Bio
Ikenna J. Okeke is an R&D Associate Staff Member in the Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Research and Analysis (MEERA) Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Ikenna received his PhD from McMaster University in chemical engineering with a focus on process systems engineering, energy systems design, modeling, simulation, and optimization — employing techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) tools to inform decision making. He has also worked as a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto where his research focused on conventional and emerging hydrogen technologies.
Upon joining MEERA group, Ikenna supports the development of DOE’s Better Plant software tool which helps U.S. manufacturing sectors to account for their Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions and ultimately set carbon emissions reduction goals via "What If" analysis. He is also involved in the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) strategic analysis projects where he conducts technology assessments for electrification — focusing on process heating and water use impacts. Ikenna is part of the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap Extension Working Groups — providing key contributions to the cement and pulp and paper subsectors. For the office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Ikenna supports the Decarbonizing Energy through Collaborative Analysis of Routes and Benefits (DECARB) projects having played a major role in the just concluded Sprint Study 2A: Cross Sectorial Electrification and Efficiency. Within the DECARB projects, he continues to provide industrial sector support for DECARB Tasks 2 (Demand), 6 (Load Profile), and 9 (FINITO). In addition, Ikenna contributes to projects of other DOE offices namely Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), etc.
He is also involved in the Laboratory Directed & Research Development (LDRD) program and collaborates with other research groups within ORNL — supporting research in TEA and LCA.