Senior Scientist - Quantification and Optimization

Senior Scientist - Quantification and Optimization

Location: San Francisco, CA or São Paulo, Brazil

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented Senior Scientist (Quantification and Optimization) to join our Research & Development team. As a key contributor to and technical expert on the growing team, you will be integral to our work building the foundational scientific knowledge and developing the novel solutions needed to track and quantify the net impact (carbon, agronomic, and broader ecosystem) of enhanced rock weathering (ERW). You will lead projects involving the analysis and interpretation of data from commercial deployment sites, designing and implementing studies to target key research priorities, and contributing to the development of new monitoring + quantification approaches. Your work will directly support Terradot’s mission to help stabilize Earth’s climate by transforming nature’s most powerful permanent carbon removal process into a global climate solution.

Role Responsibilities:

• Analyze and interpret data from Terradot’s ongoing and future ERW deployments for a) CDR quantification, b) to iteratively improve monitoring approaches, and c) to hypothesis test key research questions. Contribute to the development of protocols used to design and execute commercial deployments.

• Contribute to or lead the design and execution of pilot deployments, field trials, and other internal research studies. Support field- and lab-based activities at deployment and R&D sites in Brazil.

• Analyze, interpret, and communicate results to inform strategic decision-making and technology development.

• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to develop the tools required to optimize ERW deployments and the monitoring associated with CDR and agronomic impact quantification; iteratively develop predictive models.

• Prepare technical reports, presentations, and scientific publications to communicate results and implications. Present research findings at scientific conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.

Background and Requirements:

• Education:

  • PhD in Geochemistry, Soil Science, Environmental Science, Geology, or a related field. Or an MS degree in a relevant field with 5+ years of experience.

• Experience:

  • Experience analyzing and interpreting complex environmental datasets, and building associated data science workflows.

  • Experience designing field trials or field sampling campaigns strongly preferred.

  • (bonus) Experience working with agricultural systems, or directly studying weathering dynamics.

  • (bonus) Experience working with large-scale environmental data, remote sensing data, or public gridded datasets.

  • (bonus) Experience developing new measurement or monitoring techniques.

• Skills:

  • Proficient in experimental design and scientific problem-solving. Ability to apply (bio)geochemical + soil science expertise to solve open-ended problems.

  • Proficiency in scientific programming for data analysis and visualization. A strong working command of python is preferred, but Matlab/R is fine as well.

  • Demonstrated proficiency managing complex projects and prioritizing across multiple ongoing projects. Ability to balance short- and long-term deliverables.

  • Exceptional communication and collaboration skills with proven ability to work across multidisciplinary teams (engineering, science, commercial) to translate complex technical concepts and drive measurable impact for stakeholders.

• Languages:

  • English required, Portuguese a plus

Personal Attributes:

• Mission-driven, with a deep motivation for contributing to climate solutions.

• Intellectual curiosity and a strong desire to learn and grow within a dynamic research environment.

• Strategic thinker who can balance short-term needs with long-term vision.

• Highly collaborative, with strong leadership skills and a hands-on approach to problem-solving.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.

• A positive, action-oriented mindset with a focus on outcomes.

• Strong communication skills to convey complex quantitative concepts to diverse audiences.

About Us:

Our mission is to stabilize Earth’s climate by transforming nature’s most powerful permanent carbon removal process into a global climate solution. By advancing science, building technology, and assembling a global coalition, we are catalyzing a global initiative to scale Enhanced Rock Weathering within the next decade, starting in Brazil.

Founded out of the Stanford University ecosystem, Terradot is led by the world’s leading experts to advance the science and technology of ERW. Our unique structure bridges industry, academia, and government and allows our team to contribute with speed & scale. We have raised $58.2M in total funding from John Doerr, Sheryl Sandberg & Tom Bernthal, George Roberts, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, Google, Cisco and Venture Funds, Floodgate, Kleiner Perkins, Acre Venture Partners, Gigascale Capital, Valor Capital, Ponderosa Ventures and others. We have sold ~300,000 tons in offtakes from leading CDR buyers like Frontier and Google.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Research suggests that qualified people from historically marginalized groups may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.