Nastassja A. Lewinski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering | VCU College of Engineering
Engineering West Hall, Room 438, Richmond, VA, UNITED STATES
Dr. Lewinski's research topics include nanomaterial toxicity, nanomedicine, and nanoinformatics.
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Biography
Nastassja Lewinski is currently an Associate Professor of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a Ph.D. in Bioengineering and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rice University. Dr. Lewinski has focused her career on integrating biological and environmental compatibility into the design process of engineered nanomaterials. Her research areas include nanotoxicology, nanoinformatics, and sustainable nanotechnology. Sponsors of her recent projects include the US-Japan Foundation, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, and the VCU Accelerate Fund. She has received awards and fellowships including the AIChE 35 Under 35 Award in 2017, Leenaards Nested Research Projects Award in 2014, Whitaker International Scholar Award in 2011, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2008, Barry Goldwater Scholarship in 2005, and she is a member of both Tau Beta Pi and Phi Lambda Upsilon. Dr. Lewinski has authored and co-authored 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, 5 book chapters, and 1 provisional patent. She currently advises 1 Ph.D. student.
Industry Expertise (3)
Nanotechnology
Education/Learning
Research
Areas of Expertise (5)
Nanomaterial toxicity
Nanoinformatics
Nanomedicine
Advanced in vitro exposure systems
Comparative in vitro – in vivo analyses
Accomplishments (5)
AIChE 35 Under 35 Awardee (professional)
2017
Leenaards Nested Research Projects Prix Awardee (professional)
2014
Whitaker International Scholar (professional)
2011
NSF Graduate Research Fellow (professional)
2008
Barry Goldwater Scholar (professional)
2005
Education (3)
Institute for Work and Health, Lausanne, Switzerland: Postdoctoral 2014
Rice University: Ph.D., Bioengineering 2011
Rice University: B.S., Chemical Engineering 2006
Affiliations (3)
- Research Member, Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences
- Fellow, Center for Risk Management of Engineering Systems, University of Virginia
- Section Editor, Drug and Chemical Toxicology
Media Appearances (3)
Finding Nano: Creative Coral Conservation with Nanotechnology
TEDxYouth@RVA online
2023-11-11
Join Speaker Nastassja Lewinski in this TEDxYouth@RVA talk for a captivating journey where the realms of coral reefs and nanotechnology intersect. As she delves into the hurdles of refining novel technologies, Lewinski provides perspectives on the biomedical utilization of nanomaterials and their possible roles in protecting coral reefs. The conversation promotes a bold perspective on innovation and responsible progress to creatively tackle climate change challenges. Nastassja Lewinski, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in Chemical and Life Science Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. She and her research group study the interactions and responses of cells, whether derived from humans, rodents, corals, or plants, to engineered nanoparticles. Her safety research supports the development of nanoparticles as medicines and evaluates unintentional exposures. She teaches and trains students everyday and expects them to bring their energy and ideas to the table. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
The Great Barrier No More
With Good Reason radio
2022-04-15
Scientists first noticed coral reefs disappearing in the late nineties. Now, it’s getting worse as underwater temperatures continue to rise. Nastassja Lewinski and Liza Rogers are busy testing developing solutions to coral bleaching.
AIChE 35 Under 35: Safety
American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE) online
2017-09-14
Nastassja is an assistant professor of chemical and life science engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. She serves as faculty advisor to the student chapter and is the VCU faculty representative in the Tidewater Virginia Local Section. Nastassja is also active in the Sustainable Engineering Forum. Among her awards are the Leenaards Nested Research Projects Prix (2014), a NNEMS Fellowship with the U.S. EPA (2008), and an NSF Graduate Fellowship (2008). AIChE YPC: What inspired you to pursue chemical engineering? Nastassja Lewinski: I chose to pursue chemical engineering because it encompasses my lifelong interests in chemistry and math. AIChE YPC: Chemical engineering is a diverse field. How did you get involved in your specialty? NL: During my studies, several people reinforced my interest in nanotechnology and safety by design. My Ph.D. advisor, Rebekah Drezek, cultivated my interest in nanomedicine. The WISE program sponsored by AIChE and my advisor, Dave Gushee, encouraged my engagement in science policy. Vicki Colvin and Kristen Kulinowski drew my attention to aquatic toxicology and industrial hygiene. AIChE YPC: What professional achievement are you most proud of? NL: My postdoctoral fellowship in Lausanne, Switzerland, provided the opportunity not only to collaborate with fellow researchers in the institute who spoke English, but also work with non-English speaking staff. I learned how people outside the United States conduct research and how to work in a non-English speaking environment professionally. AIChE YPC: What is the most challenging part of your job? NL: The most challenging part of being a university professor is balancing research and teaching. Besides advancing my own research program, motivating and supporting both the students in my lab and also the students in my courses consumes a good portion of my time.
