In 2023, I graduated with a PhD from the University of Oxford, and started working at Isometric as a scientist. The Isometric Science Team works on writing protocols that help accurately quantify carbon credits generated by carbon removal activities. We also support other areas of the company during the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) process.
I get asked a lot about what the move from academia to an applied industry role is like.
All of the obvious things about moving to any industry role are true. In applied roles, deadlines are more bound by external partners and business needs and you go from working on one very specific problem during an academic pursuit to looking at the problem from a more holistic perspective.
There are a lot of things about working as a scientist at Isometric that help you hone the skills you learn in academia. Isometric is, from what I can tell, unique in this way.
1. The scientific method
We work from first principles whenever we approach a problem at Isometric—that goes for the whole company, not just the Science Team. This makes working with our tech, commercial and operations teams smooth. In the Science Team, just like in academia, we work using the scientific method. We come up with hypotheses for solutions to a question, we test and iterate on those solutions as a team and then analyze the outcomes to move towards the result.
A good example of this is how we build Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) protocols. It would be easy to look at other existing documentation out there (e.g., the work of others) and adopt bits we think are good and omit things we think are bad to come up with our own protocol. Instead, our process as a Science Team is to dive into primary literature, through systematic review, to form our own scientific opinions about MRV approaches. We then compare and contrast with what else is out in the market. This is part of what it means to “Do It Right”, which is one of Isometric’s Operating Principles—conducting ourselves with the highest levels of scientific integrity in all that we do.
2. Peer review (but faster)
One of the great things about working at Isometric is not only our in-house Science Team, but also our Science Network, which is a network of 200+ academic scientists working in carbon removal. When we release an MRV protocol, we not only get to have carbon removal suppliers working at the cutting edge of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) science provide us with feedback during private and public consultations—like Planetary Technologies who gave us feedback when we were building our Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) Protocol. We also get to draw on the expertise of leaders in the academic sphere. It is incredible to have this resource at hand, and we move through public consultation in only 30 days, compared to the very long timeframes that projects often operate on in academia. We also get to consult with many more experts than you would typically get to review an academic journal article during peer review. For example, during our OAE protocol private consultation stage, we consulted with 7 leading academics, compared to normally having only 2 reviewers during the typical peer review process.
Another Isometric Operating Principles is “Do It Fast” and there is a dynamic balance between doing something right and doing it fast. Finding ways to do science well and quickly is a big challenge. We are always looking to improve how we do this as a team, which can be demanding. But the way we consult with a much wider range of experts compared to peer review is a really exciting and novel way to work as a scientist, and strikes this balance well so we can uphold the highest levels of scientific rigor for Isometric.
3. Research partnerships
A really important part of making sure we stay at the forefront of carbon removal science at Isometric is to participate in knowledge generation. As a scientist in academia, you get really good at this. We have a number of research partnerships at Isometric to provide our expertise in moving the field of carbon removal forward and participate in knowledge generation that can improve and iterate on our protocols. We have partnerships with National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) on sustainable biomass feedstock frameworks and the US Department of Energy on umbrella MRV standards, as well as a partnership with [C]worthy for marine carbon removal. In the [C]worthy partnership, we are working on better quantifying the uncertainty bounds associated with ocean models that will be used to calculate the net carbon dioxide removal of marine CDR projects.
The elements of working within a research project and research group that you learn in academia are absolutely crucial for maintaining relationships and working well within the research partnerships we work on at Isometric, where we like to “Go Together” (another one of our Operating Principles). It’s always fulfilling to attend conferences and contribute to fundamental research, even outside of academia.
Come and work for us!
If you’re interested in applying your academic background to scaling carbon removal, come and join us in our Science Team. We could use your skills!
