Nathan S. Lewis is the George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from Caltech in 1977, working with Harry B. Gray, and his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 under Mark S. Wrighton. Lewis started his faculty career as Assistant Professor at Stanford University from 1981 to 1985, was promoted to tenured Associate Professor in 1986, and joined Caltech in 1988 as Associate Professor, advancing to full Professor in 1991 and Argyros Professor in 2002. He has served as Principal Investigator of the Beckman Institute Molecular Materials Resource Center since 1992 and Scientific Director of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a U.S. Department of Energy Energy Innovation Hub.

Lewis's research in Chemistry centers on photoelectrochemistry, artificial photosynthesis for solar fuels production, semiconductor/liquid interfaces, and chemical vapor sensing with electronic noses. His group investigates light-induced electron transfer at surfaces, nanostructured materials for energy conversion, and pattern recognition for odorant detection. He has authored over 600 publications, including "Powering the Planet: Chemical Challenges in Solar Energy Utilization" (PNAS, 2006) and "Research Opportunities to Advance Solar Energy Utilization" (Science, 2016). Lewis has mentored approximately 60 graduate students and postdocs, many leading in solar energy research, and delivered hundreds of plenary and invited lectures. His honors include the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry (1991), Fresenius Award (1990), Princeton Environmental Award (2003), Michael Faraday Medal (2008), election to the National Academy of Inventors (2017), Hertz Fellowship (1977), Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and Presidential Young Investigator Award. He was founding Editor-in-Chief of Energy & Environmental Science (2008-2018) and recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher (2018-2020).

Professional Email: nslewis@caltech.edu