Solid Waste Methane Mitigation, Co-Founder in Residence

Join as a Co-Founder in Residence in Climate. We are on the lookout for entrepreneurial individuals with technical and commercial domain expertise with a keen interest in founding and building a global scale, impact-driven, high growth company from the ground up.

We are seeking applications from experienced industry, startup and/or new science or engineering based technology development professionals to work with us on deploying innovative methane abatement technologies and measurement approaches in solid waste sites around the world, primarily in the global south. You will work closely with the DSV team and the current Founder in Residence for this area to co-found and spin-out a new company. Once the new venture is incorporated with pre-seed investment from DSV, you and your co-founders will own the majority stake in the business and continue receiving support from the DSV team post-spinout.

The role is full-time, remote initially until venture incorporation and spin-out. After spin-out, it is anticipated that offices will be on the East Coast of the United States. International travel is anticipated for approximately 50% of the time once the company starts to build momentum.

The Opportunity

Atmospheric methane is responsible for over 30% of the warming we are experiencing today, and levels are rising rapidly. Well over 60% of the world's municipal solid waste goes to landfills and dumps that do not employ effective methane emissions mitigation measures. As a result, these sites emit over 50 teragrams (Tg) of methane per year which is equivalent to more than a Gt of CO2 every year. Our company will turn the tide of methane emissions, decreasing peak temperatures in the process. We do this by targeting diffuse methane emissions from solid waste sites with innovative abatement and measurement measures.

Our Approach

We are focusing on currently unmitigated methane emissions from solid waste sites around the world with technologies that oxidize diffuse gas flows. The technologies we are adapting and deploying leverage the methane oxidation capabilities of methanotrophic bacteria, as opposed to the thermal oxidation approaches used by landfill gas capture and flaring approaches. Our focus is to make methane abatement and measurement technologies more robust and cost-efficient so they can be deployed rapidly at scales that impact climate in a meaningful way.

Requirements

Who Should Apply

• PhD or equivalent industry R&D experience in environmental engineering, atmospheric sciences, landfill gas management, or a related field, with a focus on methane emissions measurement, landfill cover design, and gas mitigation strategies.
• Expertise in quantifying landfill methane flux, optimizing biocover performance, and developing practical abatement solutions for diverse waste site conditions.
• In-depth knowledge of current approaches and state-of-the-art (SOTA) technologies, constraints, and opportunities for improvement in one or more of the following areas:

• Landfill cover systems - Design, performance, and optimization of biocovers, geomembranes, and engineered barrier systems for methane mitigation, including advancements in cover materials, permeability, and microbial methane oxidation enhancement.
• Methane collection - Design and efficiency of gas extraction wells, piping systems, and flow mechanisms, including alternative uses for collected methane (e.g., energy recovery, bio-conversion).
• Methane oxidation strategies - SOTA research and practical applications of methanotrophic biofilters, biocovers, and engineered oxidation layers to enhance microbial methane degradation and reduce emissions.
• Measurement, monitoring, and verification technologies - Remote sensing (satellites, drones, aerial surveys), ground-based flux measurements (chambers, tunable diode laser spectroscopy, tracer gas dispersion), and regulatory frameworks for landfill methane quantification.
• Opportunities for efficiency improvements - Automation, sensor integration, real-time monitoring, and AI-driven analytics to enhance landfill methane detection, tracking, and abatement decision-making.

Benefits

Our Offer

By joining DSV, you will be part of a team of operators who have founded companies and led the translation of science at some of the most respected universities, charities, funds, and government agencies. Here’s what we offer:

• Access to optimised, purpose-built, proprietary tools, resources, and processes to help create high-impact ventures from scratch.
• Opportunity area-specific know-how from our network of Partners and Advisors.
• Up to £250k in investment to incorporate the new venture and develop early proof-of-concept data.
• Guaranteed income of £4,166 per month paid as a fixed consultancy fee until the company is launched and the pre-seed investment is secured.
• Majority equity stake in the new company between you and your co-founder(s).
• Continuous post-spinout support, including fundraising, commercial partnerships, recruitment, and team-building.
• Collaborative support from dozens of Founders currently at DSV across sectors.

About DSV

Deep Science Ventures (DSV) is on a mission to create a future in which both humans and the planet can thrive. We use our unique venture creation process to create, spin-out, and invest in science companies, combining available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures. Operating in four sectors—Pharmaceuticals, Climate, Agriculture, and Computation—we tackle the challenges defining these areas by taking a first principles approach and partnering with leading institutions.