Col Shawn M. Willis, PhD

Associate Dean

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Colonel Willis is the Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). As the Dean’s principal advisor, he leads, directs and executes an annual operating budget of $12M, plus $25M in sponsor research funds across the Graduate School’s six major academic departments encompassing 37 accredited graduate programs and seven research centers. In addition, he recruits, develops, assesses and recognizes the performance of all 285 military and civilian personnel assigned to the school and provides for their health and welfare and, as appropriate, for their families.  

Colonel Willis holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho, as well as master’s degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology and Air War College, and a doctorate degree from the University of Oxford. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1992 and served as an electronics technician. In 2001, he was commissioned in the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps as a distinguished graduate. He holds an Air Force specialty as a physicist. He has served in a variety of positions including Research Physicist at Wright-Patterson AFB, Assistant Professor of Physics and Deputy Department Head at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Space Vehicles Division Chief and Legislative Liaison at the National Reconnaissance Office, and Deputy Chief of the Enabling Capabilities Science Division at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Prior to his current position, Colonel Willis attended Air War College at Maxwell AFB.  In 2020, Colonel Willis deployed to serve as the Detachment 4 Commander, 602d Training Group (Provisional), Fort Bliss, Texas.

Education

1993 Basic/Advanced Electronics Principles Courses, Lowry Air Force Base, CO
2001 Bachelor of Science in Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
2003 Master of Science, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson AFB, OH
2003 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, AL
2006 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2011 Doctorate of Philosophy, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
2011 Air Command and Staff College (correspondence), Maxwell AFB, AL
2011 Air Command and Staff College equivalency course
2023 Master of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL
 

Awards

Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with 5 oak leaf clusters

Publications

1. Willis, S. M., “To the Moon, Strategic Competition in the Cislunar Region.” Aether, Special Edition, 17-30, (Winter 2023).
2. Willis, S. M., Rizzuto, A. P., Ben-Itzhak, S. “US and European Energy Security amid Great-Power Competition.” Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Vol 6, No 5, 13-26, (July-August 2023).
3. Willis, S. M., Cheng, C., Assender, H. E., and Watt, A. A. R. “The Transitional Heterojunction Behavior of PbS/ZnO Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells.” Nano Letters, 12, 1522-1526, (2012).
4. Willis, S. M., Dimmock, J. A. R., Tutu, F. K., Liu, H. Y., Peinado, M. G., Assender, H. E., Watt, A. A. R., Sellars, I. R. “Defect mediated extraction in InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells.” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol 102, 142-147 (2012).
5. Tutu, F. K., Sellers, I. R., Peinado, M. G., Pastore, C. E., Willis, S. M., Watt, A. R., Wang, T., and Liu, H. Y. “Improved performance of multilayer InAs/GaAs quantum-dot solar cells using a high-growth-temperature GaAs spacer layer.” Journal of Applied Physics, 111, 046101 (2012).
6. Kovacik, P., Willis, S. M., Matichak, J. D., Assender, H. E., Watt, A. A. R. “Effect of side groups on the vacuum thermal evaporation of polythiophenes for organic electronics.” Organic Electronics, vol 13, Issue 4, 687-696 (2012).
7. Kovacik, P., Sforazzini, G., Cook, A. G., Willis, S. M., Grant, P. S., Assender, H. E., Watt, A. A. R. “Vacuum-Deposited Planar Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells.” Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol 3, No 1, 11-15 (2011).
8. Russell, T. H., Willis, S. M., Crookston, M. B., and Roh, W. B. “Stimulated Raman Scattering in Multi-Mode Fibers and its Application to Beam Cleanup and Combining.” Journal of Nonlinear Optical Physics & Materials, Vol 11, No 3, 303-316, (2002).
9. Willis, S., Gandy, R., and Shimoyama, H. “Levitation of Fluorescent Polymer Microspheres in a DC Argon Plasma.” IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Vol 30, No 1, 86-87 (2002).
10. Gandy, R., Willis, S., and Shimoyama, H., “Initial experiments in the Idaho Dusty Plasma Device.” Physics of Plasmas, Vol 8, Number 5, 1746-1750 (2001).

Conference Presentations:

1. Willis, S. M., Sellers, I. R., Cheng, C., Liu, H. Y., Assender, H. E., Watt, A. R. R., “Electrical Characterisation of Quantum Dot Solar Cells,” presented at the Photovoltaic Science Applications and Technology (PVSAT-7) Conference, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, April 6-8, 2011.
2. Cheng, C. Willis, S. M., Walton, T., Cattley, C. A., Assender, H. E., Watt, A. R. R., “Lead Sulfide Nanocrystals for Photovoltaic Applications,” poster presentation at the Photovoltaic Science Applications and Technology (PVSAT-7) Conference, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, April 6-8, 2011.
3. Willis, S. M., Assender, H. E., Watt, A. R. R. “Polymer/Fullerene Solar Cell Interfaces Studied with Capacitance,” poster presentation at the Dechema First International Conference on Materials for Energy, Karlsruhe, Germany, July 4-8, 2010.
4. Willis, S. M., Assender, H. E., Watt, A. R. R. “Polymer/Fullerene Solar Cell Interfaces Studied with Impedance Spectroscopy,” poster presentation at the Photovoltaic Science Applications and Technology (PVSAT-6) Conference, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, March 24-26, 2010.
5. Willis, S. M., Roh, W.B. “Beam phasing properties of optical fiber as phase conjugate mirror,” presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, 2003. LEOS 2003, Tucson, AZ, October 27-28, 2003.

Thesis:

1. Willis, S. M. “Advanced Optoelectronic Characterisation of Solar Cells.” DPhil Thesis, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom (2011).
2. Willis, S. M. “Phasing a Dual Optical Path System Using an Optical Fiber as a Phase Conjugate Mirror.” M.S. Thesis, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air force Base, Ohio (2003).