John Dees, PhD

Dr. John Dees leads Carbon Direct’s scientific advisory practice in the transportation fuel and industrial commodity sectors.  Dr. Dees holds interdisciplinary expertise in the bioeconomy and bioenergy systems, bridging the fields of industrial ecology, economics, and climate policy. His academic research has focused on the role of biomass in decarbonization strategy both as a feedstock for energy and materials as well as a substrate for carbon removal (BiCRS), combining technical feasibility (technoeconomics, life cycle assessment) with a perspective on enabling policy and market economics. This work has been published in high impact academic journals such as Environmental Science and Technology, Green Chemistry, and ES&T Water. While working on his dissertation, Dr. Dees collaborated with the Energy Systems team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and was a lead contributor to the US DRIVE Net-Zero Carbon Fuels Technical Analysis, which assessed the technical potential for further decarbonizing ethanol production and assessed cost and climate impacts of sustainable aviation fuels.

At Carbon Direct, Dr. Dees coordinates an interdisciplinary team of experts to support clients with emissions reduction strategies that intersect transport fuels and industrial materials. In addition, he has led the development and publication of public-facing reports and guidance such as the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Primer the Criteria for High Quality Environmental Attribute Certificates in the Concrete and Steel Sectors.