Monica Reza
American metallurgist (born c. 1965)
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Monica Jacinto Reza is an American metallurgist and materials engineer. In the mid-1990s, she co-invented Mondaloy, a nickel-based superalloy used in rocket engines, while working at Rocketdyne.
1965 or 1966 (age 60–61)
Angeles National Forest,
Los Angeles County
UCLA (MS)
Monica Jacinto Reza | |
|---|---|
| Born | Monica Jacinto 1965 or 1966 (age 60–61) |
| Disappeared | June 22, 2025 (aged 60) Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County |
| Status | Missing for 10 months and 11 days |
| Education | Columbia University (BS) UCLA (MS) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | Aerojet Rocketdyne Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
On June 22, 2025, she disappeared while hiking in the Angeles National Forest. Her disappearance is under investigation as part of the White House probe into the missing scientists conspiracy theory.
Early life and education
She earned a Bachelor of Science in metallurgical engineering from Columbia University.[1] She later attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), earning a Master of Science in materials engineering in 1997.[1]
Career
Reza started her career working at Rocketdyne, then a division of Rockwell International, in 1988. At Rocketdyne, Reza began working on the problem of oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle engines. American engine manufacturers had historically avoided the design because oxygen gas tended to combust engine components at high pressures.[1] By the mid-1990s, she and Dallis Hardwick (1950–2015), an Australian metallurgist at the Rockwell Science Center and the first woman to earn a doctorate in metallurgy from the University of New South Wales,[2][3] developed Mondaloy, a nickel-based superalloy that withstands high-pressure, high-temperature gaseous oxygen without combusting.[1][4] The material does not require protective coatings and maintains structural strength at extreme operating conditions, allowing rocket engine components to be lighter and more reliable.[1][5][6]
In 1999, Reza collaborated with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as part of a cost-sharing program to scale up production and refine processing methods for Mondaloy. NASA also funded research into the alloy in the early 2000s for potential use in large oxygen-rich booster engines. The alloy was eventually used in approximately 12 components of Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 engine and the Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator.[1] In 2003, she was awarded the first of three patents applications that she would receive for her invention of burn-resistant and high tensile strength metal alloys.[7] In 2004, while working at Boeing as an associate technical fellow, Reza received the inaugural Luminary Award from the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC), recognizing her contributions to the Hispanic technical community and her work "inspiring youth to pursue engineering and technical careers".[5] In 2016, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced a major milestone in rocket propulsion technology citing Reza's advancement.[8] In 2026, a House Oversight Committee press release cited unconfirmed public reporting that Reza had worked in a materials‑processing role at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[9]
| Patent name | Inventors | Date | Patent application number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burn-resistant and high tensile strength metal alloys | Monica A. Jacinto et al. | 3/20/2003 | US-20030053926-A1 |
| Burn-resistant and high tensile strength metal alloys | Monica A. Jacinto et al. | 10/21/2004 | US-20040208777-A1 |
| Burn-resistant and high tensile strength metal alloys | Monica A. Jacinto et al. | 10/21/2010 | US-20100266442-A1 |
Disappearance
On the morning of June 22, 2025, Reza disappeared while hiking in the Angeles National Forest.[10]
Her disappearance is under investigation as part of a White House probe into people with high government clearance and scientists who have died or gone missing in recent years, including retired Air Force Major General Neil McCasland, Caltech astronomer Carl Grillmair, and MIT fusion scientist Nuno Loureiro, among others.[11][12]