Carbon to Sea is excited to announce our second cohort of the Research Fellowship Program, who will be working with us to help create a public, living picture of the sector’s progress evaluating ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE). Their work will guide our R&D roadmap, which directly informs future grants and the direction of the field as a whole. Selected from a highly-competitive pool of applicants, our four new research fellows bring diverse perspectives and impressive expertise across a range of disciplines. 

Our 2026 Research Fellowship Program cohort includes: 

Dr. Seyi Ajayi, OAE Efficiency Fellow

Dr. Seyi Ajayi is a Research Scientist at Penn State University, where he is completing postdoctoral research on alkalinity variability across U.S. estuaries, including the roles of tidal wetlands and bivalves. He received his PhD from Penn State in Geosciences. As an OAE Efficiency Fellow, Dr. Ajayi will synthesize and explore developments shaping our collective understanding of OAE’s efficiency and scalability.

Dr. Shawnee Traylor, MRV Fellow

Dr. Shawnee Traylor is a chemical oceanographer and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), where she combines autonomous observational platforms with traditional oceanographic methods to study the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle. She received her PhD from the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. As a Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) Fellow, Dr. Traylor will enhance Carbon to Sea’s Interactive MRV Database by identifying and analyzing developments from existing and new field efforts. 

Dr. Alyson “Ally” Lowell, Environmental Impacts Fellow

Dr. Alyson Lowell is a postdoctoral researcher at George Southern University and former John A. Khauss Marine Policy Fellow in U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Office (R-AK). She received a PhD in Marine and Atmospheric Sciences from Stony Brook University. As an Environmental Impacts Fellow, Dr. Lowell will analyze new developments across lab, mesocosm, and field trials to better understand OAE’s impact and the benefits of OAE on marine ecosystems. 

Dr. Yuwan Malakar, Social and Community Impacts Fellow 

Dr. Yuwan Malakar is a Research Scientist at Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), where he researches the responsible innovation and governance of novel carbon dioxide removal technologies, with particular emphasis on OAE. He received a PhD in Energy and Governance from the University of Queensland. As a Social and Community Impact Fellow, Dr. Malakar will support the development of a first-in-its-kind framework to monitor the social impacts associated with OAE research and development. 

We look forward to working with our fellows to help guide and inform the future of OAE research. Learn more about the Research Fellowship Program HERE.