Dr. Julio Friedmann

Methodology focus

Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct. Previously Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Positions include Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Columbia University, and ExxonMobil. Carbon Direct is the leading commercial CDR audit firm — both adjacent competitor and potential partner for LedgerWell.

Trellison / LedgerWell intersection. Competitor/partner vector. Worth understanding where their methodology stops and proof packs extend.

Affiliation

Carbon Direct (Chief Scientist)

Role

Industry + ex-DOE

Axis

Engineering CDR

Tier

Tier 2

Selected publications

Numerous — Industry and policy papers on industrial decarbonization, CO2 utilization. multiple venues.
Ongoing — Carbon Direct research reports. Carbon Direct.

Alignment with proof packs

Their methodology / role	Proof-pack / Trellison fit
Commercial CDR audit	Carbon Direct audits are proof-pack-adjacent; proof packs could integrate
Industrial decarbonization	Proof pack applies to industrial carbon claims, not just removal
Policy-industry bridge	Friedmann speaks to both DOE and industry; a natural validator

Collaboration concepts

Concept 1

Carbon Direct + Trellison interoperability paper

Specification for how Carbon Direct audit outputs can be formatted as proof packs.

Concept 2

Industrial decarbonization proof-pack schema

Extend proof-pack schema beyond CDR to industrial carbon claims.

Concept 3

Joint industry convening on CDR audit standards

Carbon Direct co-hosted workshop on audit interoperability.

Outreach approach

Proposed opening message

Subject: A verification substrate for engineered-CDR claims

Dear Julio Friedmann,

Your work on engineered carbon removal has defined the technical bar for what a credible claim looks like. At Trellison Institute we have been building a per-tonne open-data verification instrument — the proof pack — that aims to make your integrity criteria legible at market scale.

I would welcome a 30-minute conversation to show you the current alpha. We are not asking for endorsement; we are asking for methodology critique and, if useful, an offer of alpha access for your active work. Independent negative evaluations would be published alongside positive ones.

A one-page methodology brief that maps your work to proof-pack schema fields — with gaps flagged honestly — is attached.

With respect,
Rob Stillwell
Director, Trellison Institute

What we do not ask for

Endorsement of Trellison, LedgerWell, DaedArch, or any affiliated entity.
Exclusivity or first-look rights on research findings.
Unpaid labour. Any advisor role is compensated with a modest honorarium and disclosed on the record.

Disclosure: Compiled from public sources through April 2026. Inclusion does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or reciprocal interest. Corrections: About.

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