DESCRIPTION
Various aspects of the role will involve the design, development, and management of scientific teams executing multiple research projects with various collaborators, as well as concurrent field trials involving numerous stakeholders. Research projects consist of both in-house and external collaborators and include modeling, laboratory, and field studies. At times, various aspects may also include fieldwork, laboratory studies, research synthesis, data interpretation, contributions to grant writing, and scientific writing. This role will also engage with numerous non-scientific stakeholders including community members, regulatory agencies, governmental officials, and the press.
This position will also act as a senior scientist and technical liaison between the pilot site deployment and scientific teams. Aspects of this part of the position include working with coastal engineers and regulatory agencies to help design olivine deployments that optimize for both safety and maximal carbon capture rates. Tasks will include but are not limited to supporting deployment design, science communication, stakeholder engagement (e.g. community members, NGOs, governmental officials, regulators, media), partnership relations (e.g. academic collaborators), and project management. This individual must thrive in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary environment while simultaneously contributing to multiple projects.
This is a remote position with an expectation to travel for stretches of time (for days to weeks) to field sites, laboratories, conferences, or important stakeholder meetings. We are seeking an individual with a strong background in aqueous biogeochemistry or geochemistry with marine carbonate geochemistry as a strong plus. This individual must also have at least 3 years of experience in project management. Experience working in coastal settings is a strong plus.
This is a remote position but the ideal candidate will reside in a time zone compatible with US Eastern Time.
BACKGROUND
Vesta is a USA-based company and research organization with a mission to remove billions of tons of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide through Coastal Enhanced Weathering(CEW) of olivine. Enhanced weathering is a nature-based negative emission approach that accelerates the weathering rate of naturally occurring silicate minerals. When ground to the size of beach sand, olivine weathers thousands of times faster than would naturally occur in ultramafic rocks, leading to significant CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere on human timescales. Vesta currently employs 10 full-time scientists and engineers including 8 Ph.D. level researchers in geochemistry, oceanography, and ecology. We are conducting laboratory, mesocosm, and pilot experiments at locations across the USA and internationally to determine if CEW can be a safe, effective, and affordable means of permanently sequestering excess atmospheric CO2.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Professional:
- Designing, developing, and executing research and deployment strategies in support of the VP of Scientific Research
- Project managing interdisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, and other stakeholders to advance programs and field deployments safely and efficiently
- Where necessary, conducting hands-on, field-based research in coastal oceanography with an emphasis on seawater and porewater geochemistry including carbon, nutrient, and trace metal cycling.
- Supporting in the management of academic collaborations and industry partnerships.
- Analyzing geochemical, biogeochemical, and physical data and helping to develop predictive models for olivine weathering and carbon sequestration.
- Providing thoughtful and evidence-based insight to the project team about how to advance our mission in an ethically and scientifically robust manner.
- Contributing to research and funding proposal writing.
- Reporting progress and results to other researchers, the project team, and industry partners.
- Presenting at conferences and workshops relevant to the project.
- Co-leading the management of research activities and actively contributing to research outputs in order to meet project milestones.
- Serving as a liaison between Vesta and non-scientific, external stakeholders (NGOs, governmental officials, community members, regulatory agencies, and the press)
The ideal candidate can easily fulfill the responsibilities of this position described above and has the following qualities and experience:
Personal:
- A deep sense of dedication to combating the climate crisis.
- Ability and passion to learn quickly and solve challenges independently and creatively.
- A commitment to harmonious and productive collaboration.
- Professionalism under all circumstances.
- Meticulous attention to detail in planning and procedure.
- Enthusiasm for the Vesta mission and ethos.
- Dedication to fair and equitable treatment of all individuals on the team.
- Excitement and enthusiasm to assist in meeting the challenges of running a first-of-a-kind field pilot experiment, including developing relevant protocols and methods as required.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum:
- Ph.D. in Aqueous Biogeochemistry or Geochemistry.
- Three years of experience project managing interdisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, and/or other stakeholders.
- Extensive experience conducting fieldwork, including in-water and boat-based activities.
- Expertise in working with and organizing datasets.
- Strong scientific writing skills in English.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently.
- Demonstrated technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: field sampling, (bio)geochemistry, analytical geochemistry.
- Contribution to at least 5 or more peer-reviewed publications.
- Extensive experience communicating science to non-scientific, layperson audiences.
- Ability to travel for brief periods of time (1-2 weeks) a few times (2-3) per year.
Desirable:
- Experience with the marine carbonate system
- Experience with marine pore water and/or sediment analysis
- Experience performing high-precision measurements of carbonate geochemistry
- Experience operating in-situ marine sensors
- Experience working in NGO, government, or industry settings.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Aqueous Biogeochemistry or Geochemistry.
For more information or to apply, please email jobs@vesta.earth. Applications should consist of a single document or PDF file containing a (1) cover letter (2) academic CV and (3) professional resume s. Please include names and contact information of three references.
Equal Opportunity Employer: We celebrate diversity and demand equal opportunity employment. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills- because reversing climate change is going to require a diverse and unprecedented workforce. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.
