Biography

David J. Keffer was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He pursued a technical education earning a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. After a year as a post-doctoral scholar at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., he began his career as an engineering professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he remains today, leading a computational research group interested in materials relevant to the pursuit of sustainable energy. He has published about 120 technical papers in archival journals. He was awarded a Fulbright Grant and spent a year (2010-11) at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea.

Keffer’s teaching and recent interests focus on the intersection of computational materials science and sustainability. An understanding of the processing-structure-property-performance relationships of materials relevant to the generation, conversion and storage of renewable energy plays a distinct role in the interdisciplinary response to addressing the global climate/energy crisis.

Prof. Keffer serves as the Interim Director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Computational Science Program, which enable engineers to build strong computational backgrounds through coursework in the computer science, information science, mathematics and statistics programs. Prof. Keffer holds a Joint Research Appointment in the Center for Renewable Carbon at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, which allows students to experience the intersection between renewable, bio-based feedstocks and materials science and engineering.

Education

Degrees

• PhD, Chemical Engineering
  University of Minnesota, 1996
• BS Chemical Engineering
  University of Florida, 1992

Post-Doctoral Training

• National Research Council Post-doctoral Fellow
  United States Naval Research Laboratory, Washington D.C., 1996-1997

Professional Service

• Faculty Advisor of the University of Tennessee’s Material Advantage Chapter, 2026 – present
• United Campus Workers
• Energy Science & Engineering Program

Awards & Recognitions

• Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year Award, University of Tennessee, 2023
• Faculty Environmental Leadership Award, Office of Sustainability, University of Tennessee, 2021
• L. R. Hesler Award, University of Tennessee, 2021
• Fulbright Distinguished Lectureship, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, 2010–2011
• Allen & Hoshall Engineering Faculty Award, 2008

Research Publications

A full list of publications is available on ORCID.