Greg Dipple, PhD

Science Advisor

Carbon Mineralization + Carbon Utilization

Dr. Greg Dipple is a Science Advisor for carbon mineralization.

Background & Bio

Dr. Greg Dipple is a Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He studies the processes of and driving forces for mineral-fluid reactions, including those that modulate long-term climate through chemical weathering.

Dr. Dipple has published extensively on fluid-rock interactions from the deep Earth to its surface. Through field, experimental, and modeling studies, he and his students and postdocs have demonstrated that weathering of alkaline mine wastes are vastly accelerated over background weathering rates and impact the short term carbon cycle. His current work focuses on industrial control of these processes for carbon capture, utilization and storage.

Dr. Dipple has worked at The University of British Columbia since 1992. He has served as a Department Head and Associate Dean, and in administrative roles for the Mineral Deposit Research Unit and the Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining.

Education

PhD

Johns Hopkins University

BSc, Geology/ Earth Science

Indiana University, Bloomington

Hadley Tallackson

Policy Analyst

Environmental Policy

Hadley’s climate action experience spans carbon reduction policy, air quality, and public health. Prior to joining Carbon Direct, she led policy analysis on electrification of buildings, transportation, and industry at the policy think tank Energy Innovation. In this role she conducted research assessing hydrogen’s viability for energy utility applications. Previously, she was a consultant with Ramboll, helping clients with technical assessments for air quality and climate regulations as well as corporate sustainability strategy. At both Energy Innovation and Ramboll, she initiated and led diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to support intra-organizational DEI as well as climate justice impact.

Education

B.S., Chemical and Biological Engineering

University of Colorado, Boulder

Publications and Features

blog

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Mar 10, 2023

The President’s Budget: 10 Major Proposals That Could Shape Our Climate Future

Jacob Bukoski, PhD

Science Advisor

Forest Management

Dr. Jacob Bukoski is a Science Advisor at Carbon Direct for forest management.

Background & Bio

Dr. Bukoski's research broadly focuses on the conservation, management, and restoration of forests globally. Through his research, he has been fortunate enough to work in forests across the globe - including Thailand, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Brazil, California, and New England.

Dr. Bukoski completed his Ph.D. at the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, and his M.Sc. in Forest Science at Yale University’s School of Forestry. He also holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bukoski is also currently an Associate Editor at the Journal of Sustainable Forestry.

Education

PhD, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

University of California, Berkeley

MSc, Forest Science

Yale School of the Environment

BA, Environmental Studies

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Publications and Features

blog

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Aug 11, 2022

Modeling carbon storage in single-species forests

James Burbridge

Director - North America Advisory

Carbon Markets

James Burbridge works with clients to advise them on high-quality carbon reduction and removal solutions.

Specifically, he focuses on measuring their emissions to developing strategies to meet various climate commitments to then executing on those through portfolio procurement.

Background & Bio

James Burbridge draws on his experience as an energy markets journalist in China and Singapore where he covered the Chinese energy news and Singapore fuel oil markets. In 2015 he moved to North American carbon markets and helped drive the creation and launch of the OPIS Carbon Market Report.

James joined the XPRIZE Foundation in 2019 where he designed and pitched the $100M XPRIZE Carbon Removal sponsored by the Elon Musk Foundation. He also worked on the prize operations team of the $20M NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE.

Education

MBA

Rotterdam School of Management

BA, English

University of Kansas

Jane Zelikova, PhD

Science Advisor

Soil Carbon + Biodiversity + Climate Justice

Dr. Jane Zelikova is a Carbon Direct science advisor, contributing her expertise in soil science, ecology, and environmental justice.

Dr. Zelikova works with other members of the science and broader Carbon Direct team to review the scientific merits of carbon removal projects, to develop our climate justice initiative, and to broadly support all our work streams.

Background & Bio

Dr. Zelikova received her PhD from the University of Colorado and has worked across academia, government, and non-profit organizations to address climate change, from fundamental science to application and the development of climate solutions.

