Matt Villante is a geologist with a diverse background in geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Matt joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in 2024 as an Earth Scientist, where he serves as principal investigator for two DOE Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) carbon dioxide removal projects and supports other projects focused on development of monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocols for CDR, subsurface mineralization storage, and in-situ critical mineral recovery. His research interests primarily aim to address commercialization barriers for carbon storage and geothermal energy to support U.S. market leadership in critical emerging technology sectors. Prior to joining PNNL, Matt worked as a geologist/project developer for Carbfix in Iceland, supporting development of the world’s first commercial-scale CO_2­ mineralization storage facility at the Hellisheidi geothermal plant, DAC+mineralization projects, and global assessments of in-situ mineralization feasibility. His role developing geologic models for the site supported Carbfix successfully obtaining the world’s first onshore CO₂ storage permit under the EU CCS Directive. Matt’s research on low-temperature geothermal energy production together with colleagues at the University of North Dakota culminated in a 1^st place award in the U.S. DOE Geothermal Collegiate Competition in Spring 2021, and 2^nd place award in the 2022 Geothermal Collegiate Competition. Matt was awarded the Marcelo Lippmann Graduate Scholarship Award from Geothermal Rising in 2022 and was a Johnson Scholar for Leadership and Integrity at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA where he received a B.S. in Geology and B.A. in Chinese in 2020.