biomarkers in human serum using DNA reaction networks.

With over a decade of experience at the intersection of chemistry and materials science, Rehn is a T-shaped scientist with a deep expertise in the preparation and characterization of various classes of materials, supplemented by technical business acumen and intellectual property experience.

Rehn holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Rice University and a B.S. in chemistry from Boise State University.