Dr. Midkiff conducts energy research specializing in combustion and in energy conservation, management and conversion. He serves as director of the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, which funds and develops research in a variety of fields of vehicle science and engineering. Midkiff’s current research is focused on improving emissions, fuel economy and performance of spark-ignited and diesel internal combustion engines operated on a variety of conventional and alternative fuels. Midkiff’s previous research efforts included distance education challenges, thermodynamic concept inventory development, the design and testing of large-scale seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage systems, combustion in rotating flames, and the prediction and measurement of the fate of fuel nitrogen and the extent of heterogeneous versus homogeneous combustion in coal dust flames.