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Jennifer Lewis

Jennifer Lewis

Jennifer Lewis is the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Jennifer has made pioneering contributions to the programmable assembly of functional, structural, and living matter. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has co-founded four startups and currently serves on multiple Scientific Advisory Boards.

Positions

Area Chair, Bioengineering (John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
Harvard University 2022
Director (Harvard MRSEC)
Harvard University 2020
Professor Emeritus (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2020
Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering (John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
Harvard University 2013
Core Faculty Member (Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering)
Harvard University 2013
Jianming Yu Professor of Arts and Sciences (John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
Harvard University 2018 - 2023
Associate Director (Harvard MRSEC)
Harvard University 2014 - 2020
Adjunct Faculty Member (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2013 - 2020
Area Chair, Bioengineering (John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
Harvard University 2017 - 2017
Area Chair, Bioengineering (John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
Harvard University 2015 - 2015
Director (Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2007 - 2012
Professor (Hans Thurnauer Professor 2004-2012) (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2003 - 2012
Institute Affiliate (Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1997 - 2012
Faculty Affiliate (Department of Chemical Engineering)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1997 - 2012
Interim Director (Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2006 - 2007
Associate Director (Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2005 - 2005
Associate Professor (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1997 - 2002
Visiting Professor
University of California, Santa Barbara 1997 - 1997
Assistant Professor (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1990 - 1997
Visiting Scientist
Schlumberger Cambridge Research Ltd 1996 - 1996
Harvard University

Education

Doctor of Science (Ceramics Science)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1991
Bachelor of Science, High Honors (Ceramic Engineering)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1986

Honors

Arthur L. Friedberg Lecture
American Ceramic Society
Baetjer Lecture
Princeton University
Bauerman Medal and Lecture
Imperial College London
Brumley D. Pritchett Lecture
Georgia Institute of Technology
Brunauer Award
American Ceramic Society
Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture
University of Colorado
Cheetam Lecture
University of California, Santa Barbara
Donoho Public Lecture
Dartmouth College
Dow Lecture
University of California, Berkeley
Dow Lecture
Northwestern University
Elected Member
National Academy of Sciences
Elected Member
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
Elected Member
National Academy of Engineering
Elected Member
National Academy of Inventors
Elected Member
World Academy of Ceramics
Elected Member
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Elmer L. Gaden Memorial Lecture
Columbia University
Honorary Degree
University of Edinburgh
James F. Bell Memorial Lecture
Johns Hopkins University
Jan D. Achenbach Lecture
Northwestern University
Langmuir Lecture Award
American Chemical Society
Leopold Marcus Memorial Lecture
Washington University in St Louis
Lush Prize for Scientific Research
Ethical Consumer Research Association
MRS Medal
Materials Research Society
Public Science Lecture
Harvard University
Robert B. Sosman Award
American Ceramic Society
Rustum Roy Lecture Award
American Ceramic Society
Vizzie Award: People's Choice, Best Scientific Image
National Science Foundation
Wulff Lecture
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Publications

A. Ng, R. Telles, K. S. Riley, J. A. Lewis, C. C. Cook, E. Lee, and S. Yang
Coaxial Direct Ink Writing of Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Elastomers in 3D Architectures
Advanced Materials (2025)
R. Rizzo, D. M. Barber, J. K. Wilt, A. J. Ainscough, and J. A. Lewis
Photoinitiator-free light-mediated crosslinking of dynamic polymer and pristine protein networks
Biomaterials Science 13 210-222 (2025)
J. A. Herman, R. Telles, C. C. Cook, S. C. Leguizamon, J. A. Lewis, B. Kaehr, T. J. White, and D. J. Roach
Digital Light Process 3D Printing of Magnetically Aligned Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Free–forms
Advanced Materials 36 (2024)