Kevin M. Keener, Ph.D., P.E.

Dr. Kevin Keener is a professor in the School of Engineering and is the Barrett Family Foundation Chair in Sustainable Food Engineering at the University of Guelph. Dr. Keener arrived at University of Guelph in 2019. He has visiting professor appointments at South China University of Technology, University College Dublin (Ireland), and Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland). He also served as a 2014 Distinguished Fulbright Professor at Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). Dr. Keener’s current research focuses on designing and building novel technologies that allow companies to achieve sustainable manufacturing goals. Specific technologies invented in Dr. Keener’s laboratory include high voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP), controlled dynamic radiant frying, cryogenic cooling of food products, and others. He has authored more than 120 publications, including 80 peer-reviewed journal papers, 13 book chapters, and 12 patents. He has also delivered over 100 workshops on food safety, food quality, food manufacturing, food export, food technology, food regulations, environmental sustainability and others for food manufacturers, government inspectors, and food entrepreneurs. Dr. Keeners academic program has been recognized in over 100 popular press articles, and he has received a number of awards for his past accomplishments including: Iowa Economic Development Award from Iowa State University (2017); Spirit of the Land Grant Award from Purdue University (2014); Rainbird Engineering Concept of the Year from the ASABE (2013); Research and Development Award from the Institute of Food Technologists (2013) along with many others.

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Od3TdcAAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Research Interests

• food technology
• food safety
• bioprocessing
• non-thermal technologies: cold plasma, ozone, pulsed electric fields, electromagnetics, ultrasound, irradiation, Ultraviolet light, high pressure processing
• thermal technologies: radiant frying, radiant heating, retort canning, heat sterilization, baking, drying, extrusion
• food packaging design and recycling
• chemical manufacturing at room temperature