Nathan Lewis, a professor of pediatrics and bioengineering at the University of California San Diego, joined the University of Georgia as the new Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Molecular Cell Biology on Oct. 28.
The Georgia Research Alliance is a nonprofit, public-private partnership that invests state funds to recruit top scientific talent, enhance labs and promote discovery and entrepreneurship to drive economic impact in Georgia. GRA Eminent Scholars are leading experts in their respective fields at Georgia’s top research universities. Collectively, the scholars attract hundreds of millions of dollars in public and private grants each year.
With the addition of Lewis, UGA will have 19 current GRA Eminent Scholars.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Lewis has joined the University of Georgia and grateful to the GRA for making it possible,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Dr. Lewis will have a broad impact across our campus and will build a strong, collaborative network of biologists, engineers and other scholars, not only at UGA but also across the state and around the world.”
Lewis to join multiple interdisciplinary centers at UGA
Lewis will join the Center for Molecular Medicine, the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
“Georgia is fortunate to have Nathan Lewis move his research to our state and the University of Georgia,” said GRA President and CEO Tim Denning. “Dr. Lewis leverages several areas of science to create models and tools that help us see how cells respond to different kinds of stimuli. His expertise and approach are driving the development of new therapeutics as well as shaping future investigations of molecular medicine.”
As a systems biologist, Lewis studies how cells communicate with each other and how cell communication can be targeted to treat disease or even manufacture better medications. This includes the study of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, dysregulated immunological responses and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.
Additionally, since cell communication processes can be harnessed to make potent drugs and vaccines, Lewis applies his research to the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to engineer cells to make more robust, affordable and safer treatments.
“Translational, multidisciplinary research is one of the cornerstones of the 21st century research university that builds our capacity for breakthroughs across the health sciences,” said Anna Stenport, dean of the Franklin College. “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Dr. Lewis into our community of scholars and look forward to his contributions to the UGA drug discovery pipeline.”
Lewis co-founded multiple companies to advance cell research
Lewis has developed multiple systems and tools to analyze cell-to-cell interactions and cell-autonomous behavior throughout his career. He also has co-founded companies to advance this research and innovation, including Augment Biologics Inc. and NeuImmune Inc.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for the research to which my team and I have contributed,” Lewis said. “I look forward to expanding our work that aligns with the state of Georgia’s goals of fostering a strong culture of science and engineering, as well as promoting its practical application within industry.”
Lewis has received several honors and awards over the years. He was recognized as a Siebel Scholar in 2012 and served as an Otto Mønsted Foundation Gæsteprofessorater fellow from 2020 to 2023. He also was named a Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information and, most recently, received the Innovation Award from the European Society for Animal Cell Technology.
“Nathan Lewis is an extraordinary scholar who is blazing several new trails through his research,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “His work connects and impacts many different disciplines, and I am excited that he is joining our exceptional faculty at UGA.”
UGA leads in glycobiology, biomanufacturing
Lewis has admired UGA for making significant investments in fields that are of fundamental importance but often neglected at other leading universities.
“It just so happens that two of these, glycobiology and biomanufacturing, are major foci in my research program,” he said. “In these research areas, not only has UGA been a leader, but it has built a community internally that provides great collaborative support while also offering high-quality facilities and research resources that are of great international impact and importance.
“It’s an honor to be invited to join and contribute to this community.”