Shawn Swanson

About Shawn Swanson

Summary of Qualifications:Co-Founder of S2 Innovation LLC, where we are partnered with MIT to bring impactful design thinking workshops to organizations to create solutions to their largest unmet needs. Learn about our MIT xPRO and S2 Innovation collaboration here: https://learn-xpro.mit.edu/s2innovation#Current Affiliate Faculty at the University of Washington Mechanical Engineering Capstone Program and the Foster School of Business Advisor at FedTech where I mentor and guide teams across various federal programs, put on workshops for companies, and help startups prepare for investment by preparing their deal rooms and polishing their pitches. I\'m also a Market Research & Strategy lead for their active SBIR/STTR companies. This includes Market Landscape Analysis, Stakeholder Mapping, Customer Discovery, and Strategy Development. Prior key member of Air Force AFWERX SBIR/STTR evaluation program.Design thinking expert: 9 years at the University of Washington and program creation at AFWERX.Written and secured $1M+ in government grants.Comfortable public speaker, presented tech to Bill Gates in room with less than 10 people.Highly proficient in technical writing (3 journal papers, 3 patents, numerous grants).Led projects from ideation to manufacturing.Education:Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, GPA: 3.80 (Jan. 2020 – Aug. Check out my dissertation here: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/items/5c12e67a-294b-496e-80a7-5f4b7e2b97cfM.S. in Materials Science and Engineering (Dec. 2016).B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with Honors (Jun. 2015).Let\'s connect and explore collaboration opportunities!

Experience

1. Affiliate Faculty

   University Of Washington Mechanical Engineering

   Sep 2025 — Present

   As an Affiliate Faculty member in the University of Washington’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, I mentor senior engineering students through their nine-month capstone program. I guide teams from the early stages of defining and shaping an idea through design, development, and ultimately building a functional prototype. My role is to help students bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world engineering practice, providing support in problem solving, project execution, and professional growth.

Education

• University of Washington

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Mechanical Engineering

• University of Washington

  Master's degree, Materials Science and Engineering

  2015 — 2016

• University of Washington

  Bachelor's of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomaterials

  2012 — 2015

Skills

• 3d Prototyping
• Product Design
• Powder X-Ray Diffraction
• Cooking
• Food Safety
• Western Blotting
• Sem
• Solidworks
• Biodegradable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
• Time Management
• Food
• Mechanical Testing
• Cell Culture
• Ftir
• 3d Printing
• Biomaterials
• Food & Beverage