Dr. Zelikova is also the founder of 500 Women Scientists, a global non-profit organization working to make science open, inclusive, and accessible. In addition, she is a filmmaker and founder of Hey Girl Productions as well as a contributor to the climate anthology “All We Can Save.”

Education

B.S.

University of Georgia

PhD

University of Colorado

Awards

Grist Fixer 2017, 2018

Grist 50

Bitch Media Bitch 50, 2018

Bitch Media

TED speaker, 2021

TED Talks

Jared Stapp

Science Analyst

Forest Management + Geospatial Analysis

Jared is applying his forest management and software development expertise to building the Carbon Direct platform.

Background & Bio

Jared is in the final semester of his PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley, where his dissertation work has focused primarily on examining forest carbon offsets within California's cap-and-trade program.

He is interested in the intersection of environmental policy and land use, and uses various tools and frameworks such as remote sensing, cloud-based tools, causal inference, machine learning, and spatial and econometric modeling. He received his BS in Environmental Studies from Utah State University and his MS in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maine.

Education

PhD Candidate, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

UC Berkeley

MS, Ecology and Environmental Sciences

University of Maine

BS, Environmental Studies

Utah State University

John Dees, PhD

Senior Decarbonization Scientist

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) + Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) + Biofuel

Dr. John Dees is a senior decarbonization scientist responsible for projects involving biomass-based engineered carbon removal (BECCS and BiCRS) and biofuels.

John performs technical analysis and project diligence to assist clients in identifying high-quality carbon removal and sustainable fuel projects. He is also a key contributor to carbon storage durability and waste feedstock working groups.

Background & Bio

John initially trained as a geographer, where he developed a technical background in geospatial analysis and remote sensing. His interests later shifted to energy and climate. His master's thesis investigated interest group politics in state-level renewable energy policy.

John's PhD work focused on the intersection of industrial ecology and climate economics. In his dissertation, he employed life cycle and techno-economic assessment methods to assess the potential for bio-based products and fuels to remove carbon from the atmosphere. As an extension of that work, he employs integrated assessment models to assess the value of temporary carbon storage. John brings an interdisciplinary background to bear across client engagements, from technical project reviews to policy expertise.

During his PhD, John collaborated with the Energy Systems team at Lawrence Livermore National Lab to quantify the technical and economic potential for low-carbon ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel, and carbon removal in the broader bioeconomy.

Education

PhD Energy and Resources Group

UC Berkeley

MS, Energy and Resources Group

UC Berkeley

BS, Environmental Spatial Analysis

University of North Georgia

Awards

Graduate Fellow (2015 - 2020)

NSF

Udall Scholar (2014)

Udall Foundation

Publications and Features

and airplane wing over mountains at sunset

blog

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May 17, 2023

A primer on the future of sustainable aviation fuel

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Chief Scientist

Direct Air Capture (DAC) + Hydrogen + Biofuel

Dr. Julio Friedmann is Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct.

He works directly with clients, the Science team, and the leadership of Carbon Direct to solve major technical challenges around carbon management and CO2 removal.

Background & Bio

Dr. Friedmann recently served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy where he was responsible for DOE’s R&D program in advanced fossil energy systems, carbon capture, and storage (CCS), CO2 utilization, and clean coal deployment. More recently, he was a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia. He has held positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Chief Energy Technologist.

Dr. Friedmann is one of the most widely known and authoritative experts in the U.S. on carbon removal (CO2 drawdown from the air and oceans), CO2 conversion and use (carbon-to-value), hydrogen, industrial decarbonization, and carbon capture and sequestration.

