Laureen Meroueh

Dr. Laureen Meroueh is the Founder and CEO of Hertha Metals, a venture-backed startup developing novel technology to modernize iron and steel production with greater efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. She is also the inventor of Hertha’s proprietary pyrometallurgical process, which underpins the company’s breakthrough approach.

Before founding Hertha Metals, Dr. Meroueh was the CEO of Alchemr, a Hydrogen startup, where she led the development and commercialization of anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. She is widely recognized for her leadership and technical innovation, having received honors such as Forbes 30 Under 30, MIT Energy Initiative Fellow sponsored by ExxonMobil, Breakthrough Energy Innovator Fellow, and World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Her work at Hertha Metals is also featured in Bill Gates’ new Netflix series “What’s Next?”.

Dr. Meroueh holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a graduate minor in Entrepreneurship and Business, and a dual bachelor’s in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. She is the Co-founder of MIT’s Graduate Engineering Leadership program, a program currently sponsored by former Apple executives.