Research Scientist - Carbonation
almost 3 years ago
Full time role
San Francisco, CA, US
San Francisco, CA, US
Job Description
Company Summary
Our mission is to accelerate our planet’s transition to a carbon negative society. We will capture 1B tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2035 (equivalent of ~60M Americans’ annual emissions today), and build a multi-billion dollar business along the way. The problem we are solving is that according to IPCC, billions of tons of CO2 need to removed from the atmosphere (in addition to decarbonizing the entire economy) by 2050 to keep global warming to 1.5 °C, but current technologies are too expensive and not scalable to the volume necessary.
Unlike traditional engineered removal solutions, our Nature published technology combines the natural properties of minerals (carbon mineralization) with engineering to provide a low cost path to $50/tCO2 for Direct Air Capture (DAC), the cost at which carbon removal will be transformative.
Our early customers are corporations and other entities that need to reduce and offset their carbon emissions to meet compliance requirements or carbon pledges. Our go-to-market strategy allows us to be unit profitable from day one, and reach >$1B in revenue just from existing markets and pledges. Our $100B opportunity lies with carbon markets set for creation in the EU, US, and other markets.
Over the next 18 months, we will de-risk our cost estimates, build our first deployment, and validate the commercial viability of this technology.
About the job
The Heirloom team is on a path to creating a sustainable, scalable, and economically viable carbon removal system. This technology - which requires a unique blend of geology, chemistry, industrial engineering, and process engineering - doesn’t yet exist at the scales necessary to make a difference, so we need to build it ourselves.
We are looking to hire a dedicated research scientist to assist in Heirloom’s R&D projects related to carbon mineralization. As a part of our carbonation team, you will work towards understanding and characterizing the system’s carbonation kinetics over a variety of environmental parameters. You will share and drive exploratory research and development phases as well as translate key carbonation concepts into metrics for hardware development. Your work has the potential to directly shape our fight against climate change.
Our mission is to accelerate our planet’s transition to a carbon negative society. We will capture 1B tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2035 (equivalent of ~60M Americans’ annual emissions today), and build a multi-billion dollar business along the way. The problem we are solving is that according to IPCC, billions of tons of CO2 need to removed from the atmosphere (in addition to decarbonizing the entire economy) by 2050 to keep global warming to 1.5 °C, but current technologies are too expensive and not scalable to the volume necessary.
Unlike traditional engineered removal solutions, our Nature published technology combines the natural properties of minerals (carbon mineralization) with engineering to provide a low cost path to $50/tCO2 for Direct Air Capture (DAC), the cost at which carbon removal will be transformative.
Our early customers are corporations and other entities that need to reduce and offset their carbon emissions to meet compliance requirements or carbon pledges. Our go-to-market strategy allows us to be unit profitable from day one, and reach >$1B in revenue just from existing markets and pledges. Our $100B opportunity lies with carbon markets set for creation in the EU, US, and other markets.
Over the next 18 months, we will de-risk our cost estimates, build our first deployment, and validate the commercial viability of this technology.
About the job
The Heirloom team is on a path to creating a sustainable, scalable, and economically viable carbon removal system. This technology - which requires a unique blend of geology, chemistry, industrial engineering, and process engineering - doesn’t yet exist at the scales necessary to make a difference, so we need to build it ourselves.
We are looking to hire a dedicated research scientist to assist in Heirloom’s R&D projects related to carbon mineralization. As a part of our carbonation team, you will work towards understanding and characterizing the system’s carbonation kinetics over a variety of environmental parameters. You will share and drive exploratory research and development phases as well as translate key carbonation concepts into metrics for hardware development. Your work has the potential to directly shape our fight against climate change.
What You Will Do
- Design experiments to test carbonation at varying environmental conditions, working directly with a team of scientists and engineers.
- Study and enhance carbonation process of reactive minerals by optimizing our proprietary techniques and developing new ones.
- Design and perform analytical testing using a variety of methodologies to assess carbonation performance.
- Develop and validate kinetic models to predict carbonation behavior under varying environmental conditions.
- Use experimental results to develop and communicate key metrics for hardware development.
- Collect, interpret and analyze data, compile results, and prepare reports.
- Work as a part of a team of world-class scientists and engineers to execute on our development plans, with an urgency rooted in the importance of our mission.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering (such as Chemical, Process, Materials Engineering, or a related field), Applied Science (Materials Science, Geology, Chemistry, Physics, or related field) or equivalent practical experience.
- ≥ 2 years of relevant work experience in an applied field with expertise in carbon mineralization.
- Prior experience working in a laboratory environment.
- Strong attention to detail and experience with critical problem solving.
- Self-motivated and willing to learn and adapt in a fast-paced organization.
Desired Qualifications
- Understanding of and experience with solid-state kinetics.
- Knowledge of materials science/chemistry/geochemistry/physics.
- Expertise in materials characterization and processing, including surface characterization, carbon content, reactivity analyses.
- Experience setting up data acquisition systems.
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