Education

Ph.D. in Geology

University of Southern California

MS, Geology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

BS, Music

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Awards

Greenman award (Lifetime achievement in CCS)

International Energy Agency: IEA

Publications and Features

blog

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Jun 6, 2023

How new EPA power plant rules will affect greenhouse gas emissions

blog

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Apr 25, 2023

Carbon removal gets a boost from the Biden administration

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Mar 22, 2023

IPCC Report: Carbon Removal is Now Required to Meet Climate Mitigation Targets

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Feb 28, 2023

Ammonia: Today’s Imperative, Tomorrow’s Promise

blog

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Feb 13, 2023

From Direct Air Capture to Concrete: How Heirloom and CarbonCure are Kicking off a New Era for Carbon Mineralization

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Nov 8, 2022

Carbon Direct at COP27

blog

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Sep 15, 2022

Commentary on the economics of direct air carbon capture

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Aug 2, 2022

A New Proto-Protocol for Bio-oil Sequestration

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Apr 5, 2022

On the IPCC AR6 WGIII Report: Why Carbon Removal is an Essential Part of Meeting Climate Goals

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Feb 22, 2022

Dr. Julio Friedmann Testifies Before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Energy Subcommittee

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

media

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Nov 11, 2021

Carbon Direct COP26 Global Forum on Carbon Management Technologies

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Mar 7, 2021

Direct air capture is ready for its close-up

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Nov 18, 2020

The Seven Stages of Net-Zero Commitments

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

blog

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Sep 8, 2020

Offsets, Onsets, and Insets: More is More

Julio Friedmann, PhD

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

Katherine Gomes

Science Advisor

Carbon Mineralization

Katherine Gomes is a Science Advisor for carbon mineralization.

Background & Bio

Katherine Vaz Gomes is A Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Katherine’s research focuses on carbon capture and removal: specifically carbon mineralization using alkaline waste materials. Her work includes both experimental and technoeconomic analysis of mineralization systems. Katherine holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Professional Writing from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Education

PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

University of Pennsylvania

BS, Chemical Engineering

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Lauren Gifford, PhD

Science Advisor

Environmental Science & Policy + Forest Management + Climate Justice

Dr. Lauren Gifford is a Science Advisor for forest management and climate justice.

She works with various teams across the company, advising on forestry and natural climate solutions, advancements in climate tech, and the evolution of voluntary and compliance carbon markets.

Background & Bio

Dr. Gifford is a human-environment geographer whose work looks at intersections of climate policy, conservation, markets and justice, with particular focus on carbon markets and offsets, climate finance, and climate tech. Her dissertation research connected UNFCCC policy-making with forest carbon offset development, with a critical focus on carbon accounting and climate justice concerns.

Dr. Gifford is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at University of Arizona’s School of Geography, Development & Environment working on earth system transformation with the global Earth Commission. She has conducted field research in the Peruvian Amazon, in Maine’s forests, on Cuban organic farms, at the UNFCCC, and at civil society meetings around the globe.

Before studying for her doctorate, she was manager of Dartmouth College’s Climate Justice Research Project, examining the justice implications of carbon markets. Dr. Gifford is regularly consulted as a subject matter expert on NPR, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, and more.

Education

PhD

University of Colorado, Boulder

MA, Environmental Studies

Dartmouth University

BA, Communications

American University

Letty Brown, PhD

Science Advisor

Forest Management + Biodiversity

Dr. Letty Brown is a Science Advisor for forest management.

Background & Bio

Dr. Brown is a forest scientist with formal training in ecology, carbon measurement, reforestation, conservation planning, and nature-based solutions to climate change. She has worked on land-based carbon projects for approximately 9 years in the forests of Cambodia, Indonesia, Kenya, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, and the US. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. from the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) Department at UC Berkeley and conducted post-doctoral work in Brazil. Dr. Brown currently teaches at UC Berkeley. She is also a Fulbright Scholar.

Dr. Brown currently works on the land-based sequestration projects seeking credit for emission reductions and removals, in California and abroad, through reforestation, avoided deforestation and forest degradation, improved land management, and climate-smart agriculture.

