Meet Eldon — Our Principal Scientist

Eldon - let’s start from the beginning. Tell us about yourself. How’d you initially get into gene editing?

I left graduate school in 2014, right as the first papers documenting CRISPR use in human cells were being published. I found a job at Dharmacon in Colorado, where there was a lot of expertise in creating synthetic RNAs, which was relatively novel at the time. That expertise allowed us to quickly be the first to market on creating a suite of synthetic CRISPR tools. It was there that I saw the promise for CRISPR to revolutionize how we are able to modify all living things, unlocking a new wave of science that spans from creating new cures to preparing for our climate future. Prior to Charm, I had been focusing on utilizing gene editing to enable cell and gene therapies to help treat solid tumors and address hard to cure diseases like sickle cell anemia. 

What brought you from the world of cancer research to Charm?

An opportunity arose for me to consult on some of Charm’s most pressing scientific issues while I was trying to figure out what to do next in my professional career. Unfortunately, cancer research has hit a bit of a bump in the road recently, with multiple companies (including the one I had previously worked at) going under or cancer research divisions being cut at larger pharmaceutical companies.

After my first week of consulting at Charm, I immediately felt the draw of the science and engineering being done and the passion of the team working here. The research is innovative and exciting, with not a lot of research having been done on bio-oil previously. The novelty of the work allows me to utilize my creativity to solve problems I never even knew existed and that’s been really fun to me. 

When the offer came to make me a full-time Charmer, I knew that this is a place I wanted to work at and utilize my unique background and experience to help permanently put more carbon underground.

What are some of the common research tools & patterns that you think will translate well from cancer research to carbon removal?

Both cancer research and carbon removal exist on the cutting-edge of science. I have already seen being able to pivot quickly, gaining lots of small learnings that lead to big wins, and consistently looking for small process improvements translate well. Importantly, there is a need of being comfortable working into the void, where there is little information or background to draw from and needing to think outside the box. I personally enjoy and thrive working in these unique scientific environments where ingenuity is required alongside strong fundamentals and understanding of first principles.

I know you’re really excited about plants and how we might be able to genetically enlist them in the climate fight. Can you tell us what you’re thinking about here?

In addition to cancer, I’ve been deeply invested in researching how to genetically modify and prepare crops for climate change, including making them more drought tolerant and to provide higher nutritional value. One angle I had never even considered was how to utilize genetic engineering for additional carbon sequestration since typically the carbon would be rereleased into the atmosphere upon decomposition of the biomass. Charm’s pyrolysis approach could provide a different final destination for the additional carbon since the plant biomass would be converted to carbon-rich bio-oil that can be permanently put underground. Engineering plants for higher carbon yield may provide a route for higher full cycle carbon sequestration from growing the plants to pyrolysis to final bio-oil sequestration.

Additionally, there are some unique applications for engineered plants such as phytomining rare earth elements or remediation that struggle with processing the resultant biomass. Current methods for processing are often not net carbon negative compared to conventional methods. One area of research I hope to push forward is understanding how Charm’s pyrolysis method could be used to handle the biomass used for these applications and make them carbon negative.

What problem are you most excited about solving at Charm?

I am most excited to expand on our scientific understanding and knowledge of bio-oil. Bio-oil is an odd umbrella term since it encompasses all pyrolysis generated oil, while feedstock, temperatures, and process can all vary the final product significantly. I want to bring my unique (to Charm) background of biochemistry to deepen our understanding of bio-oil and elucidate how to create the best bio-oil for permanent carbon sequestration.

What’s a passion or hobby you have outside of work?

My main passion/hobby outside of work is snowboarding. Selfishly, one of my interests in working at Charm is to preserve the winter snow and keep my hobby viable as long as possible.

Do you have a favorite book or movie that you recommend to everyone?

I read Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara after it made a cameo on The Bear. It’s written by the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which was once ranked the #1 restaurant in the world. I strongly recommend this book to everyone, especially those who are in or preparing to be in managerial positions. The book is a wonderful read with great anecdotes on the steps Will and his business partner took to become the top of the fine dining world while building an amazing staff who felt empowered to do their best work daily. The lessons and messages in the book can be translated to any workplace in any industry, not just the service industry.

Thanks for chatting with us today, Eldon! Make sure to subscribe to get more stories like this in your inbox.