Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

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Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado Boulder

Ph.D., Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2009)

B.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Richmond (2003)

 

Dr. Lewis’ research interests focus on the specificity of interactions between biological macromolecules, in particular the protein-protein and protein-RNA assemblies that regulate translation. One of the LewisKA Lab’s major projects is to characterize the structure and functions of the RNA-binding protein LaRP6 using a comparative phylogenetic-biochemical approach. Another rapidly-growing area of research in her group is pursuing an integrated biophysical analysis of the role of liquid-liquid phase separation in regulating the function of nucleic acid-binding proteins, using both computational and experimental methods.

Dr. Lewis also leads several research training programs and initiatives, in service of supporting student development and preparation for scientific research careers. At the undergraduate level, she is the director of the NIH-funded Texas State U-RISE Program, the NSF-supported CheMIE REU, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation-funded Texas State/University of Colorado Physical Sciences Training Program. She is also one of the principal investigators on the NIH-funded Texas Doctoral Bridge Program, which is the successor to the South Texas Doctoral Bridge Program. Both individually and collectively, these programs prepare students for graduate school and careers in the chemical, physical, and biomedical sciences through integrated laboratory research experiences and professional development.

Within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dr. Lewis is the Director for the brand-new Integrated Molecular and Biophysical Chemistry doctoral program at Texas State University. This program is welcoming its first cohort of students in Fall 2024.