Education

PhD, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

UC Berkeley

MS, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

UC Berkeley

BS, Biology

UC San Diego

Awards

Fulbright Scholar

Fulbright Program

Matt McDaniel

Engineering Project Manager

Direct Air Capture (DAC) + Point Source Capture

Matt McDaniel employs his engineering and business experience to deliver successful outcomes in direct air capture (DAC) and point source capture

He leverages his experience as a mechanical engineer designing engineering facility projects to drive success for engineered carbon removals.

Background & Bio

Matt McDaniel is a mechanical engineer by training who has spent over a decade successfully delivering innovative, well designed engineering facility projects in the chemicals manufacturing industry, in addition to optimizing processes for complex organizations and managing focused business portfolios. His background in business, coupled with extensive capital project experience, allows him to clearly communicate with clients and help them make crucial connections between macroeconomic market trends and developing physical assets. Matt's passion lies in helping build successful teams with a focus on creating a strong culture, particularly with regards to sustainability and driving quality resolutions within carbon markets.

Education

BS, Mechanical Engineering

Virginia Tech

MS, Mechanical Engineering

Virginia Tech

MBA

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Awards

Matthew D. Potts, PhD

Chief Science Officer

Forest Management + Biodiversity

Dr. Matthew Potts leads Carbon Direct’s international science team in their work on decarbonizing the global economy.

Specifically, Dr. Potts helps clients assess high quality carbon removal from managed landscapes and works to ensure climate actions are just and equitable. He also works closely with Carbon Direct’s technology team to integrate science, software and product.

Background & Bio

Dr. Potts draws on his interdisciplinary background with formal training in mathematics, ecology, and economics to inform his work in nature and community based climate solutions.

Dr. Potts has over two decades of experience in resource management issues in low- and middle-income countries. Though currently on leave from UC Berkeley, this expertise supports his work as the S.J. Hall Professor in Forest Economics at the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management and as the Associate Director for Sustainable Development, Blum Center for Developing Economies, where he leads an interdisciplinary lab that focuses on the co-production by human and natural systems of ecosystem services and natural pathways for carbon sequestration.

Dr. Potts recently served as a coordinating lead author on the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment.

Education

Ph.D. Applied Mathematics 2001

Harvard University

A.M. Applied Mathematics 1999

Harvard University

B.S. Mathematics 1996

University of Michigan

Awards

NRT-AI: Digital Transformation of Development (DToD), $3,000,000 (2021-2026)

US National Science Foundation

INCLUDES Alliance: Broadening Career Pathways in Food, Energy, and Water Systems with and within Native American Communities (Native FEWS Alliance), $7,071,915 (2021-2026)

US National Science Foundation

Coordinating Lead Author, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment (2015-2018)

Publications and Features

blog

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May 22, 2023

How Carbon Direct is working toward universal carbon removal standards

Matthew D. Potts, PhD

Forest Management

blog

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Apr 27, 2023

New Research Exposes Issues in Improved Forest Management Offset Protocols

Matthew D. Potts, PhD

Forest Management

High-quality carbon offsets preserve tropical rainforests.

blog

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Jan 19, 2023

Guardian reporting details significant risks with avoided deforestation offsets

Matthew D. Potts, PhD

Forest Management

blog

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Nov 14, 2022

Potts’ Picks - recently published academic papers curated by Carbon Direct's Chief Science Officer, Dr. Matthew Potts

Matthew D. Potts, PhD

Forest Management

blog

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Aug 11, 2022

Modeling carbon storage in single-species forests

blog

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May 16, 2022

Carbon Direct and Microsoft Release 2022 Update to the Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal

Matthew D. Potts, PhD

Forest Management

Meera Atreya, PhD

Senior Science Advisor

Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) + Biofuel

Dr. Meera Atreya has expertise in strategic advisory, sustainability, and biomass for carbon removal.

Dr. Atreya was the lead author of Bioresources within a Net-Zero Emissions Economy, a report by the Energy Transitions Commission evaluating the role of sustainable bioresources in climate change mitigation. While at SYSTEMIQ, a sustainability-focused systems change company, Dr. Atreya provided strategic advice to a major climate-focused philanthropic foundation and co-authored a report on alleviating the plastic waste crisis; the United Nations Environment Programme intends to use this analysis as the basis for a global plastic treaty. Prior to SYSTEMIQ, Dr. Atreya was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she was designated as an Affiliate Expert in Renewable Energy & Cleantech and was a key member of the team that steered McKinsey to become carbon-neutral, globally.

