Rachel Dorin, Ph.D. ’13, founder and CEO of TeraPore Technologies and an innovator in the fields of membrane science and polymer engineering, was honored with the 2025 Cornell Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award.
Established in 2015, the award recognizes materials science and engineering graduates whose leadership, innovation, and impact have brought distinction to their fields. Dorin received the award at the 10th Annual Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Awards Gala, held May 9 at Willard Straight Hall.
Dorin is the co‑founder and CEO of TeraPore Technologies, a San Francisco–based company she launched to commercialize breakthrough membrane technologies she developed as a graduate student at Cornell. Her work in the lab of Ulrich Wiesner, the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, led to a novel, tunable method for producing isoporous block copolymer membranes. These membranes enable ultra‑precise separations critical to biomanufacturing and semiconductor chip processing.
Dorin holds more than a dozen patents and has authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications in membrane science and nanomaterials. In 2024, she was selected for the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s American Innovator Award, joining a select group of researchers recognized for pioneering new technologies based on federally funded research. She was also featured in the coalition’s annual Faces of American Innovation report.
Before founding TeraPore, Dorin completed her doctoral work in Cornell’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, where she focused on self-assembling polymer systems for advanced membrane applications.
Since earning her Ph.D., Dorin has become a prominent voice in the innovation ecosystem, advancing solutions at the intersection of materials science, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing.
Dorin continues to support early-stage scientists and engineers through mentorship and advisory roles, particularly in advancing women in STEM and academic entrepreneurship. Her success reflects not only the strength of her scientific contributions, but also her commitment to innovation.