39alpha Research
39alpha Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs high-throughput thermodynamic geochemical simulations to help public agencies and commercial hydrogen developers identify optimal rock compositions and conditions for natural hydrogen generation from ultramafic formations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersTempe, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 39alpha Research does
39alpha Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, that conducts theoretical and computational research in geochemistry, physics, biology, and origin-of-life science. The organization operates through a small core team ("Team Zero") of four research scientists — Tucker Ely, Doug Moore, Cole Mathis, and Abigail Lembke — whose backgrounds include NASA Astrobiology Postdoctoral Fellowships and post-doctoral appointments at the University of Minnesota, University of Glasgow, and Arizona State University. Its commercial-facing work focuses on geologic hydrogen generation through serpentinization of ultramafic rocks, with supporting research in astrobiology and ocean-worlds chemistry.
The organization's core technological asset is a proprietary dataset of approximately 1,030,000 water-rock reaction simulations across 5,150 distinct ultramafic rock compositions (olivine ± orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene) at temperatures of 4 to 400°C and 500 bars pressure. This simulation library underpins a "thermodynamic cartography" service that maps hydrogen-generation potential as a function of rock composition, pH, and temperature, intended to guide commercial hydrogen developers away from blind drilling and toward optimal reaction conditions. Supporting open-source tools include the AqEquil Python package for aqueous geochemical speciation (published as Boyer et al. 2024, Zenodo DOI 10.5281/zenodo.13530217) and the Dorothy data management system developed under NASA's Open Source Science Initiative.
39alpha's revenue is generated through three streams: federal research grants (NASA and ARPA-E), private research contracts and consulting engagements with commercial hydrogen developers, and charitable donations. Named institutional relationships include ARPA-E as part of an approximately $20 million consortium for geologic hydrogen, NASA via a five-year Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution-led ocean worlds project, and a strategic partnership with Snowfox Discovery to integrate thermodynamic modeling with natural hydrogen exploration workflows. Distribution is direct, with a "Book A Demo" call-to-action enabling commercial engagements.
39alpha Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 39alpha Research
- Legal name
- 39 Alpha Research
- Website
- https://39alpharesearch.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 39alpha Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs high-throughput thermodynamic geochemical simulations to help public agencies and commercial hydrogen developers identify optimal rock compositions and conditions for natural hydrogen generation from ultramafic formations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
39alpha Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Geochemical Simulation and Research Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)
- SIC
- Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Geothermal Resource Exploration & Assessment (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry) (EUAMAEAA)
Keywords
Where 39alpha Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tempe
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
39alpha Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Federal Research Grants: Funding from federal agencies including NASA and ARPA-E for specific research projects. Examples include ARPA-E cooperative agreement for geologic hydrogen exploration and NASA awards for ocean worlds research.
- Private Research Contracts: Consulting and research services contracted to commercial entities seeking to de-risk geologic hydrogen development. Assisting public and commercial entities with large-scale geochemical simulations.
- Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting the nonprofit mission of environmental repair through fundamental scientific discoveries.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
39alpha Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
39 Alpha Research performs large-scale thermochemical and geochemical simulations of water-rock reactions in ultramafic systems, generating chemical maps that chart hydrogen generation potential as a function of temperature, pH, rock composition, and pressure. These simulation outputs and uncertainty analyses are delivered as research services and consulting engagements to public agencies (NASA, ARPA-E) and commercial hydrogen exploration firms. The organization also publishes supporting open-source scientific software (AqEquil Python package and the Dorothy data management system) to advance reproducible geochemistry research.
Product overview
39 Alpha Research is a nonprofit research organization that operates primarily as a research service provider rather than a traditional software product company. Its core offering is Geologic Hydrogen Simulation and Chemical Mapping Services — large-scale geochemical simulations that help public and commercial entities de-risk geologic hydrogen development. The organization also develops supporting open-source software tools including the AqEquil Python package for aqueous geochemical speciation and the Dorothy data management system for scientific data transparency.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Geologic Hydrogen Simulation and Chemical Mapping Services Large-scale geochemical simulations that chart the potential of different subsurface environments to generate hydrogen, guiding public and commercial clients toward optimal reaction conditions in the lab and field, and quantifying uncertainty in controlling variables to support hydrogen recovery efforts.
- AqEquil Python Package Open-source Python package for aqueous geochemical speciation, developed by 39 Alpha Research scientists and published on Zenodo, intended for the scientific community conducting geochemistry research.
- Dorothy Data Management System Open-source software for scientific data management developed under NASA's Open Source Science Initiative funding, designed to make scientific data more transparent, accessible, and reproducible.
