Keith McKenna

Professor Keith McKenna is a faculty member in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology at the University of York, holding roles including Translational Theme Lead for Sustainable Energy and Programme Leader for Maths and Physics. He obtained his MPhys (2001) and PhD (2005) from the University of Leeds. His research focuses on theoretical modeling of surfaces and interfaces in nanoscale systems, with applications in energy, spintronics, and catalysis. He employs multi-scale computational methods and collaborates closely with experimental groups.

Research Interests:

• Nanostructured materials and grain boundary engineering
• Defect modeling in energy materials (e.g., photovoltaics, photocatalysts)
• Electronic properties of oxides and metal nanoparticles

Leadership Roles:

• UK Management Committee Member – COST Action CA21148
• Working Group Leader – psi-k Functional Materials and Devices
• Steering Committee Member – UK High-End Computing Materials Chemistry Consortium

Teaching:

• Computational Quantum Mechanics (2011–present)
• Mathematical Physics II (2012)

Grants and Funding: Multiple EPSRC-funded projects, including collaborations with Japanese institutions. Recent work includes optimizing charge carrier mobility in nanoporous metal oxides and studying defects in tungsten oxide.

Labs/Teams: Leads the McKenna Materials Modelling Group, focusing on computational modeling of surfaces/interfaces in energy-relevant materials.