Karen Strassel

Head of Science, Carbon Removal Partners

Karen Strassel, Ph.D. leads scientific strategy, technical research, and due diligence efforts at Carbon Removal Partners, a VC investing across the Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) value chain. Previously, she worked as a Research Consultant at The Climate Map, a non-profit organization acquired by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), where she conducted research into the gaps and opportunities within CDR. She also gained hands-on experience in Direct Air Capture (DAC) as a chemist on the Sorbent Development Team at Climeworks. At Climate Founders she investigated technologies to remove nitrous oxide from the atmosphere. She earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from EPFL/ Empa (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne/ Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), developing a specialized expertise in organic electronic devices like OLEDs and organic solar cells.