Featured Faculty

Dr. Lewis holds a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology (Pennsylvania College of Technology), an M.S. in Polymer Engineering (University of Tennessee-Knoxville) and a PhD in Chemical Engineering (University of Rochester). Prior to joining RIT Dr. Lewis worked for 10 years in the plastics industry where he was engaged in manufacturing, materials and product research and development activities for companies such as Delphi Corporation, General Motors and TE Connectivity. Dr. Lewis’ appointment is through the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (CET) and he is an affiliate faculty member to the Materials Science and Engineering Program (COS).

Dr. Lewis’ current research interest in the area of polymer engineering includes work in the subfields of shape memory/self-healing polymers, bioplastics and additive manufacturing. Through collaborations with other RIT researchers he has secured funding from such organizations as the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), the USDA, the Department of Defense and the US Army. In addition a portion of his work is funded through industrial collaborations with companies including Bausch and Lomb, Pearl Technologies and Garlock Sealing Technologies.

Dr. Lewis’ work is disseminated at conferences including the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC) and the IAPRI Symposium on Packaging. He has also published numerous research articles in high-impact polymer science journals including Polymer Degradation and Stability, Macromolecules and the Journal of Rheology, as well as an invited review article for the Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics.

Dr. Lewis’ highly interdisciplinary research team includes participants from across the university with backgrounds in engineering technology, engineering and materials science. Dr. Lewis strongly supports undergraduate participation in his research efforts and believes that providing students with opportunities to share their work is critically important to their growth as engineering professionals. As such, Dr. Lewis serves as the College of Engineering Technology (CET) representative to the RIT undergraduate research symposium, helping to coordinate this annual event. Dr. Lewis is a board member of the Rochester chapter of the SPE and advisor to the RIT-SPE student chapter. He leverages this connection to provide opportunities for his students to engage with other plastics professionals at national conferences and at locally organized events. In addition, Professor Lewis helps to coordinate SPE participation at various STEM fairs in the Rochester region including the annually held E3 Fair at RIT where he and his students educate middle school students on the basic principles of plastics technology.

Christopher Lewis
Assistant Professor
RIT College of Engineering Technology