Jonathon Kenneth Schuh

Education

• Ph.D. Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018
• Master of Science Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2015
• Bachelor of Science with Highest Honors Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013

Biography

Jonathon K. Schuh obtained in BS with Highest Honors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013. He obtained his MS in Mechanical Engineering in 2015 and his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in 2018, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduating with his Ph.D., Jonathon worked as a postdoctoral research associate with Professor Pete Sauer, the Grainger Chair Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois, on control of magnetic actuators. He also taught sections of ECE 330: Power Circuits and Electromechanics. In January of 2020, Jonathon joined the ECE Department as a Teaching Assistant Professor.

Academic Positions

• Teaching Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, January 1, 2020-Present
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Electrical and Computer Engineering, May 17, 2018-December 31, 2019

Major Consulting Activities

• Hinetics, LLC, Champaign, Illinois

Professional Registrations

• Engineering Intern, State of Illinois, May 2018-Present

Teaching Statement

Successful engineers and scientists take their technical knowledge and apply it to solve a given problem in either industry or academia. I believe it is more important to understand the underlying natural phenomena, and when to apply them, rather than simply plugging in numbers to an equation. My goal as an educator is to instill knowledge of fundamental behavior to allow my students to solve a range of problems outside those covered in class.

Research Statement

Increased production of electricity through renewable resources, such as wind and solar, has been widely adopted to reduce the carbon footprint of the United States. A tradeoff when using renewable resources for energy generation, compared to nuclear power or fossil fuels, is intermittency. Cloud cover and the movement of the sun affect solar generation, and varying wind speeds may fall outside the band required for safe operation of a given wind turbine. One method for solving the intermittency problem is using energy storage technologies, such as flow batteries and pumped-hydroelectric storage, that are connected to the energy grid via relays and switches that act as grid sized circuit breakers. My research combines modeling the fluid behavior of flow batteries and pumped hydro storage and modeling the mechanical circuit breakers connecting the energy storage technologies to the electrical grid to ensure optimal storage and distribution.

Research Interests

• Power and Energy Storage
• Computational Physics
• Electromechanics
• Tribology

Selected Articles in Journals

• J. K. Schuh and R. H. Ewoldt. "Low Reynolds number friction reduction with polymers and textures." Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 273, 104167, 2019
• Y. H. Lee, J. K. Schuh, R. H. Ewoldt, and J. T. Allison. "Simultaneous design of non-Newtonian lubricant and surface texture using surrogate-based multiobjective optimization." Journal of Mechanical Design, 60, p. 99-116, 2019
• J. Zhang, R. E. Corman, J. K. Schuh, R. H. Ewoldt, I. A. Shkrob, and L. Zhang. “Solution properties and practical limits of concentrated electrolytes for nonaqueous redox flow batteries.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 112 (15), 8159-8172, 2018.
• M. Burgess, K. Hernández-Burgos, J. K. Schuh, J. Davila, E. C. Montoto, R. H. Ewoldt, and J. Rodríguez-López. “Modulation of the Reactivity of Solubilized Redox Active Polymers via Polyelectrolyte Dynamics.” Journal of the American Chemical Society, 160 (6), 2093-2104, 2018.
• V. A. Iyer, J. K. Schuh, E. C. Montoto, V. P. Nemani, S. Qian, G. Nagarjuna, J. Rodríguez-López, R. H. Ewoldt, and K. C. Smith. “Assessing the impact of electrolyte conductivity and viscosity on the reactor cost and pressure drop of redox active polymer flow batteries.” Journal of Power Sources, 361 (1), 334-344, 2017.
• Y. H. Lee, J. K. Schuh, R. H. Ewoldt, and J. T. Allison. "Enhancing full-film lubrication performance via arbitrary surface texture design.” Journal of Mechanical Design, 139 (5), 053401-1-13, 2017.
• J. K. Schuh, Y. H. Lee, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “Design-driven modeling of surface-textured full-film lubricated sliding: validation and rationale of non-standard thrust observations.” Tribology Letters, 65 (2), 2017.
• A. Jurado, H. Kim, A. Rossi, A. Arcifa, J. K. Schuh, N. D. Spencer, C. Leal, R. H. Ewoldt and R. M. Espinosa-Marzal. “Effect of the environmental humidity on the bulk, interfacial and nanoconfined properties of an ionic liquid.” Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 18, 22719-22730, 2016.
• J. K. Schuh and R. H. Ewoldt. “Asymmetric surface textures decrease friction with Newtonian fluids in full film lubricated sliding contact.” Tribology International, 97, 490-498, 2016.

