Our team
About Us
Our scientifically driven team focuses on bringing nature-based solutions to decarbonize the economy.
We are backed-up by world class organizations and leading funds such as Azolla Ventures, the Grantham foundation, Propeller Ventures and Caltech.
We have worked on basic research problems in climate and oceanography for decades before funding Calcarea.
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Jess Adkins
Jess is an oceanographer, climate scientist, and geochemist by training. He got his PhD from the MIT/Woods Hole Joint Program in Oceanography in 1998 and is now the Smits Family Professor of Geochemistry and Global Environmental Science at Caltech. Before taking a leave to found Calcarea, Jess led a group of students, staff, and post-docs…
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Pierre Forin
Equipped with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, Pierre worked on CO2 carriers and Onboard Carbon Capture projects at Total Energies Norway before joining forces with Jess Adkins at Caltech. His understanding of the Maritime and Energy industries, Academia, and Startups propelled him to co-founded Calcarea. He grew up sailing and surfing, which ignited a…
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Will Berelson
Dr. Berelson is the Paxson H. Offield Professor of Marine Systems at USC and member of the Earth Sciences Department, a professor since 2003. He studies the C-cycle, mainly in the ocean and seafloor but also in the urban atmosphere. He is author of over 170 journal publications and serves on the USC Presidents Working…
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Melissa Gutiérrez
Melissa, a Los Angeles native, is combining her passion for science and environmental justice in her work at Calcarea. Her interest in climate solutions began during her time at Caltech, where she worked on various paleoclimate and oceanography projects in the Adkins lab. A short stint in the oil and gas industry following graduation motivated…
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Brian Ley
Brian is a 3x venture builder specializing in catalytic partnerships, strategy, and growth for early-stage companies. He joined Calcarea after helping Project Vesta, a leading ocean carbon removal company, growth it’s industry network and secure its first-of-a-kind pilot project. Brian is an avid scuba diver, had his two children born in Hawaii and named his…
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Geoffrey Holmes
Geoff has worked on carbon capture and removal since 2008 in a variety of technical and policy-related roles. Geoff helped grow direct air capture company Carbon Engineering from start-up stage to commercial deployment of the technology, and now leads Calcarea’s policy engagement.
