Reyhaneh Maktoufi is a scientist, researcher, media consultant, communicator and illustrator. Her latest endeavor: the Nova/PBS digital series Sciencing Out. This mini-series, which Maktoufi co-produces, hosts and illustrates, showcases women in history who have used different strategies to communicate their science.
Maktoufi’s research interests cover science communication, misinformation, curiosity and public engagement with scientists. She has also completed a Phd in Media, Technology and Society at Northwestern University. Maktoufi currently works with the Communicating Science Conference, as well as the Nonprofit Network and Social Impact Lab. There, she researches mergers between nonprofits and attitudes toward nonprofit-corporation partnerships.
But her research doesn’t stop there. Makftoufi studies science communication at the Adler Planetarium, where she facilitates workshops on communication. She is also a Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow in Misinformation at GBH/Nova.
Reyhaneh Maktoufi: a curious career
Born in Tehran, Maktoufi studied physiotherapy and then health psychology after high school. During this time, she began to focus on health communication. She worked with different nonprofits to develop advocacy campaigns, and advised experts on how to become better communicators.
In her health communication work, Maktoufi learned about the importance of empathy. She realized this working in a hospice and doing cancer advocacy work in Tehran. ‘Empathy is about listening, understanding, and not constantly offering solutions’ she tells 500 Women Scientists.
Whilst completing her PhD at Northwestern, Maktoufi started an internship at the Adler Planetarium. Her research there focused on how to elicit curiosity from the visitors. One project aimed to help with educating the climate crisis. How do we make the risks of climate change more plausible? How do climate scientists build more trust? And how might they entice more curiosity in their audiences? These are some of the questions Maktoufi has been finding answers to.
Reyhaneh Maktoufi: a life of science
Maktoufi’s curiosity about the world started in high school, where she engaged in amateur astronomy. There, a pair of binoculars accompanied her everywhere and she would talk to people about her favorite subject. It was through this that she discovered her passion for telling stories about science. Now she is an expert communicator, and has her own TED talk on solutions for global communication. She is also a producer at the Story Collider podcast, a podcast presenting true, personal stories about science.
Being a compulsive doodler, Maktoufi realised she could put her sketches to good use. She now engages in science outreach by illustrating science comics. The main theme of the comics is empathy and inclusivity in science communication. Her discovery of this communication method came when she attended a talk about fake news by Dr. Dominique Brossard. During the talk she turned Brossard’s words into sketches. Knowing that some people are visual learners, she knew she had to share her drawings. You can see the results of that here.
In her spare time Maktoufi likes to practice samurai swordsmanship—Mugai Ryu style—at the Japanese culture centre. ‘It’s a great way to meditate and build a community outside of school and academia!’ she says.
Reyhaneh Maktoufi: “Sciencing Out”
Maktoufi’s illustration and science communication skills have now come together in the Nova/PBS digital mini-series Sciencing Out. Specifically, the series looks at the personal stories of women who have employed different strategies to communicate their science. Maktoufi co-produces, hosts and illustrates the videos.
Maktoufi dives deep into their lives as brilliant science communicators. In the first video she introduces us to Hypatia of Alexandria, a mathematician from 1650 years ago. Hypatia was an expert in math, philosophy and Maktoufi’s own childhood passion: astronomy.
Maktoufi also explores the work of contemporary communicators such as modern-day ecologist Dr Nalini Nadkarni. Nadkarni brings her passion for the scientific care of nature to wide audiences, holding talks at churches, synagogues and prisons.
Maktoufi shares the drive behind the work of these women: making science as accessible and engaging as possible.
To learn about the extraordinary lives of these scientists and see Maktoufi in action, watch Sciencing Out here.