Quantifiable outcome
- ~7 order of magnitude shift in hydrogen generation potential can result from changes in ultramafic rock composition at ~200°C
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use 39alpha Research
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
39alpha Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
39alpha Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Snowfox DiscoverycoreStrategic partnership uniting Snowfox's pioneering natural hydrogen exploration workflows with 39 Alpha Research's advanced thermodynamic modeling and simulation capabilities to accelerate natural hydrogen discovery at scale. Collaboration aims to integrate geochemical modelling expertise and chemical mapping with exploration workflows to revolutionize system evaluation for hydrogen production potential.
- NASA / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institutioncore39 Alpha Research selected as part of five-year NASA project led by WHOI to investigate organic carbon compounds on ocean worlds for life detection. 39 Alpha provides thermodynamic chemical modeling to understand potential exo-ocean seawater compositions.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
39alpha Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CGG: CGG is a global geoscience and geophysical services company providing subsurface data, imaging, and reservoir characterization. It is a broad incumbent peer because its subsurface mapping, geological interpretation, and reservoir assessment capabilities overlap directly with 39alpha's chemical mapping and subsurface evaluation work, though at much larger scale and across oil & gas.
- SLB (Schlumberger): SLB is the largest oilfield services company globally and has expanded into subsurface hydrogen exploration evaluation. It is a broad incumbent peer because it offers analogous subsurface geological/geochemical services at much greater scale across a broader portfolio, including emerging hydrogen exploration offerings.
- PGS (Petroleum Geo-Services): PGS is a global geophysical company specializing in seismic acquisition and subsurface imaging for energy exploration. It is a broad incumbent peer because its seismic-based subsurface mapping services target the same types of geological questions 39alpha's simulations address, though for conventional hydrocarbon exploration at much larger scale.
- TGS: TGS is a leading provider of multi-client geoscience data and subsurface intelligence for the energy industry. It is a broad incumbent peer because it supplies geological and geophysical data assets and interpretation products comparable in scope to 39alpha's subsurface mapping outputs, though applied across oil & gas rather than dedicated to natural hydrogen.
Direct peers
- Gold Hydrogen: Gold Hydrogen (ASX: GHY) is an Australian natural hydrogen explorer pursuing subsurface hydrogen accumulations in South Australia. It targets the same hydrogen play type that 39alpha's thermodynamic modeling is built to evaluate, making it a direct peer in the natural hydrogen exploration value chain.
- Hydroma: Hydroma is a French natural hydrogen exploration company developing serpentinization-driven hydrogen plays. It is directly comparable because it explores the same ultramafic-rock hydrogen generation systems that 39alpha's chemical mapping and simulation services are designed to characterize.
- Koloma: Koloma is a venture-backed natural hydrogen exploration company developing subsurface resources in the U.S. Midwest. It pursues the same geologic hydrogen thesis 39alpha models, making it a direct downstream customer peer for 39alpha's serpentinization simulation services.
- Snowfox Discovery: Snowfox Discovery is a global leader in natural (white) hydrogen exploration that has entered a strategic partnership with 39alpha Research to integrate thermodynamic modeling and chemical mapping into its exploration workflows. It is the most directly comparable peer because it operates in the same value chain segment 39alpha serves.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
39alpha Research social profiles
Digital presence39alpha Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
39alpha Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
39alpha Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
39alpha Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 39alpha Research
What does 39alpha Research do?
39 Alpha Research performs large-scale thermochemical and geochemical simulations of water-rock reactions in ultramafic systems, generating chemical maps that chart hydrogen generation potential as a function of temperature, pH, rock composition, and pressure. These simulation outputs and uncertainty analyses are delivered as research services and consulting engagements to public agencies (NASA, ARPA-E) and commercial hydrogen exploration firms. The organization also publishes supporting open-source scientific software (AqEquil Python package and the Dorothy data management system) to advance reproducible geochemistry research.
Is 39alpha Research a public or private company?
39alpha Research is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was 39alpha Research founded?
39alpha Research was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 39alpha Research based?
39alpha Research is headquartered in Tempe, United States, in the North America region.
How does 39alpha Research make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Federal Research Grants are the primary driver. The others are private Research Contracts and donations.
Who are 39alpha Research's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CGG, SLB (Schlumberger), PGS (Petroleum Geo-Services) and TGS. Direct peers are Gold Hydrogen, Hydroma, Koloma and Snowfox Discovery.
Does 39alpha Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for 39alpha Research.
What industry is 39alpha Research in?
39alpha Research's product category is Geochemical Simulation and Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMAEAA, Geothermal Resource Exploration & Assessment (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry). Its NAICS code is 541715 and its SIC code is 1382.