Francis R. Shonka (1906-1970) was an American physicist and inventor.
Shonka taught physics for a number of years in China and at St. Procopius College and DePaul University. In 1941, he completed his Ph.D. studies under Arthur H. Compton at the University of Chicago.
In 1943, Shonka joined the Manhattan Project at the Chicago Met Lab. He worked in the instrumentation section. He later headed the Instrument Research and Development Division at the Met Lab and at Argonne National Laboratory.
Shonka received several patents for his inventions in the field of radiation measurements, including innovative designs for ionization chambers and electrometers. He was a signer of the Szilard Petition.
Shonka died on October 11, 1970 in Lisle, Illinois.