Matthew J. O’Keefe

Matthew J. O’Keefe is the Dean and Professor of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University (KSU), holding the LeRoy C. and Aileen H. Paslay Chair in Engineering. He also serves as a tenured professor in the Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering. Previously, he was Executive Director of the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence and professor of chemical engineering at the University of Mississippi, and chaired the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Missouri S&T. His career includes roles at AT&T Bell Laboratories and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering, University of Illinois (1993)
• B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering, Missouri S&T (1985)

Research: Focused on thin films, coatings, sustainable materials processing, and materials characterization. He secured over $10M as principal investigator and $24M as co-PI, with six patents (three licensed) and 140+ peer-reviewed publications. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration with students and industry.

Awards:

• Fellow of ASM International
• 8 Faculty Excellence Awards
• 3 Outstanding Teaching Awards
• 3 Best Paper Awards

Leadership & Advocacy: Directed Missouri S&T’s Graduate Center for Materials Research and served as Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Learning. At KSU, he drives strategic initiatives to enhance engineering education and innovation. His efforts in manufacturing excellence and materials research align with national engineering priorities.