- Professor & Chair
Biography
Christopher Keane is Professor and Chair of the Department Physics and Astronomy at Washington State University (WSU). At WSU he previously served as Senior Advisor to the Provost (January 2024-Decmember 2024) and Vice President for Research (VPR) (July 2014-December 2023).
Prior to joining WSU in 2014, Dr. Keane held a variety of scientific and leadership roles related to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and high energy density physics (HEDP) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), ultimately serving as Director of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) User Office. Dr. Keane also served in the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration as a member of the Senior Executive Service, where he led the U.S. ICF Program, including construction of the stadium-sized NIF laser and development of the NIF ignition program.
Keane holds B.S. degrees in Physics and Engineering from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Princeton University. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society, and recipient of the NNSA Silver Medal, the Defense Programs Award of Excellence, and the Fusion Power Associates Special Award. He has served on numerous national and international advisory committees and authored over 120 publications.
Education
- BS Physics Physics 1980, University of Rochester
- BS Engineering 1980, University of Rochester
- PhD Astrophysics 1986, Princeton
Research Interests
- Computational and experimental research in x-ray lasers
- Inertial confinement fusion
- Ultra-high intensity laser-matter interaction