John J. Stankus

Dr. John J. Stankus is a Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), Department of Chemistry, School of Math, Science and Engineering. He joined UIW in 2006 after a distinguished 16-year industrial career at IBM, Motorola, and Nortel Networks, where he led projects in semiconductor interconnects, optical storage, and telecommunications technologies. His industrial achievements include pioneering work on photorefractive polymers, optical backplane systems, and low-k dielectric materials for semiconductors.

Dr. Stankus holds a B.S. in Chemistry with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin (1987) and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Stanford University (1993). His research focuses on chemical education innovations, liquid dynamics, and spectroscopic techniques. He has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications and holds four U.S. patents. Key honors include the IBM Thomas J. Watson Memorial Scholarship and CONOCO Chemistry Scholarships.

Academically, he teaches undergraduate chemistry courses and has developed the CHEM-Start summer program to enhance student preparedness at a Hispanic Serving Institution. He served as UIW Faculty Senate President (2017–2019) and Board of Trustees member, demonstrating strong commitment to institutional governance. His work spans experimental physics (e.g., femtosecond laser systems), materials science (low-k dielectrics), and educational pedagogy (flipped classroom methodologies).

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Chemistry (Physical Chemistry), Stanford University, 1993
  • B.S., Chemistry with Honors, University of Texas at Austin, 1987
• Key Roles:
  • Faculty Senate President (2017–2019)
  • Project Manager for 10 Gb/s Optical Transceiver Development (Nortel)
  • Principal Investigator for $13M NIST consortium proposal

His recent research emphasizes improving STEM education equity through targeted academic support programs and innovative teaching strategies. He has collaborated with academic institutions like the University of Texas at Dallas on telecommunications engineering advisory roles.