Patrick Keil is Senior Research Fellow and Director Corrosion Protection Research & Electrochemistry at the Coatings division of BASF. He studied physics at the Universities of Düsseldorf and Wuppertal in Germany and received his PhD in Experimental Physics. Prior joining BASF, Patrick worked as senior scientist at the Max-Planck-Institute for Sustainable Materials (formerly known as Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH).
Patrick is serving the European Federation of Corrosion (EFC) as Vice-President. He is a member of the board of the German Society of Corrosion Protection (GfKORR) and EFC since 2016 and 2020, respectively. Furthermore, he is an advisory committee member for various research organizations and institutions.
Complementing his work in the industry, Patrick has been appointed as Honorary Professor of RMIT University in Melbourne, Guest Professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Adjunct Professor of RMIT University, with appointments spanning 2021, 2022, and 2024, respectively.
His research interests include coatings, metal pre-treatment, and applied electrochemistry. He is dedicated to the development of innovative protection technologies by means of fundamental understanding the impact of corrosion on material performance. This includes utilizing state-of-the-art analytical methods and machine learning techniques, promoting innovation through collaboration with both academia and industry throughout the value chain.