Marc Deshusses
About Marc Deshusses
Co-founder of 374Water and patent inventor of the company’s supercritical water oxidation (AirSCWO) system; currently Director of Technology (formerly CTO through 2022). Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University since 2008; previously professor and department chair at UC Riverside (1994–2008). Age 59; joined the SCWO Board in 2024. The Board classifies him as a non-independent director due to his ongoing relationship with the Company .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 374Water | Chief Technology Officer (then Director of Technology) | CTO through 2022; Director of Technology current | Co-founder and inventor of AirSCWO core technology |
| University of California, Riverside | Professor, Department Chair | 1994–2008 | Department leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University | Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering; Principal Investigator for SCWO development at Duke | Professor since 2008; PI since 2013 | Academic leadership and SCWO R&D program |
Board Governance
- Independence status: Not independent; the Board expressly deemed Messrs. Gannon, Davis and Deshusses non-independent given their relationships with the Company .
- Committee assignments: None as of April 15, 2025 (no committee membership denoted alongside his name in the committee roster) .
- Board leadership: Chair of the Board is Deanna Rene Estes (independent) and the roles of Chair and CEO are separated; Board reviews leadership structure annually .
- Meetings and attendance: Board held 20 meetings in 2024; no incumbent director attended fewer than 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Key policies: Hedging/short sales are prohibited for directors under the Insider Trading Policy; Nasdaq-compliant clawback policy adopted (recovers incentive-based pay from Section 16 officers upon certain restatements) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Base Salary (as Director of Technology) | $60,000 | FY 2024 | Paid as an employee; no separate director fees disclosed for him in 2024 |
| Non-employee director equity program (context) | 40,000 RSUs per non-employee director (grant-date fair value ~$41,200) | Granted Nov 15, 2024 | Applies to non-employee directors; Dr. Deshusses did not receive this as he was an employee director |
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based director compensation disclosed for Dr. Deshusses. The proxy’s director compensation table shows no option/stock award for him and only employee salary; no bonus, option, or PSU/RSU awards were reported for his director service in 2024 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Public company boards: None disclosed for Dr. Deshusses .
- Private/non-profit/academic boards: Academic leadership positions as noted above (Duke); no other external board service disclosed .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Co-inventor of AirSCWO and 374Water co-founder; recognized researcher in biofiltration, odor, and waste-to-energy technologies; deep technical domain expertise directly aligned with the Company’s core technology .
- Academic credentials: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering (ETH Zürich, 1994); BS in Chemical Engineering (EPFL, 1990) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Breakdown/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Deshusses | 22,700,451 | 13.4% | Includes 22,652,451 shares and a warrant for 48,000 shares exercisable as of Oct 21, 2025 |
- As of Oct 21, 2025 there were 169,248,799 shares outstanding; beneficial ownership percentages are based on this denominator .
- No disclosure of any share pledging by Dr. Deshusses; the Company’s policy prohibits hedging/short sales by directors .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Deep technology expertise and inventor status create high board-level understanding of technical risk and product roadmap; strong “skin in the game” with 13.4% ownership aligns interests with long-term value creation .
- Board processes/policies: Hedging ban and a Nasdaq-compliant clawback are in place; chair/CEO roles are separated with an independent chair, and 2024 attendance across the Board was strong .
-
Risks/RED FLAGS
- Not independent; dual role as Director of Technology and large shareholder presents potential conflicts of interest, particularly around related-party matters, capital raises, or technology commercialization decisions .
- Company-level control risks: A material weakness in internal controls was noted for FY 2024, which the Audit Committee is remediating—while not attributed to Dr. Deshusses specifically, it is a governance risk to monitor given his influence and technology leadership .
- Capital structure/market signal: Board-approved actions (e.g., Nov-2025 special meeting to authorize a 1-for-8 to 1-for-20 reverse split to regain Nasdaq compliance) reflect financing and listing pressure—again a company-level issue but relevant to overall governance and potential dilution/ownership dynamics around a large insider holder .
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Mitigants
- Related-party transaction oversight resides with the Audit Committee, which reviews and approves such transactions under a written charter; insider participation in a Nov-2024 registered offering was disclosed, and the policy/process is articulated .
- Board regained compliance with Nasdaq’s independent director requirement in April 2025 with the addition of an independent director; independent chair and committee leadership in place (Audit and Compensation chaired by independent directors) .
Monitoring priorities for investors: independence/conflict management around technology/contracting and financings; remediation of internal control weakness; capital structure changes (reverse split, potential future equity issuance) and their interplay with large insider ownership .