He earned a Ph.D. in Applied Physics at Harvard University and an B.S. in physics from MIT. Following his doctoral work, he was an International Institute for Nanotechnology postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University. Keith has co-authored 49 peer-reviewed publications, eleven patent applications, and his work has been recognized through the reception of awards including the Omar Farha Award for Research Leadership from Northwestern University, the American Vacuum Society Nanometer-Scale Science and Technology Division Postdoctoral Award, and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship.