My research focus is on water resources management
with an emphasis on water quality, developing novel technologies
and management strategies for dealing with water pollution,
as well as advancing our understanding of the fate of emerging
contaminants in the environment, with a focus in the past
decade on nanomaterials. I am currently Co-Director of a National
Science Foundation center, the UC
Center on the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology
which involves more than 100 researchers, and Co-Director
of a US Environmental Protection Agency center, the Chemical
Life Cycle Collaborative, with around 20 full time researchers.
Current research topics involve the
treatment of water and soils which have been contaminated
with nanoparticles or hazardous wastes, larger scale pollution
management at the watershed scale, and the nexus between energy
and water. In addition to analyzing the scientific issues
involved, Dr. Keller is interested in the development of management
strategies to suit the characteristics of each site, minimizing
risk at least cost. Dr. Keller has had several years of experience
developing management strategies in the private sector, which
he brings to his Bren School courses and projects. He has
been recognized three times with the Bren School Distinguished
Teaching Award.
Recently Dr. Keller was recognized
with the Agilent
Thought Leadership award, in recognition of his leadership
in understanding the potential effects of nanotechnology on
the environment, particularly in agricultural systems. This
major gift included as gifts two major instruments, an SP-ICP-MS
(Agilent
7900) for monitoring nanoparticles directly and a state
of the art LC-MS-MS (Agilent
6400) for detecting the effect of nanoparticles via metabolomics.
The gift also included funding to carry out the needed research.
Dr. Keller is known for his involvement in the phasing out
of the gasoline additive MTBE as part of a UC-wide project;
his research found MTBE to seriously affect water resources
while providing only modest air quality benefits relative
to other alternatives.
Dr. Keller also was the facilitator for the award-winning
(2003
David Nahai Water Quality Awards) Nitrogen TMDL process
for the Santa Clara River. Previous TMDLs in the region had
been very contentious, but through a combination of science-supported
decision-making and a willingness to try out many ideas proposed
by the stakeholders, the Santa Clara River TMDL Steering Committee
was able to reach a consensus, which was fully supported by
the RWQCB. The steering committee received the 2003 H. David
Nahai Water Quality Award for their work.
Dr. Keller and his research team provided the scientific underpining
to the Ohio River Water Quality Trading Program, which received
the 2015
U.S. Water Prize, led by EPRI. Dr. Keller's group develop
the models for the program, as well as the science for the
attenuation factors.
Dr. Keller is also well-known for his expertise in the fate
and transport of pollutants, including nanoparticles, organic
liquids (NAPLs), and persistent organic pollutants associated
with clay particles; he has over 180 peer-reviewed publications
in top journals. His research team also works on technologies
to solve important water-quality problems, and recently was
covered in the New York Times for a major improvement in the
technology to skim oil spills in marine environments, which
can significantly reduce the risk of the oil spill reaching
coastal resources. Recently a novel nanomaterial was developed
to deal with the contamination of persistent organic pollutants,
a major legacy issue.
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