Prominent University of Calgary researcher going to Harvard

August 30, 2011

David Keith will continue strong collaboration with our campus.David Keith, Canada Research Chair of Energy and Environment at the University of Calgary, has accepted a position at prestigious Harvard University. Keith has been jointly appointed as the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School.

Although he will leave his full-time professorship here effective Sept. 1, Keith will be anchored in Calgary for the next six years and will continue a strong collaborative relationship with the University of Calgary as both a Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE) and an adjunct professor in physics.

“David Keith and his research have enhanced the University of Calgary’s reputation for excellence in the local community and internationally,” says Ed McCauley, vice-president (research). “He has helped us build capacity to do world-class, interdisciplinary energy and environment research and produce talented graduates that are in high demand by industry, academia and other sectors.”

Adds David Layzell, ISEEE’s executive director: “David has been crucial in the development of ISEEE, and we look forward to continued collaboration with him. This is great news for David that offers exciting possibilities for both Harvard and the University of Calgary.”

Since joining the University of Calgary in 2004, Keith has made important contributions to energy and environment research and graduate training, as a director at ISEEE, a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design, the Department of Economics and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Keith’s contributions to the University of Calgary, which include new faculty members recruited here with his help, will continue to strengthen the university’s growing international reputation in energy and environment research and education. The university currently has more than 160 researchers working across many disciplines in the energy and environment area, which continues to be a top priority for investment and growth at the university.

The first five graduates of ISEEE’s Energy and Environmental Systems (EES) graduate specialization program quickly landed excellent jobs, including three of Keith’s former students working at, respectively, Harvard, University of Texas in Austin, and Carbon Engineering, a private company in Calgary. Another EES graduate is working for the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado and another at a new ‘green’ building institute in Spain.