Dr. Jennifer Lewis is a distinguished leader in materials science and biologically inspired engineering, currently serving as the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Jennifer A. Lewis was appointed as the Jianming Yu Professor of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University in April 2018, in addition to serving as the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and serves as Area Chair for Bioengineering while directing the Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. After earning her Sc.D. in Ceramic Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1991 under Michael J. Cima, she established a significant research program during her 23-year tenure at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she rose to full professorship and directed the Materials Research Laboratory. Her transition to Harvard University in 2013 marked a pivotal moment in her career, solidifying her position at the forefront of advanced materials research.
Dr. Lewis has made pioneering contributions to the programmable assembly of functional, structural, and biological materials through innovative fabrication approaches that have transformed multiple scientific domains. Her development of multi-material 3D bioprinting techniques has enabled the creation of thick vascularized tissues and sophisticated organs-on-chip that closely emulate natural biological systems for research and therapeutic applications. She pioneered biomimetic 4D printing methodologies that introduced shape-morphing architectures responsive to environmental stimuli, opening new frontiers in soft robotics and adaptive materials engineering. Her groundbreaking research on microscale 3D printing was recognized as one of the '10 Breakthrough Technologies' by MIT Technology Review, while her bioprinting innovations were named 'one of the top 100 science stories' by Discover Magazine, demonstrating the paradigm-shifting nature of her work.
Beyond her laboratory achievements, Dr. Lewis has significantly shaped the scientific landscape through technology commercialization and leadership, co-founding two successful companies Voxel8 Inc. and Electroninks that translate her research into practical applications spanning electronics manufacturing to kidney therapeutics. She serves on the editorial advisory boards of leading journals including Advanced Functional Materials and Soft Matter while providing guidance to national science policy through the NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee. As an elected member of four prestigious academies including the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Inventors, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she represents the highest echelons of scientific achievement and influence. Her current research continues to push boundaries in biomanufacturing vascularized human organoids for drug testing, disease modeling, and therapeutic applications, positioning her work at the vanguard of next-generation medical solutions with transformative potential.