Articles in Conference Proceedings

• L. G. Rao, J. K. Schuh, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “On using adaptive surrogate modeling in design for efficient fluid power.” Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conference, Boston, MA, August 2-5, 2015.
• Y. H. Lee, J. K. Schuh, R. H. Ewoldt, and J. T. Allison. “Shape parameterization comparison for full-film lubrication texture design.” Proceedings of the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conference, Charlotte, NC, August 21-24, 2016.
• C. Lin, Y. H. Lee, J. K. Schuh, R. H. Ewoldt, and J. T. Allison. “Efficient Optimal Surface Texture Design Using Linearization.” 12th World Congress on Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, Braunschweig, Germany, July 5-9, 2017.
• Y. H. Lee, J. K. Schuh, R. H. Ewoldt, and J. T. Allison. “Simultaneous Design of Non-Newtonian Lubricant and Surface Texture Using Surrogate-Based Optimization.” American Institute of Aeronautics and Aviation Science and Technology Forum, Kissimmee, FL, January 8-12, 2018.
• J. K. Schuh. "Impact of instant feedback on student performance in a 300 level class." Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Long Beach, CA (virtual), July 26-29, 2021.

Presentations

• J. K. Schuh, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “Rheological design for efficient fluid power.” Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power Fluid Power Innovation and Research Conference, Nashville, TN, October 13-15, 2014.
• J. K. Schuh, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “Rheological design for efficient fluid power.” Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power IEC Summit, Atlanta, GA, February 2-4, 2015.
• J. K. Schuh, Y. H. Lee, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “Rheological design for efficient fluid power.” Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power Fluid Power Innovation and Research Conference, Chicago, IL, October 14-16, 2015.
• J. K. Schuh and R .H. Ewoldt (presenter). “Surface textures and Non-Newtonian fluids for decreased friction.” American Physical Society: 68th Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics, Boston, MA, November 22-24, 2015.
• J. K. Schuh and R. H. Ewoldt. “Surface textures and Non-Newtonian fluids for decreased friction.” International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics 2016, Montreal, QC, Canada, August 21-26, 2016.
• J. K. Schuh, Y. H. Lee, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “Design appropriate modeling for determining optimal friction reduction with surface textures.” Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power Fluid Power Innovation and Research Conference, Minneapolis, MN, October 10-12, 2016.
• Y. H. Lee (presenter), J. K. Schuh, R. H. Ewoldt, and J. T. Allison. “Generalization of Surface Texture Shape Reduces Friction and Increases Load Capacity Simultaneously in Sliding Contact with Full-Film Lubrication.” Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power Fluid Power Innovation and Research Conference, Minneapolis, MN, October 10-12, 2016.
• J. K. Schuh, Y. H. Lee, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “A validated numerical model for the design of surface textures in full-film lubricated sliding.” American Physical Society: 69th Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics, Portland, OR, November 20-22, 2016.
• J. K. Schuh and R. H. Ewoldt. “Surface textures and Non-Newtonian fluids for decreased friction.” Society of Rheology 88th Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL, February 12-16, 2017.
• J. K. Schuh, Y. H. Lee, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “Toward co-design of surface textures and Non-Newtonian fluids for decreased friction in lubricated viscous sliding.” Society of Rheology 89th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, October 8-12, 2017.
• J. K. Schuh, Y. H. Lee, J. T. Allison, and R. H. Ewoldt. “Designing With Non-Linear Viscoelastic Fluids.” American Physical Society: 70th Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics, Denver, CO, November 19-21, 2017.
• J. K. Schuh. "Inertial contributions to friction measurements in thrust bearings." American Physical Society: 73rd Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics, Chicago, IL, November 22-24, 2020. Virtual.

Honors

• T. A. Peebles Award for Excellence in Automated Control Systems (May 2013)

Teaching Honors

• Teacher Ranked as Excellent (Fall 2017)
• Teacher Ranked as Excellent (Fall 2018)
• Teacher Ranked as Excellent (Spring 2019)
• Teacher Ranked as Excellent (Fall 2019)
• Teacher Ranked as Excellent (Spring 2021 )

Research Honors

• Honorable Mention: 2017 Journal of Mechanical Design Editor's Choice Award (June 2018)

Recent Courses Taught

• ECE 110 - Introduction to Electronics
• ECE 210 - Analog Signal Processing
• ECE 211 - Analog Circuits & Systems
• ECE 330 - Power Ckts & Electromechanics
• TAM 335 - Introductory Fluid Mechanics