Benjamin Keitz

Benjamin Keitz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, holding the Frank A. Liddell, Jr. Centennial Fellowship. His research focuses on integrating synthetic chemistry and biology to design functional materials for catalysis, energy, environmental remediation, and medicine. Key areas include microbial extracellular electron transfer (EET) and engineering living materials through metabolic networks. He leads the Keitz Group, advancing tools in chemical kinetics, surface chemistry, and genetic networks.

Education: Postdoctoral Researcher (UC Berkeley, 2012-2015), Ph.D. Chemistry (Caltech, 2012), B.S. Chemical Engineering (UT Austin, 2007).

Research interests emphasize chemical/biological synthesis of functional materials, combining microbial EET with inorganic/organic substrates. Recent work explores organic electrochemical transistors, genome editing in bacteria, and high-throughput EET characterization. His lab develops biohybrid systems where living cells interface with synthetic materials, addressing challenges in sustainable materials and biomanufacturing.

Awards include the NSF CAREER Award (2020), Air Force Young Investigator Award (2020), and NIH MIRA Award (2019). His work spans over 100 publications, with contributions in Nature Chemistry, ACS Synthetic Biology, and Nature Communications.

Keitz has advised multiple postdocs and graduate students, focusing on troubleshooting skills and interdisciplinary training. His research group collaborates on projects funded by NSF, NIH, and DoD, emphasizing translational applications of living materials.