Lead Scientist
New York, NY /
Science and Technology /
Full-time
/ Hybrid
About Us
Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. In addition to deep and widespread emissions reduction, the IPCC estimates that we need 10 billion tons of negative emissions by mid-century to stave off planetary crisis. This means capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it. Our goal at Cella is to provide a safe and secure way to permanently store CO2 at the scale needed to make a positive impact on the earth’s climate. We do this by accelerating a natural process that transforms carbon dioxide into rock, harnessing the planet’s own powers to combat climate change. We’re creating the world’s most efficient mineralization process, which means lower costs and environmental impacts, enabling us to scale to climate-relevant impact within a decade. Our technology also opens up possibilities for carbon removal in new geological contexts, creating opportunities to grow carbon removal around the world, from Kenya’s Rift Valley to the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At Cella we are committed to principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we believe that the only way to achieve our mission is through realizing this commitment in all aspects of our work. As a company guided by science and innovation, we recognize that research shows us that the best ideas result from teams with a range of backgrounds and experiences working together in an environment that allows them to harness the creative power of diversity. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, veterans, and people with disabilities.
The Role
The Lead Scientist will be a dynamic candidate with a diverse skillset and thirst for creative problem solving. You ideally have a degree in Earth Sciences and extensive experience with modeling, software development, and data science (machine learning is a plus!). You will lead our technology development through creating novel models and ancillary software to build out our carbon dioxide injection technology, as well as use your modeling and software development skills to innovate novel measurement and verification tools. In this leadership role, you will work closely with our Chief Science Officer, science and field operations team, and Scientific Advisors to implement new and creative carbon storage solutions.
What you will do
● Develop site-specific 3D reactive transport models to simulate injections of CO2 into volcanic reservoirs, evaluating volumetrics, geochemical reactions, reservoir response, and other parameters.
● Use models to develop robust strategies for mineral storage in ultramafic, mafic and intermediate reservoirs, informing both injection strategies and monitoring and verification techniques.
● Develop novel in-house software for geologic carbon storage technology.
What you will bring
● A robust understanding of geochemistry and thermodynamics, mineral-fluid interactions and reaction kinetics, secondary mineral precipitation, flow dynamics in fractured reservoirs, mass and heat transport, and reservoir deformation.
● PhD or 5+ years of experience in geochemical modeling/numerical simulations, preferably applied to geologic carbon storage.
● Extensive experience with TOUGHREACT, PHREEQC, CrunchFlow, STOMP-CO2, or other simulator.
● Strong data science skills, including sensitivity analysis, uncertainty quantification/error propagation, and data visualization.
● Back-end software development skills, experience with relevant programming languages (Python, Java, Ruby, C++, MatLab or similar).
● Strong desire to work in a dynamic environment and be a motivated and creative problem solver.
Why you should join Cella
● Ability to make an impact: There is no greater challenge or opportunity than fighting climate change and this job gives you the opportunity to make a difference in this fight. As a venture-backed company in an exciting field, we’re charting a course to store over a billion tons of carbon by mid-century. With this first-of-its-kind role you can make a large impact on shaping the direction of this journey.
● Work with a world-class team and partners: we are some of the top experts in carbon mineralization in the world, combined with a track record of delivering impact at scale. We’re working with some of the world’s pioneering companies in the climate tech space, and our early customers include Stripe and Shopify as part of the first tech-based carbon removal project in Africa.
● A competitive salary.
● Meaningful equity compensation.
● Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, and vision.
● Access to our 401k plan.
● Unlimited PTO and sick days.
Please note: while we appreciate all applicants, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted by our team.
