Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) / Technical Co-Founder (f/m/d) role at startup CARBOSLAG

CARBOSLAG

Aachen, Germany (RWTH Aachen) | On-site / Hybrid | Co-Founder / Equity | Deep Tech / Climate Tech & Circular Economy

About CarboSlag

CarboSlag transforms local steelmaking by-products into carbon-neutral treatments for post-mining environmental management — combining metal recovery with site-specific mineral engineering to deliver faster, lower-cost treatment of post-mining soil and water, with scalable revenue through IP licensing and LCA-based carbon benefits.

The opportunity

Founded by T. Beril Basaran (Founder, Circularity & Innovation Strategist, MSc Urban Design, 2+ years in venture building), CarboSlag is now at TRL 4-5, pre-seed and pre-revenue, backed by a €100K equity-free Spark Fund grant and a win at the Climate Tech Hub / Climate-KIC Europe (No. 1). There is already indicative investment interest at a €50K ticket size, and the team (1 founder, 2 HiWis, 3 experts) has been building at the intersection of chemistry, biotech and industrial innovation since February 2026. What's missing is a Chief Scientific Officer to lead technology development: we are looking for a technical generalist to design and run CarboSlag's multi-faceted innovation pipeline.

What you will own

Technology & innovation leadership
- Own technology development as CSO, designing and running a multi-faceted innovation pipeline spanning chemistry, biotech and industrial process engineering.
- Take CarboSlag's metal recovery and mineral engineering process from TRL 4-5 towards pilot projects and technology demonstrations.

Scientific strategy
- Define the R&D roadmap that turns steelmaking by-products into carbon-neutral post-mining treatments, and scope the IP and LCA-based carbon-benefit pathways that underpin future revenue.
- Evaluate and prioritize scientific/technical opportunities across the chemistry-biotech-industrial innovation intersection.
Team & partnerships
- Build and lead the technical side of the team (currently 2 HiWis and 3 experts) alongside founder T. Beril Basaran.
- Support engagement with industrial co-innovation partners and help convert indicative investment interest (€50K ticket size) into committed funding.

What you bring

Core experience
- Broad technical/scientific background spanning chemistry, materials science, biotech or industrial process engineering — CarboSlag is looking for a generalist, not a narrow specialist.
- Comfort designing and running a multi-faceted innovation pipeline and taking a process from TRL 4-5 towards pilot demonstration.

Especially valuable
- Experience in mineral processing/metallurgy, environmental remediation, or carbon capture and LCA methodologies.
- Familiarity with IP strategy and licensing as a revenue model.
- Interest in post-mining environmental management and the mining/industrial ecosystem.

Why join CarboSlag

- A funded, de-risked starting point: €100K equity-free Spark Fund grant already secured, plus a Climate Tech Hub / Climate-KIC Europe win (No. 1).
- Indicative investor interest already in hand (€50K ticket size), on top of a team of 2 HiWis and 3 experts already in place.
- Ground-floor CSO / technical co-founder equity in a circular-economy venture with a clear IP- and carbon-benefit-driven revenue path.

CarboSlag welcomes co-founder candidates regardless of gender, age, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, sexual identity, or any other characteristic. This is a search for the right partner to build the company with, not a conventional hire.

Skills

Chemistry, Materials Science / Mineral Processing, Biotech, Industrial Process Innovation, Carbon Capture & LCA, R&D Pipeline Management