Founding Chief Scientist

Founding Chief Scientist

Location: Colchester, Essex, UK

Postal code: CO1 1

Application platform: Apply4U

Start date: 2026-09 to 2026-10 (depending on grants and seed funding)

Overview

Founding Scientific Co-founder, Emissions Verification

Greenhouse gas emissions are finally being measured for real, and the world is moving from estimates to numbers that have to stand up. Quantum Envelope is building the layer that turns disagreeing measurements into one number a regulator or an auditor can trust, traceable to a national standard. Our first focus is methane, the fastest lever we have on near-term warming. We are looking for the scientist who will own that science with us, as a founding partner, starting September or October.

The science you would own

You would build the cross-scale method at the heart of the company. The core problem is the scale join, characterising the error between a close-up measurement and a satellite view of the same source, and carrying a traceable uncertainty budget all the way through to an attributed, source-level emission. You would test the method against controlled-release data where the true emission is known, then prove it on a real site, where observation is sparse and emissions intermittent, the hardest case there is. The inversion science is mature and you would build on it. The unsolved part is the traceable cross-scale join, and that is yours to crack.

Who you are

• You work in atmospheric inverse modelling or emissions measurement science, and you think naturally about uncertainty and traceability.


• You likely hold a PhD in a relevant field, or have equivalent research depth.


• Your gas might be methane, carbon dioxide or something adjacent, what matters is the method, not the molecule.


• You want to take rigorous science out of the paper and into infrastructure the world can use.


• You care about climate, and the idea of setting the standard for how emissions are verified is the kind of problem you would give years to.


• Preference is to be based in the UK or EU.

The deal

This is a founding role with equity, a scientific co-founder seat, not a hire. You would shape the company and the science from the first decisions, with an open methodology under independent governance and a live research bid behind it. We are part of a well regarded climate venture builder, and the mission is huge and the timing is right, with regulation arriving now that makes this layer essential.

Next steps

If this is your kind of problem, we would love to talk. Tell us what you work on now and what drew you to it, and we will take it from there.

#s1-Gen

Greenhouse gas emissions are finally being measured for real, and the world is moving from estimates to numbers that have to stand up. Quantum Envelope is building the layer that turns disagreeing measurements into one number a regulator or an auditor can trust, traceable to a national standard. Our first focus is methane, the fastest lever we have on near-term warming. We are looking for the scientist who will own that science with us, as a founding partner, starting September or October.
The science you would own
You would build the cross-scale method at the heart of the company. The core problem is the scale join, characterising the error between a close-up measurement and a satellite view of the same source, and carrying a traceable uncertainty budget all the way through to an attributed, source-level emission. You would test the method against controlled-release data where the true emission is known, then prove it on a real site, where observation is sparse and emissions intermittent, the hardest case there is. The inversion science is mature and you would build on it. The unsolved part is the traceable cross-scale join, and that is yours to crack.
Who you are
You work in atmospheric inverse modelling or emissions measurement science, and you think naturally about uncertainty and traceability. You likely hold a PhD in a relevant field, or have equivalent research depth. Your gas might be methane, carbon dioxide or something adjacent, what matters is the method, not the molecule. You want to take rigorous science out of the paper and into infrastructure the world can use. You care about climate, and the idea of setting the standard for how emissions are verified is the kind of problem you would give years to. Preference is to be based in the UK or EU.
The deal
This is a founding role with equity, a scientific co-founder seat, not a hire. You would shape the company and the science from the first decisions, with an open methodology under independent governance and a live research bid behind it. We are part of a well regarded climate venture builder, and the mission is huge and the timing is right, with regulation arriving now that makes this layer essential.
If this is your kind of problem, we would love to talk. Tell us what you work on now and what drew you to it, and we will take it from there.
Start date
Start will be in September/October, depending on grant awards and seed funding schedule.