BenjaminK. Keitz

About

The Keitz Group uses synthetic chemistry and synthetic biology in conjunction with chemical engineering fundamentals to design new functional materials for use in catalysis, energy generation, environmental remediation, biological separations, and medicine. By connecting concepts from each of the above fields, they aim to develop artificial ecosystems where biological processes can interface with inorganic and organic substrates to generate materials with previously unknown structure and function. The nature of their work requires an engineering approach that incorporates aspects of chemical kinetics, synthetic chemistry, surface chemistry, structural biology, and the study of genetic/metabolic networks. By implementing and developing tools in each of these areas they hope to prepare students and scholars for the engineering challenges of the future.

Educational Qualifications

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Berkeley (2012-2015)
Ph.D., Chemistry, California Institute of Technology (2012)
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2007)

Select Awards & Honors

• CAREER Award – National Science Foundation (NSF) (2020)
• Scientific Research Young Investigator Award – Air Force Office (2020)
• NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (2019)
• Herbert Newby McCoy Thesis Award (2013)
• Sigma-Aldrich Student Innovation Award (2012)
• National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship (2008)
• Intel Undergraduate Fellow (2007)

Related Websites

• The Keitz Group (Research Lab)
• Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: an NSF MRSEC

Select Publications