When Julien Lombardi received a crystal-growing kit at around five years old, he did not know that it would help shape his future as a scientist and entrepreneur.
His father, a chemistry professor at The City College of New York, taught him how crystals form and why they need an undisturbed environment to grow slowly over time. “After seeing my first crystals grow using that kit, I was obsessed with crystal growth ever since,” Lombardi said.
That childhood fascination eventually led him to study transition-metal-oxide nanocrystal growth at CCNY. Today, as co-founder and chief technology officer of Homeostasis, Lombardi leads a team of scientists developing a process to produce crystalline carbon, or graphite, from industrial carbon dioxide waste.
Lombardi spent more than six years conducting research at City College while earning his Ph.D. in chemistry through the CUNY Graduate Center. His doctoral research examined nanoscale crystal-growth mechanisms and energy-storage applications.
However, his path from chemistry research to climate technology was not direct. After completing his doctorate, Lombardi attended culinary school and became a whole-animal butcher. His mother, a chef, taught him the value of a home-cooked meal and that if he enjoyed eating something, he should learn how to make it.
Although chemistry, cooking and butchery may seem disconnected, Lombardi sees a common thread. “I knew what I was passionate about and found a way to do something that represented that passion,” he said. His awareness of the climate crisis and desire to make an impact ultimately led him to co-found Homeostasis.
Homeostasis is working at the intersection of two major challenges: industrial carbon emissions and the need in the United States for a domestic supply of critical battery materials.
Lombardi saw that advances in carbon-removal technologies were not matching the continued rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Although companies can capture CO₂ from industrial waste streams, they must then compress, transport and store it, often in geologic storage wells. Those additional steps can make carbon capture more expensive than continuing to release the gas.
“The solution is CO2 utilization,” Lombardi said.
Rather than treating captured carbon dioxide solely as waste, Homeostasis is developing technology to convert it into graphite for lithium-ion batteries. According to Lombardi, graphite makes up approximately 25% of the mass of commercial lithium-ion batteries. Those batteries power electric vehicles, electrical-grid storage systems, artificial-intelligence data centers and everyday devices such as cellphones.
Lombardi estimates that the United States will need roughly one million tons of graphite annually by 2030, while currently producing about one-tenth of that amount. The gap leaves American manufacturers heavily reliant on imports from China.
Homeostasis aims to provide a domestic alternative. The ideal customer would both emit carbon dioxide and need graphite. Homeostasis could turn that waste into a valuable material while strengthening the domestic battery supply chain.
As both a scientist and startup leader, Lombardi must balance the care required in research with the speed and financial pressure of entrepreneurship.
“Running a startup company can feel like you are flying an airplane that you are building piece by piece as it is in the air,” he said.
As Homeostasis expanded, it learned how costly each experiment could be in materials and staff time. Every test must produce a useful conclusion, Lombardi explained, while the team also develops its business plan and navigates fundraising.
The company recently discovered that several variables in its process were affecting one another while its sensing capabilities remained limited. Homeostasis is now reassessing and upgrading its technology to address the complexities of its molten-carbonate electrolysis reaction more systematically. Taking a step back helped the team identify the process’s key drivers and form a stronger plan.
CCNY remains central to Lombardi’s work. He credits his Ph.D. adviser, Professor Stephen O’Brien, and doctoral committee member and longtime family friend, Professor Glen Kowach, with teaching him how to direct research, conduct himself professionally and think critically.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without my Ph. D advisor Professor Stephen O’Brien or Ph. D committee member and long time family friend Professor Glen Kowach,” Lombardi said.
Both continue to advise him and have provided Homeostasis with laboratory space. The company also uses CCNY’s characterization equipment to study its crystalline carbon.
Lombardi’s Brooklyn upbringing also shaped his approach. New York exposed him to different people, museums, food, art, music and live performances, teaching him to approach difficult problems with an open mind and assess them from multiple angles. It also taught him to adapt quickly, an essential skill in a startup where several unexpected problems may arise at once.
“Being able to come up with a game plan on the fly is critical for success, and nowhere in the world prepares you better than living in NYC,” he said.
For CCNY students hoping to turn research into a company, Lombardi advises focusing on the people who will ultimately use the product. Founders must understand their customers’ problems, what they want and why they would choose a new technology over an alternative.
“You have to do both at the same time, develop the technology and develop the business,” he said.
From his first crystal-growing kit to Homeostasis’ work producing graphite from carbon emissions, Lombardi’s path has been guided by curiosity, adaptability and the desire to make science useful. His company now hopes to transform an industrial waste product into part of a cleaner and more independent energy future.
Daniella is a writer and journalism student whose work explores the intersection of research, culture, and communication. She is currently a Writing Assistant at the Research and Innovation Center at City College of New York.