Born at 353 ppm
About
Hi, I’m Dawid.
I’m a chartered engineer and a professor of decarbonisation. I’ve worked on carbon capture and other clean energy technologies since 2012. For most of that time I focused on on one question:
Does the business case for that technology stack up once the engineering, the economics and the life-cycle carbon are considered?
Today I’m Professor of Decarbonisation of Industrial Clusters at the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre (NZIIC), Teesside University. Alongside running a research group that drives innovation in decarbonisation, I check techno-economic and life-cycle numbers for GreenTech and carbon removal companies, and for researchers taking an early-stage technology towards a grant application or an industry partner.
In numbers
The record behind the advice.
80+
publications, 78 of them peer-reviewed journal papers
4,860
citations, h-index 39
Google Scholar, Sep 2026
50+
research and commercial projects delivered in net zero, clean energy and carbon capture
Stanford/Elsevier list
794
citations for my 2022 direct air capture review in Energy & Environmental Science
18
invited talks and keynotes, including NSTDA in Thailand, IMechE, Hitachi and TED Countdown
62k+
followers on LinkedIn, where most of my writing starts
How I work
The rules I keep on every project.
Independence first
I don’t design, build or sell technology, and there’s no delivery contract behind the advice. My only stake is that the answer survives scrutiny.
Evidence before opinion
Every assumption that matters is tagged by where it came from, i.e. measured, supplier data, literature or engineering judgement. You can see what’s solid and what isn’t.
One basis for all 3Es
Engineering, economics and environmental integrity, tested on the same boundaries, the same throughput and the same plant. Each can look fine on its own and still fall apart where they meet.
Plain answers
If the case isn’t ready, the report says so, and says what would have to change. Better you hear it from me than in diligence.
My story
Born at 353 ppm.
That was the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere the year I was born. It’s above 420 ppm now. I’ve spent my working life on the engineering that’s meant to bring it down, and on the less comfortable question of whether it pays.
- MSc in Carbon Capture and TransportCranfield. Award for best overall performance
- PhD in Carbon Capture, CranfieldLord Kings Norton MedalBest PhD thesis at Cranfield
- Lecturer to Associate Professor, CranfieldEnergy and Process Engineering
- Professor, NZIICDecarbonisation of Industrial Clusters, Teesside University
- Supporting GreenTech businesses & academics via independent TEAs/LCAs, market reviews, and training
Away from the models
Things I like.
- Good coffee. I did barista training, and I can make a fairly good cup on almost any machine.
- Paddleboarding, which I picked up recently.
- Practising at home. I measured my household’s carbon footprint, switched our heating to a heat pump, and wrote both up.
Credentials
On paper.
- Chartered Engineer (MIMechE, MEI) and Fellow of HEA
- PhD in Energy, Cranfield.
Lord Kings Norton Medal for the best thesis, 2017 - Executive MBA, Cranfield.
- UK representative on an EU COST Action on techno-economic analysis of carbon mitigation technologies
- Top 2 most-read thought leader in GreenTech (Illuminem, 2026)
Where else to find me
Writing and media.
The GreenTech Business Case
For founders facing a raise, an offtake agreement or a scale-up decision.
illuminem Voices
Op-eds on carbon capture, removal and industrial decarbonisation. I also write for The Conversation.
In media
Interviews, quotes and briefings, including evidence for a parliamentary briefing on net zero planning.
The newsletter
The questions your investors will ask, answered first.
The GreenTech Business Case is for founders, CEOs and CTOs with a raise, an offtake agreement or a scale-up decision ahead. It has 14,700+ subscribers on LinkedIn.
The GreenTech Business Case
Each edition takes a single question a funder, buyer or board will put to you, and works through what a defensible answer looks like. Free, by email.