The CDR Brain Map — Where the Researchers Are (and Aren't)

⚠️ Work in Progress — First Shot on Goal

This is v1 of our CDR researcher census. Country assignments come from OpenAlex’s “last known institution” data, which can be outdated or missing. Some researchers have moved; some institutions are misclassified. I’m sharing this because directional data beats no data, but treat specific numbers as estimates, not gospel. Your corrections make v2 better. Bluesky · X

This is Part 2 of the CDR Researcher Census series.

When I started mapping CDR researchers by country, I expected the US and Europe to dominate. I was wrong.

China Is the CDR Research Superpower

China has three times more CDR researchers than the United States. That’s not a rounding error — it’s a structural reality. And 35% of China’s CDR researchers are growing their output, the highest rate among major countries.

How This Compares to Lück et al.

Lück et al. tracked first-author countries for 13,366 papers. Their data shows China at 23% and the US at 19%. My data shows China at 32% and the US at 11%.

Why the difference? Lück counts papers (first-author country), I count people. Chinese research teams tend to be larger — more co-authors per paper. When you count people instead of papers, China’s share increases significantly. Neither number is “right” — they measure different things.

The Institutional Powerhouses

The top 20 institutions are dominated by Chinese academia — 14 of 20 are Chinese universities or research institutes. The Chinese Academy of Sciences alone has 1,916 CDR researchers, more than many entire countries.

(See all top 50 institutions on the census page)

Where the Science Is vs. Where the Companies Are

This is where it gets interesting. Our CDR Directory tracks 820 CDR companies. The geographic mismatch between researchers and companies tells a story:

China: 32% of researchers, but a much smaller share of CDR startups in Western databases. Chinese CDR companies may be underrepresented in English-language directories — or the science-to-startup pipeline may work differently there.

United States: 11% of researchers, but the largest concentration of DAC companies (Climeworks US operations, Heirloom, CarbonCapture Inc., etc.). The US converts a smaller research base into more commercial activity — or attracts companies regardless of where the science originates.

India: 6.6% of researchers (8,559 people) and growing at 30%. But relatively few CDR companies. This is a massive untapped talent pool.

The Fastest-Growing CDR Research Countries

Countries where the highest percentage of CDR researchers have a “growing” trajectory (increasing CDR output):

The Global South is entering CDR research rapidly. Romania, Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh — these aren’t countries traditionally associated with CDR, but their researchers are increasingly publishing in this space.

What This Means

The geographic distribution of CDR research has implications for the industry:

1. The talent is in China and Asia. Any CDR company planning to scale globally needs to tap into Asian research networks, not just US/European ones.
2. India is the sleeping giant. 8,559 researchers and growing fast, with almost no commercial CDR sector yet.
3. The Global South matters. CDR deployment will increasingly happen in tropical and developing countries (enhanced weathering on agricultural land, biochar in tropical soils). The fact that researchers in these countries are growing their CDR output is a positive signal.

Next in the series: The Top Minds in CDR — the 10 most prolific researchers in every CDR pathway, with links so you can verify.

Data from the CDR Researcher Census. Corrections welcome on Bluesky or X.

🔗 Related Reading

• The Dabbler Problem — Is CDR Research a Side Hustle?
• CDR Science as Early Signal — Is the Research Explosion Fast Enough?
• I Counted Every CDR Researcher on Earth. Here’s What I Found.
• China’s New Five-Year Plan: 17% Carbon Intensity Cut, Zero CDR