The Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) welcomes Manon Duret, an expert in translational climate systems engineering and environmental biotechnology, as a new research assistant professor. Duret’s main area of focus within CSEi will be open-systems carbon removal, a set of technologies targeting CO₂ already in the atmosphere. She began on April 1 in the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago, and joins from Anglo American plc, where she led nature innovation and biotechnology strategy for R&D to support environmental sustainability goals.
“We’re thrilled to have Manon join CSEi. Her background in both fundamental Earth science and applied innovation in industry brings a sharp, pragmatic approach to figuring out what works at scale. This is critical as we explore the real-world potential of climate interventions,” said CSEi Faculty Director David Keith.
Duret’s research aims to bridge the gap between scientific advancements and their real-world applications in climate systems engineering. Her goal is to deepen understanding of how these technologies can effectively address climate change in ways that benefit society by evaluating whether climate interventions are feasible, applicable, and scalable. Her work also integrates microbial ecology to evaluate the environmental impacts of these interventions. Duret will explore a range of open-systems carbon removal approaches, including ocean alkalinity enhancement and enhanced rock weathering. Additionally, she remains deeply interested in biotechnology research and development for industrial applications that contribute to global decarbonization efforts.
“I’m excited to join CSEi and contribute to its mission of advancing climate systems engineering,” Duret said. “I think it is critical to assess the practicality and impacts of these technologies using a multidisciplinary approach, and I look forward to working with colleagues at UChicago to explore their potential.”
Duret completed a PhD in Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.