
A.J. Simon
Head of Industrial Decarbonization
Carbon Utilization + Hydrogen
Our scientists will guide your organization to achieve its climate goals with the right carbon management program.
A.J. Simon
Head of Industrial Decarbonization
Carbon Utilization + Hydrogen
Amy Stuckert, PhD
Senior Decarbonization Engineer
Direct Air Capture (DAC) + Hydrogen
Colin McCormick, PhD
Chief Innovation Officer
Direct Air Capture (DAC) + Carbon Mineralization
Julio Friedmann, PhD
Chief Scientist
Direct Air Capture (DAC) + Hydrogen
Niall Mac Dowell, PhD
Science Advisor
Carbon Mineralization + Hydrogen
Wilfried Maas, PhD
Chief Carbon Technology Strategist
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) + Environmental Science & Policy
A.J. translates scientific and engineering expertise into actionable strategies for client organizations seeking permanent carbon removal.
A.J. Simon is a mechanical engineer and energy systems expert, whose passion for efficiency and insatiable curiosity has led to a 20+ year career spanning industry, academia and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Prior to joining Carbon Direct, he managed the Energy Group at Lawrence Livermore National Lab where he led assessments of technologies as diverse as carbon capture and removal, the energy-water nexus, nuclear energy, hydrogen fuel, building energy efficiency, and soldier-portable power.
From 2003 to 2008, he helped to manage a large portfolio of university-led clean energy research at Stanford's Global Climate and Energy Project. From 2001 to 2003, he developed combustion and emissions control technologies for General Electric's diesel and gas turbine product lines.
Education
MS, Mechanical Engineering
Stanford University
BS, Mechanical Engineering
Stanford University
Awards
Oppenheimer Science and Energy Fellow (2018)
Department of Energy
Secretary’s Honor Award (2016)
Department of Energy
Scientific Editor for Science & Technology Review (2013)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Centennial Teaching Assistant (2000)
Stanford University
Senior Decarbonization Engineer
Direct Air Capture (DAC) + Hydrogen + Point Source Capture
Amy's passion for climate change and actionability has led her to focus her career on this and how she and others can make an immediate direct impact. She received her PhD at the University of Michigan with a focus on hydrogen storage and direct air capture. From there she spent nine years in industrial gas research and development commercializing many technologies from initial concept to full deployment. Her past years have been spent as a technology expert focusing on hydrogen storage/transportation and decarbonized production methods including carbon capture and storage, electrolysis and pyrolysis.
At Carbon Direct Inc. she helps our clients identify decarbonization options using hydrogen and future technologies for them to integrate hydrogen cost effectively into their carbon management plans.
Education
B.S. Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
University of Wyoming
M.S. Chemical Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Awards
American-Made Energy Storage Innovations Prize
He also supports Carbon Direct’s work in remote sensing, life-cycle analysis, and carbon removal policy analysis.
Dr. Colin McCormick previously served as the Senior Advisor for R&D at the US Department of Energy where he helped oversee the full applied energy research portfolio, and as a Professional Staff Member for the House Science & Technology Committee. Prior to this he conducted research in applied quantum optics and atomic physics at UC Berkeley and NIST. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Science, Technology and International Affairs program, Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Education
PhD, Physics
UC Berkeley
MA, Physics
UC Berkeley
MA, Astrophysics
Cambridge University
BA, English and Physics
Williams College
Awards
Secretary of Energy Achievement Award
Getting to Neutral report (2021)
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.
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
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
Dr. Wilfried Maas leads Carbon Direct's engagements with the EU Carbon Dioxide Removal initiatives and certifications. He also leads the workgroup on carbon markets.
Dr. Maas brings expertise to inform investment decisions and provide strategic advisory services to clients. He brings experience from his 32-year energy career at Shell and from his Joint Industry Collaborations on CCS and Climate (IEAGHG, OGCI, ZEP, IOGP, TCM). He has developed decarbonization pathways for “Net Zero Carbon” production and products for different industrial supply chains based on CCS, electrification, and (blue or green) hydrogen and biomass.
Prior to that, Dr. Maas coordinated the technical development of the global portfolio of commercial scale CCS demonstration projects and the organizational CCS capability. He also contributed to external collaborations for the new business development of CCS as one of the decarbonization solutions for a climate-constrained future. In other roles, he led consultancy teams that developed corporate-wide GHG and energy management governance at capital projects; and he was a front-end development manager for CCS projects.
Dr. Maas is the Director of the CCS Knowledge Centre. He holds a PhD in Physical Organic Chemistry from the University of Amsterdam. He is a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and an IChemE Fellow (FIChemE).
Education
PhD, Physical Organic Chemistry
University of Amsterdam
MSc, Public Administration (Environment)
University of Amsterdam