Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 2010
  • M.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 2008
  • B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2005
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Metallurgical, California, #1983
Professional Honors
  • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, 2005-2008
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2009-2010 (awarded 2005)

Dr. Schoen holds academic degrees in Materials Science and Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Metallurgy.

In his 10 years at Exponent he has carried out hundreds of investigations and failure analyses related to the fabrication, processing, and characterization of electronic devices, components, photovoltaics, and optical thin films. He has experience with a variety of mechanical, chemical, optical, and electronic failure modes exhibited by electronic and optical materials, including fracture, corrosion, optical defects, and electronic failures. Of particular interest to Dr. Schoen are the material origins of optical and electronic behavior, and how certain damage events can leave material evidence behind.

Dr. Schoen's materials characterization experience extends to transmission and scanning electron microscopy (SEM, TEM, STEM), auger electron, energy dispersive, and electron spectroscopies (AES, EDS, EELS), diffraction, and other chemical analysis techniques such as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) and ion chromatography (IC), with a focus on analysis and identification of composition, phase identification, and microstructure of materials.

Dr. Schoen completed his postdoctoral and graduate work at Stanford University in the research groups of Professors Yi Cui and Mark Brongersma. His work focused on the fabrication, phase behavior, and chemically and electrically-induced transformations in a variety of semiconductor devices, particularly for applications in nonvolatile memory and photovoltaics. During this time he developed several novel nanoscale devices, as well as an investigative strategy centered around the in-situ examination nanoscale devices during operation in the transmission electron microscope. Dr. Schoen's postdoctoral work focused on the application of nanoscale metal structures for optical applications.

Teaching has been another important component of Dr. Schoen's scientific experience. In addition to providing training and assistance for electron microscopy users to the larger Stanford Engineering community for 2 years during his Ph.D., he has served as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Solid State Chemistry during his bachelor's work at MIT, and more recently as a lecturer for Stanford's Thin Film and Interface Microanalysis course along with Professor Mark Brongersma. He is a member of the NCEES Exam Development Committee for the Metallurgical and Materials Professional Engineering exam.