Professor Schuman performs research on polymer materials applications including surface modification, cement hydration modification, polymer composites, anti-corrosion coatings, and polymers for conformance control of water and gas flood petroleum wells. He is a co-PI of the joint Industry project (JIP) Preformed Particle Gels at Missouri S&T, which has patented and commercialized several polymer gel technologies for the oil and gas industry especially for conformance control toward enhanced oil recovery from legacy reservoirs.