Carbon to Sea is excited to announce our 2024 Research Fellowship Program cohort. From a competitive, diverse pool of applicants, our five research fellows stood out as outstanding candidates with expertise across a range of disciplines. 

The goal of our Fellowship program is to help create a public, living picture of the sector’s progress, as well as inform Carbon to Sea’s own R&D roadmap and future investments. To do so, Fellows will support sourcing, analyzing, and interpreting research data from emerging field research, interview subject matter experts, and produce a written report.

Carbon to Sea’s 2024 Research Fellowship Program cohort includes:

Sóllilja Bjarnadóttir, Social Science Fellow

Sóllilja is a PhD candidate in Environmental Sociology at the University of Iceland and a Fullbright Fellow for Sociology at Harvard University. As a Social Science Fellow, she will be summarizing public perception of CDR, mCDR, and OAE, and identifying methodologies and frameworks for practical community engagement and ethical research. 

Jiaying Guo, Environmental Impacts Fellow

Jiaying is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. As an Environmental Impacts Fellow, she will be identifying and quantifying potential impacts of OAE on marine species, ecosystems, biodiversity, and terrestrial environments. 

Devon Ledbetter, Science Communications Fellow

Devon is a MPS Candidate on the Marine Conservation Track at the University of Miami. As a Science Communications Fellow, she will be identifying existing efforts to communicate OAE science and supporting the development of communication tools and approaches for different audiences.

Abby Lunstrum, OAE Efficacy Fellow

Abby received her PhD in Geology from the University of Southern California and is a Research Associate at the University of Pennsylvania. As an OAE Efficacy Fellow, she will be defining and quantifying factors impacting OAE efficacy, and connecting these implications to policy, social, and logistical considerations

Ola Oguntoye, Scale & Cost Fellow

Ola received his PhD in Industrial Sustainability from the University of Cambridge and is a Climate and Energy Consultant at Symphysis. As a Scale & Cost Fellow, he will be quantifying current cost and energy requirements to identify supply chain opportunities and blockers, infrastructure assets, and promising technologies.

Laura Stieghorst, Program Manager

Laura is the founder of Básico Carbon, a sole-member consultancy that specializes in ocean carbon removal research and policy. She draws from diverse experiences, leading a team awarded in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, building her company as a 776 fellow, and working as Carbon to Sea’s Field Research Associate onsite in Halifax, CAN. She will serve as the fellowship’s Program Manager creating a positive and productive experience for the cohort.


We look forward to working with our fellows to create a public, living picture of the OAE sector’s progress and to advance research and development in the field. Learn more about the goals of the Research Fellowship Program HERE.