REYHANEH MAKTOUFI
Science communication researcher, producer, trainer, and strategist
About Rey
Dr. Reyhaneh (Rey) Maktoufi is a DC-based, Iranian researcher and science communicator. She is the co-producer, host and illustrator of PBS| NOVA's digital series Sciencing Out, a mini-series on women in history who have used different strategies to communicate their science. Rey received her Ph.D. in Media, Technology, and Society at Northwestern University. She is an HHMI, Tangled Bank Studio Fellow in Science Communication, where she designs and runs evaluation and impact campaigns that connect science and culture, such as the Nature Stewardship campaign. Previously, Rey was a Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow in Misinformation at GBH|NOVA. As a researcher, media strategist/consultant, and impact producer, her main fields of interest are eliciting hope, curiosity, and trust and building impact campaigns that combine science and culture. She was a visiting researcher at the Adler Planetarium, where she studied science communication and facilitated workshops on communication skills and she's also a producer at The Story Collider podcast. Before starting a Ph.D., Rey worked as a health communication facilitator and cancer preventive/palliative care campaign manager in Tehran, Iran. Rey currently enjoys working with different nonprofits such as the NEWF (Nature, Environment, Wildlife Filmmaking) and the Communicating Science Conference (ComSciCon). She also engages in science outreach through writing blog-posts and making science comics and has been interviewed on outlets such as the Smithsonian Magazine and the SETI Institute's podcast Big Picture Science.
SO WHAT IS IT THAT YOU DO?
I do science communication research and evaluation.
I design and run impact campaigns that connect science and culture.
I teach workshops on science communication, like trust-building and building moments that transport audiences.
I work on partnerships that train the next generation of science communicators and filmmakers.
YOU CAN FIND ME AT
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Ph.D. Media, Technology, & Society