About

Hi. I am a chemical and mechanical engineer with a focus on climate change mitigation solutions and an equitable energy transition. I am currently a Process Engineer at Limelight Steel, where we are replacing blast furnaces with lasers to reduce iron ore. In 2025, I was selected as one of the inaugural Inflection Award recipients, celebrating the top 30 PhDs working in climate! I earned my PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in the Clean Energy Conversions Laboratory. My doctoral work focused on carbon capture and removal systems and integrating these solutions with community engagement efforts.

You can find some of my science communication in the game I co-created, the Road to 10 Gigatons or in the documentary I’m be featured in, Legion 44.

My research interests include technological carbon removal via direct air capture and carbon mineralization, carbon capture technologies, industrial decarbonization, environmental justice, and education.

Interested to learn more about my projects?

I earned my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Economics from the Colorado School of Mines in May 2017 and my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in May 2019. During my master’s I completed fuel cell research in the Colorado Fuel Cell Center.

When I am not doing research, I am learning flying trapeze and love baking, reading sci-fi/fantasy, running, writing, advocacy, and traveling!

Please feel free to get in touch with me at mdpisciotta@gmail.com