Rebekka S. Klausen

REBEKKA S. KLAUSEN, PH.D., a native of Brookline, MA, received her B. S. degree in Biochemistry from Boston College in 2005. From 2005-2011, she carried out her graduate studies in organic synthesis under the supervision of Prof. Eric N. Jacobsen (Harvard University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology). In 2011, Rebekka moved to New York, NY to complete postdoctoral research in single molecule electronics with Prof. Colin Nuckolls (Columbia University, Department of Chemistry).

Rebekka initiated her independent research career in 2013, joining the JHU Department of Chemistry as an Assistant Professor. In 2019, she was named the Second Decade Society Assistant Professor and upon promotion to Associate Professor with tenure in 2021 she now holds the title of Second Decade Society Associate Professor. Her innovative research program in polymer chemistry and synthesis has resulted in more than 25 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 1 book chapter, and two patents. Rebekka has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Department of Energy Early Career Award (2015), the Sloan Research Fellowship (2017), the Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences (2017), the JHU Catalyst Award (2017), the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2018) and the American Chemical Society Award in Pure Chemistry (2021). She was most recently named a finalist for the Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists (2021).

Rebekka is particularly proud of her record of working with undergraduate researchers, who have earned co-authorship on 15 manuscripts. Her undergraduate researchers have gone on to medical school (Tufts University, Virginia Commonwealth University) and graduate programs in Chemistry and related disciplines (Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware, Rutgers University).