Lewis named to TechBuffalo board

By Marcene Robinson

TechBuffalo is a nonprofit organization that strives to create a sustainable, inclusive and accessible technology community for Western New York by improving the region’s ability to attract, retain and foster technology talent.

Lewis will serve a two-year term.

“Given the incredible talent we have at UB in engineering, computer science and STEM, it is important to make sure that our students know how many tech job opportunities they have here in Western New York,” said Lewis. “I'm honored to join the TechBuffalo board and I look forward to helping build the workforce development pipelines that will fuel the continued rise of Buffalo as a quickly emerging tech hub.”

Lewis is a global leader in engineering design, system optimization and advanced manufacturing. Prior to being named dean, he served as chair of UB's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where he was also the Moog Professor of Innovation.

He is the director of UB’s Community of Excellence in Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Robotic Technologies, an initiative that harnesses the strengths of faculty across the university to develop advanced manufacturing and design processes, including autonomy, intelligence and materials technologies.

Lewis is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and has served on the National Academies Panel on Benchmarking the Research Competitiveness of the United States in Mechanical Engineering. He has published over 200 refereed journal articles and conference proceedings and has been principal or co-principal investigator on grants and research initiatives totaling more than $33 million.

Active in the profession, Lewis is serving as the co-chair of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 2024 Engineering Dean’s Institute and previously chaired ASME’s Mechanical Engineering Department Head Executive Committee. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his teaching and research excellence from several professional societies, including ASME, the Society of Automotive Engineers, ASEE, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Lewis joined UB in 1996. He earned a doctorate and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology; a master’s degree in business administration from UB; and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics from Duke University.