Khalifa University
Dr. Steven Griffiths is Senior Vice President for Research and Development and Professor of Practice at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology. At Khalifa University, his responsibilities include development and implementation of the university's research strategy, management of the university's research institutes and centers and management of the departments that are accountable for research partnerships, research services, technology management and innovation, research computing and research laboratories.
In addition to his managerial activities at Khalifa University, Dr. Griffiths is advisor to the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, a Zayed Sustainability Prize Selection Committee member, a member of the Dubai Future Council on Energy, an elected member of the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee, a Governing Board member of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Center at the University of Manchester, a member of the UAE Artificial Intelligence Expert Group, a board member of the Microsoft Energy Core and a Board member of Human CorpMission established by the Rosatom Corporate Academy and the Higher School of Economics National Research University. He advised the government of Alberta, Canada on provincial innovation system structuring throughout 2014 and continues to support the global advancement of research and innovation via evaluator and mentor roles in regional and international research and innovation competitions and programs.
Dr. Griffiths is Associate Editor and Editorial Board member of Elsevier's international journal Energy Strategy Reviews, Editorial Board member of Elsevier's international journal Smart Energy as well as Associate Editor and Editorial Board member of Springer's international journal Energy Transitions. He further is a non-resident Fellow of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, which is a leading Institute focused on energy, natural resource and environmental policy. Dr. Griffiths' international research engagements further include an appointment as research affiliate at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado-Boulder. In addition to these roles, Dr. Griffiths serves as advisor to journals and magazines focused on energy systems and technology innovation while regularly providing insights and commentary on technology and innovation for regional and international publications.
Prior to his position at KU, Dr. Griffiths was Vice President for Research and Associate Provost at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Dr. Griffiths transitioned to the Masdar Institute from his role as Executive Director of the Technology and Development Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is a position he undertook while simultaneously serving as the Founding Executive Vice President and Chief Technologist of Light Pharma Incorporated.
Dr. Griffiths holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Industrial decarbonization is a daunting challenge given the relative lack of low-carbon technology options available for activities such as chemicals production, high-temperature processing, long-haul transport and heavy-duty transport. Hydrogen, however, offers a potential solution for industrial decarbonization given that it is a diverse energy vector that can be produced via low-carbon means and subsequently used for multiple industrial applications. Despite the significant potential for low-carbon hydrogen, however, challenges exist for its production and utilization.
Khalifa University