Jennifer Holmgren

This woman managed to turn pollution into jet fuel.

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren has spent her career doing what most people thought was impossible: turning waste into fuel, carbon into textiles, and emissions into raw materials for the future.

After earning a PhD in chemical engineering, an MBA, and a BSc from Harvey Mudd, Holmgren rose through the ranks at Honeywell’s UOP.

She led the renewable fuels division and helped build the first low-carbon jet fuel systems adopted by the military and commercial airlines.

Then she became CEO of LanzaTech.

The company developed a bacteria-powered gas fermentation system that turns carbon monoxide from steel plants, landfills, and waste into ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

It reduces lifecycle emissions by up to 98% compared to traditional fuels.

Then she spun off LanzaJet.

A profit-driven SAF company, with its first plant in Georgia... making the U.S. a leader in carbon-negative jet fuel.

Holmgren argued for “numbering up,” not scaling up.

Deploying small, distributed decarbonization tech globally, especially in the Global South.

She pushed carbon capture utilization (CCU), not just storage.

Because in her view, carbon isn’t just a pollutant. It’s an untapped resource.

Under her watch LanzaTech avoided emissions equal to removing 110,000 cars from the road. Every year.

She was awarded the EPA Green Chemistry Award, Rosalind Franklin Award, and Edison Achievement Award.

She co-authored 30+ scientific papers, filed 50+ patents, and became a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

She sat on advisory boards for Princeton, Argonne Lab, Halliburton Labs, MIT’s The Engine, and India’s Bio Energy Research Institute.

But the road hasn’t been smooth.

After going public via SPAC in 2023 and raising $240M, LanzaTech faced a brutal climate tech market.

By 2025, the company’s revenue dropped 47% YoY, it laid off up to 15% of its workforce, and posted a $32.5M Q2 loss.

One investor even offered to buy the company for 2 cents a share. A tenth of its stock price.

Holmgren didn’t flinch.

She refocused the company, away from R&D and toward deploying tech in high-impact commercial SAF projects.

She launched a $30M cost-cutting plan and pushed for profitability, not just possibility.

And she’s not stopping until every factory, landfill, and exhaust pipe becomes part of the supply chain for a cleaner, circular carbon economy.

Her message to the world?

You’re not paying a “green premium.” You’re enjoying a “fossil discount.”