September 29, 2026 | By Josh DeLozier
The University of Oklahoma has named Todd Schaef as the new executive director of OU Energy Strategy and Integration, a key position in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships, focused on growing the impact-focused research that advances OU’s role in the future of energy.
Building on Oklahoma’s position as a major oil and natural gas producer that delivers energy solutions that benefit the state and nation, Schaef will work with OU faculty to pursue large-scale federal and industry research programs focused on subsurface energy systems, critical minerals, carbon management, grid resilience, and next-generation energy technologies.
“OU has an extraordinary combination of energy expertise, research capabilities, students, and industry partnerships. My goal is to help integrate those strengths across disciplines and build new opportunities that move innovative energy technologies from the laboratory into the field, said Schaef. “I see tremendous potential for OU to play a leading role in defining the next generation of energy systems that are economically competitive, technologically innovative, and important to the nation’s energy future.”
Schaef joins OU after more than three decades at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he is a Level V Chief Scientist. He has led U.S. Department of Energy-funded research on subsurface technologies, carbon mineralization, and critical mineral recovery. During his tenure, he has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and presentations and is an inventor on patents and patent applications covering downhole fluid injection, water purification, and critical mineral recovery.
Importantly, Schaef’s prior research connects directly to OU’s critical mineral initiatives. In 2013, he was part of the PNNL team that completed the world’s first injection of supercritical carbon dioxide into a basalt formation, placing about 1,000 metric tons of CO2 in rock near Wallula, Washington. Core samples taken two years later showed that CO2 had begun forming carbonate minerals. His group now works on pairing carbon storage with critical mineral recovery. A 2026 study in the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, co-authored by Schaef, examined the potential to store carbon dioxide and recover nickel and cobalt at the Tamarack Intrusive Complex in Minnesota.
“Oklahoma has a deep legacy in energy exploration, and Todd has spent decades taking subsurface science out of the lab and into the field,” said Matt Hulver, OU Vice President of Research and Partnerships. “Under his leadership, OU’s energy research will help drive real-world solutions for industries and communities throughout our state and nation.”
In addition to his role as executive director, Schaef will also serve as a research professor in OU’s Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy. He will begin in both roles in the new year.