Background & Bio

Dr. Atreya is based in London and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Chemical Biology) from UC Berkeley and an A.B. cum laude from Harvard. She was awarded a US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her doctoral research on engineering enzymes to improve the efficiency and lower the cost of converting cellulosic biomass to 2nd-generation biofuels.

Education

Ph.D. in Chemistry (Chemical Biology)

UC Berkeley

A.B. cum laude

Harvard

Awards

US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

US National Science Foundation

Niall Mac Dowell, PhD

Science Advisor

Carbon Mineralization + Hydrogen

Dr. Niall Mac Dowell is a Science Advisor for carbon capture and storage.

Background & Bio

Dr. Mac Dowell is a Professor in Energy Systems Engineering at Imperial College London. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of both the IChemE and the Royal Society of Chemistry. His research is focused on understanding the transition to a low carbon economy. Since receiving his PhD 2010, he has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers at the molecular, unit operation, integrated process, and system scales in this context. A full list of publications can be found here and he currently serves on the Advisory Board of Joule.

Dr. Mac Dowell has more than a decade’s experience as a consultant to the public and private sectors. He has worked with a range of private sector energy companies, and has provided evidence to members of the Select Committee on Energy and Climate Change and has given advice to DECC/BEIS, the UK’s National Infrastructure Commission, the IEA, the IEAGHG the ETI and the JRC. Dr. Mac Dowell is a member of Total’s Scientific Advisory Board, was also a member of the US National Petroleum Council (NPC) CCUS Roadmap Team. Dr. Mac Dowell has been a member of the technical working group of the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP), the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) and from 2015 – 2019 served as the Secretary of the IChemE’s Energy Centre.

Finally, Dr. Mac Dowell was awarded the Qatar Petroleum Prize for his PhD research in 2010 and the IChemE’s Nicklin and Junior Moulton medals for his work on low carbon energy in 2015 and 2021, respectively.

Education

PhD, Chemical Engineering

Imperial College London

BE, Chemical Engineering

University College Dublin

Awards

Qatar Petroleum Prize

Nicklin Medal

IChemE

Junior Moulton Medal

IChemE

Meet our world-class science team

Our Scientists

The President’s Budget: 10 Major Proposals That Could Shape Our Climate Future

Modeling carbon storage in single-species forests

A primer on the future of sustainable aviation fuel

How new EPA power plant rules will affect greenhouse gas emissions

Carbon removal gets a boost from the Biden administration

IPCC Report: Carbon Removal is Now Required to Meet Climate Mitigation Targets

Ammonia: Today’s Imperative, Tomorrow’s Promise

From Direct Air Capture to Concrete: How Heirloom and CarbonCure are Kicking off a New Era for Carbon Mineralization

Carbon Direct at COP27

Commentary on the economics of direct air carbon capture

A New Proto-Protocol for Bio-oil Sequestration

On the IPCC AR6 WGIII Report: Why Carbon Removal is an Essential Part of Meeting Climate Goals

Dr. Julio Friedmann Testifies Before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Energy Subcommittee

Carbon Direct COP26 Global Forum on Carbon Management Technologies

Direct air capture is ready for its close-up

The Seven Stages of Net-Zero Commitments

Offsets, Onsets, and Insets: More is More

How Carbon Direct is working toward universal carbon removal standards

New Research Exposes Issues in Improved Forest Management Offset Protocols

Guardian reporting details significant risks with avoided deforestation offsets

Potts’ Picks - recently published academic papers curated by Carbon Direct's Chief Science Officer, Dr. Matthew Potts

Modeling carbon storage in single-species forests

Carbon Direct and Microsoft Release 2022 Update to the Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal