Michael Lewis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
Office Hours
M, W, F 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Education
Saint Mary's University, B.Sc. in Chemistry, 1996
University of Missouri-Columbia, Ph.D. in Chemistry, 2001
Research Interests
Michael Lewis, Ph.D.'s group investigates non-covalent interactions of aromatics using computational and experimental techniques. The group is interested in predicting the strength of the non-covalent interactions and in their applications in biology and chemistry. Current efforts involve: (i) using a combination of computational modeling and ion-exchange chromatography approaches as a means for predicting the strength of cation-arene and anion-arene interactions; (ii) using computational modeling to predict the strength of arene-arene interactions, including arene-carbon nanotube interactions; (iii) synthesizing aromatic DNA intercalator molecules, investigating their DNA binding properties through collaborations with biochemistry colleagues, and using computational modeling to predict the strength of the DNA-intercalator interactions. Graduate students in the Lewis research group are exposed to a wide range of techniques in organic synthesis, the characterization of organic molecules, ion-exchange chromatography, and computational modeling.