Helmut (Ken) Burkhardt received his Ph.D from the University of Stuttgart in 1964 and was a refugee during World War II. In 1967, he moved to Toronto with his wife. After doing research in thermonuclear fusion and magneto hydrodynamic energy conversion, he became a pioneer in renewable energy. He started working at Ryerson in the Department of Mathematics and Physics in 1974. He also worked in Ryerson's Energy Centre and as director, organized many conferences with the International Society for Systems Sciences and Science for Peace. He retired from Ryerson in 1996, becoming a proferssor emeritus. He is a member of the Canadian Pugwash Group, serving as President of its Council on Global Issues (2002-2009). In 2011 he became the President of Solar Energy Technology Inc.