Thomas F. Schubert, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.
Professor of Electrical Engineering

   Thomas Schubert arrived at the University of San Diego in August, 1987 as one of the founding faculty of the new USD Engineering Program.  In 1993 he was promoted to Professor of Electrical Engineering.  In January 1997 he became the Chairman of the Department of Engineering in, a position that evolved into Director of Engineering Programs in 1999.  He served in that position through the end of 2003.  Prior to coming to USD, he was at the University of Portland (1977-78 & 1981-87), and at Portland State University (1978-80).  In 2002 he was awarded a USD University Professorship in recognition of outstanding, balanced cumulative career contributions supporting the mission and goals of USD. 

     Before turning to the academic world, Professor Schubert spent four years in the aerospace industry at the Space and Communications Group of Hughes Aircraft Company designing, analyzing, and testing weather and communication satellite systems.  Specifically his assignments included:  the application of optimization techniques to the design of shaped-beam antennas, feasibility studies for the design of sensor arrays for low-orbiting, earth observation satellites, and the systems test of the optical sensor and its data link for a synchronous weather satellite.  Since then he has consulted with Planar Systems, Inc. concerning the efficient electronic driving of electroluminescent panels, and with Teledyne-Ryan Electronics concerning the analysis and design of layered Luneburg lens antennas in the microwave region. 

     Dr. Schubert's teaching interests lie mainly in the areas of analog circuits and electronics, communication systems, and electromagnetic fields.  He originated all the courses in these areas at USD.  He has been a major contributor to curriculum and course revision and spearheaded efforts to develop industry involvement in engineering senior design projects.

     Dr. Schubert is an active member of IEEE and ASEE. He has been elected to Eta Kappa Nu and the Order of the Engineer. He is a Registered Professional Engineer (EE, #12630) in the State of Oregon.

     Dr. Schubert is an active free-lance bassoonist in the San Diego Area.  He is principal bassoon with the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra and at the Oregon Coast Music Festival.  He has performed with Starlight Productions, the Orquesta de Baja California, the Opera de Tijuana, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and a variety of other organizations.

     Professor Schubert received his PhD in Engineering from the University of California at Irvine in 1972.  He also holds an MS degree in Engineering ('69) and a BS degree in Engineering ('68) from UCI.  As such, he was a member of the first graduating class in engineering and the first person conferred with three engineering degrees from UCI.  His graduate studies were primarily focused of the mathematical description of electromagnetic wave propagation, specifically the propagation of Fourier images through layered anisotropic media. 

     Dr. Schubert is deeply interested in Engineering education and has recently focused on disseminating his experiences in that field. His publications include an electronics textbook and several papers related to engineering education.  They include the following:

Schubert, Thomas F. Jr., “Feedback Amplifiers,” Encyclopedia of RF and Microwave Engineering. John Wiley & Sons, New York {currently in page proofs}

Schubert, T. F., Jr.; Lord, S.M.; Tawy, D.M.; Alsaialy, S.D. “A LabVIEW Interface for Transistor Parameter Analysis:  An Opportunity to Explore the Utility of Computer Interfaces”, Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, June 2004

Wright, J.H.; Sheehan, D.P.;  Schubert, T.F. Jr., “A Nanoscopic Rotary Electrostatic Motor,” Technical Proceedings of the 2003 Nanotechnology Conference, vol 1, pp 560-3, January 2002.

Brown, William; Goodman, David; Irwin, Dennis; Orr, John; Schubert, Thomas, “New Paradigms in Faculty Appointments: Tenure Alternatives and Research Compensation Incentives.”  2000 NEEDHA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, March, 2000

Schubert, Thomas F., Jr., “Feedback Amplifiers,” Wiley Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Vol.7, pp. 326-39, 1999, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York

Kramer, Kathleen A. & Schubert, Thomas F., Jr., “Demonstrating Complex Communication Systems Principles Using Electronic Courseware and a Simple Computer Math Package,” Proceedings of the 1998 ASEE Annual Conference, June 1998.

Schubert, T. F., Jr., "Melding Engineering into a Liberal Arts Tradition: A Unique Nine-Semester Electrical Engineering Program", Proceedings of the ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, pp. 887-90, November, 1997.

Schubert, T. F., Jr., "A Quantitative Comparison of Three Bode Straight-Line Phase Approximations for Second-Order, Underdamped Systems", IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol.40, No.2, pp. 135-138, May 1997.

Kim, Ernest M. & Schubert, Thomas F., Jr., "A Comparison of Experimental Results to Those in ' Evaluation of Bipolar Junction Transistor Transconductance in Practical Applications' ", IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol.40, No.1, pp. 114-15, February 1997.

Schubert, T. F., Jr., "A Heuristic Approach to the Development of Frequency Response Characteristics in the Design of Feedback Amplifiers", Proceedings of the ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, pp. 340-43, November, 1996.

Schubert, T. F., Jr., and Kim, E. M., Active and Non-Linear Electronics, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1996.

Schubert, T. F., Jr., "The Use of a Computerize Math Tool as a Supplement to the Study of Electronics", Proceedings of 1995 ASEE Annual Conference, pp. 2513-17, June 1995.

Schubert, T. F., Jr., "The Use of a Simple Computer Math Package to Demonstrate Complex Communication Systems Principles", Proceedings of the ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, pp. 34-38, November, 1994.

Schubert, T. F., Jr., "Simulation of the Effects of Companding on Quantization Noise in Digital Communication Systems", IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol.37, No.1, pp. 47-50, February, 1994.

Office: Loma 219.
Phone: (619)260-4892
Fax: (619)260-2303
Email:schubert@sandiego.edu

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