Matthew J. O’Keefe

Professional experience

Matt O’Keefe joined Kansas State University and the chemical engineering department faculty in 2020. He served as the dean of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering from 2020-2025.

O'Keefe previously held the position of executive director of the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) and professor of chemical engineering at the University of Mississippi.

Before joining the University of Mississippi, O'Keefe had been at Missouri S&T as a professor of metallurgical engineering and had also served as chair of the department of material science and engineering. In addition he was director and senior investigator for Missouri S&T's Graduate Center for Materials Research.

O'Keefe began his career as a planning engineer with AT&T Microelectronics and then transferred to AT&T Bell Laboratories. He had worked as a materials research engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base after obtaining his doctorate degree.

Research

As a researcher, O'Keefe focuses on thin films, coatings, environmentally friendly processing and characterization of materials. A fellow of ASM International, he is co-inventor on six issued patents, three of which are licensed.

Academic highlights

O’Keefe has co-authored more than 140 peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings, three book chapters with colleagues and students, and has served as a peer reviewer for 20 journals.