Christopher Schuh

Christopher Schuh is the John G. Searle Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, serving as Dean. His research focuses on structural materials, including metals and ceramics, emphasizing disorder control in microstructures to optimize mechanical properties. He leads the Schuh Group, combining experiments, theory, and simulations to study processing-structure-property relationships. Schuh is a serial entrepreneur, co-founding Xtalic Corporation (nanocrystalline coatings) and Desktop Metal (3D metal printing). His work spans over 250 publications in journals like Science and Acta Materialia.

Education:

• BS in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University

Research Interests: Schuh's group explores nanocrystalline alloys, grain boundary engineering, microparticle impact dynamics, and shape memory ceramics. His innovations include nanocrystalline coatings for electronics and scalable additive manufacturing techniques. Recent projects involve quantifying plasticity in extreme strain rates and developing alloys for rapid sintering.

Awards:

• Fellow of ASM International
• Fellow of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society
• Member of the National Academy of Inventors
• Member of the National Academy of Engineering

Grants & Advising: Schuh oversees a lab with active PhD students (e.g., Tyler Lucas, Daniel Ng) and collaborates on projects like the 'B09-NANO for Industry 3' initiative. His grants fund research into microstructural evolution and cold spray technologies.

Labs & Teams: The Schuh Group operates at the intersection of academia and industry, with a focus on translational research. Current projects include shape memory ceramics and high-velocity microparticle impact analysis.