Shull Research Group

Ken Shull is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. His research interests involve the interfacial properties of polymers, with a particular emphasis on adhesion, fracture and the behavior of thin films and coatings. Recent interests include the large-strain deformation and fracture behavior of ‘soft’ materials including polymer nanocomposites, the mechanical properties and phase behavior of polyelectrolyte complexes, and advanced uses of the quartz crystal microbalance.

He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science from MIT, followed by a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Cornell University in 1990 under the supervision of Ed Kramer. He worked as a research staff member at the IBM Almaden Research Center for 3 years before joining Northwestern University in 1993. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Adhesion Society.

He is a past president of the Adhesion Society,  served as chair of the Adhesion Gordon Research Conference for 2013, and is the 2016 recipient of the Adhesion Society Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science.

Click here to download 1-page CV in pdf format. (updated 2015)

Experience

2003 – Present: Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University

1999 – 2003: Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University

1993 – 1999: Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University

1990 – 1993: Research Staff Member, IBM Almaden Research Center

Education

1990: Ph.D., Materials Science, Cornell University

1985: MS, Electronic Materials, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

1984: BS, Materials Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Awards and Honors

2016: Award for Excellence in Adhesion – 3M & The Adhesion Society

2011: ESPCI ParisTech – Michelin Visiting Professorship

2009: Fulbright Scholar Award

2009: Patrick Fellow of the Adhesion Society

2002: Fellow of the American Physical Society

September – November 2000: Visiting Scientist, Laboratoire de Physicochimie Structurale et Macromoléculaire, Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles (Paris)

December 2000: Visiting Scientist, Department of Physics, University of Sheffield (UK)

1998: Advisor of the Year, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

1995: Materials Science and Engineering Teacher of the Year

1994: NSF Young Investigator Award

1993 – 1996: Morris Fine Junior Professorship, Northwestern University

1986 – 1990: AT&T Ph.D. Scholar, Cornell University