There are giants in our field. Their passing requires attention.

Today, Carbon Direct is proud to launch an internship that both honors the legacy of a beloved colleague and invests in the next generation of carbon management professionals.

Introducing the Wilfried Maas Industrial Decarbonization Internship

To honor Wilfried's legacy, Carbon Direct is launching the Wilfried Maas Industrial Decarbonization Internship. This paid summer program will welcome a small cohort of graduate-level students or recent graduates to work alongside our industrial decarbonization team.

• Timing: 8 to 12 weeks during summer 2025

• Location: Remote, with optional in-person opportunities

• Stipend: $1,000 per week

  
  

Submit your application ->

Each intern will be paired with a dedicated mentor and will contribute directly to real-world projects that support the reduction and removal of carbon dioxide in key sectors. These include clean fuels, CCS, low-carbon building materials, and engineered carbon dioxide removal.

The program offers:

• Hands-on project experience

• One-on-one mentorship 

• Cross-functional collaboration with leading experts

• Career development and networking opportunities

• A supportive, inclusive environment for emerging climate professionals

Interns will engage in research, data analysis, and collaborative problem-solving alongside the Carbon Direct science team. More than just a learning experience, the Wilfried Maas Industrial Decarbonization Internship offers the opportunity to apply climate science to real challenges and grow under the guidance of mentors who, like Wilfried, believe in pairing excellence with care.

A legacy that builds the future

The urgency of climate action continues to grow. So does the need for skilled professionals who understand the technical, economic, commercial, and political dimensions of carbon management. That’s why mentorship, coaching, and community matter more than ever.

By launching the Wilfried Maas Industrial Decarbonization Internship, Carbon Direct is investing in the next generation of climate leaders. These are the people who will carry Wilfried’s work forward, shape the future of carbon management, protect communities, and write the next chapter in our shared climate story.

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply, especially those from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields. Together, we can continue the work Wilfried cared about most, advancing science and building the people who make climate progress possible.

Honoring Wilfried Maas

The internship is inspired by the values and legacy of its namesake, Wilfried Maas, a visionary, mentor, and beloved colleague. Wilfried Maas (1958–2024) was a giant in carbon management, particularly in the development and deployment of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. He spent his career working to reduce and remove greenhouse gas emissions, always in service of a better world.

For nearly 30 years, Wilfried led deep decarbonization efforts at Shell in The Hague. He began his journey there as a research chemist, later becoming a plant engineer, a product manager, and eventually a lead in Shell’s energy efficiency business. But it was carbon management that captured his spirit and imagination. He integrated CCS into Shell’s scenario planning system and helped bring major projects to life, including Quest in Alberta, Boundary Dam in Saskatchewan, and the Technology Centre Mongstad in Norway.

Wilfred played a key role in shaping Shell’s net-zero targets, supported bid submissions to the European Union’s first Climate Action Innovation Fund, and advised the European Commission’s DG CLIMA as a technical expert. He served as a director and advisor to the CCS Knowledge Center in Regina and the International Energy Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Control Secretariat. To the end of his career, he remained deeply engaged in advancing the global carbon management community.

Wilfried joined Carbon Direct in 2020 as Chief of Carbon Technology. He brought deep technical expertise in geoscience, process engineering, chemistry, and economics, and also a contagious joy that lifted everyone around him.

In the early days of Carbon Direct, Wilfried contributed to everything from complex technical diligence and public speaking to strategic advising across teams. Tireless, feisty, and friendly, he would invariably pinpoint the most important issues to address at once and the dozen subsequent issues to approach afterward. He was warm, encouraging, and caring.

He was equally enthusiastic about the latest breakthrough in carbon technology as he was about the latest milestone in his grandson’s life. That was Wilfried: scientist, mentor, husband, father, grandfather. Brilliant and kind in equal measure.

Dedication to excellence and mentorship

What made Wilfried such a titanic figure was his devotion to excellence. He approached every project with full focus, diving into models, data, and technical writing with precision. He believed that rigor was essential. He held himself and others to high standards and demonstrated those values day after day.

In the later stages of his career, Wilfried took a special joy in coaching and mentoring. He found time to support new colleagues, whether they were just entering their careers or simply new to the world of carbon management, or as he fondly called it, “CarbonVille.” He explained, reviewed, listened, and shared generously. While excellence was his north star, community was his vessel.

He believed in people. He believed in institutions.
And he believed that both should be as good as possible because a better world depends on it.

Every day spent in CarbonVille is a day that we miss the camaraderie, intellect, and spirit of our friend, Wilfried. Through this internship, we carry his legacy forward by investing in the people and values he championed.

Join us in continuing Wilfried’s legacy. Submit your application today.