Patents (1)
Portable in vitro exposure cassette (PIVEC)
62/490,751
U.S. Provisional Patent Application. Inventors: N. Lewinski and L. Secondo
Courses (9)
CLSE 202: Chemical Engineering Fundamentals II: Energy Balances and Engineering Thermodynamics
Spring 2018 - present
CLSE 305: Thermodynamics of Phase Equilibria and Chemical Reactions
Fall 2014 - 2017
ENGR 497: Vertically Integrated Project - Nanoinformatics
Fall 2017 - present The VIP Nanoinformatics team conducts cutting-edge research in natural language processing and nanomedicine design.
ENGR 591: Nanotechnology Environmental, Health, and Safety Impacts
Spring 2016, 2017
ENGR 591: Nanotoxicology
Fall 2019
ENGR 591: Bioprinting & Nanotoxicology
Fall 2020, Spring 2023, 2024
CLSE 601: Engineering Project Management
Fall 2024
CLSE 650: Quantitative Analysis
Fall 2020 - 2022
CLSE 691: Technical Communication
Fall 2022 - present
Selected Articles (15)
Mathematical Model for Wound Healing in the Reef-Building Coral Pocillopora damicornis
Journal of Theoretical BiologyHay Q, Pak E, Gardner L, Shaw A, Roger L, Lewinski N, Segal R, Reynolds A
2024
Nanotechnology for coral reef conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation
Nature NanotechnologyRoger LM, Lewinski N, Putnam HM, Chen S, Roxbury D, Tresguerres M, Wangpraseurt D
2023
Engineered nanoceria alleviates thermally induced oxidative stress in free-living Breviolum minutum (Symbiodiniaceae, formerly Clade B)
Frontiers in Marine ScienceRoger LM, Russo JA, Jinkerson RE, Giraldo JP, Lewinski NA
2022
Extracting experimental parameter entities from scientific articles
Journal of Biomedical InformaticsFarnsworth S, Gurdin G, Vargas J, Mulyar A, Lewinski N, McInnes BT
2022
Machine Assisted Experimentation of Extrusion-Based Bioprinting Systems
MicromachinesTian S, Stevens R, McInnes BT, Lewinski NA
2021
Real-time monitoring of cellular oxidative stress during aerosol sampling: a proof of concept study
Drug and Chemical ToxicologySecondo LE,, Avrutin V, Ozgur U, Topsakal E, Lewinski N
2020
Comparative analysis of ventilation efficiency on ultrafine particle removal in university MakerSpaces
Atmospheric EnvironmentSecondo LE,, Adawi HI, Cuddehe J, Hopson K, Schumacher A, Mendoza L, Cartin C, Lewinski N
2020
On‐site three‐dimensional printer aerosol hazard assessment: Pilot study of a portable in vitro exposure cassette
Process Safety ProgressLewinski N, Secondo L, Ferri J
2019
A new portable in vitro exposure cassette for aerosol sampling
Journal of Visualized ExperimentsSecondo L, Wygal N, Lewinski N
2019
Influence of ZnO thin film crystallinity on in vitro biocompatibility
Toxicology ResearchLewinski N, Avrutin V, Izadi T, Secondo L, Ullah M, Ozgur U, Morkoc H, Topsakal E
2018
An annotated corpus with nanomedicine and pharmacokinetic parameters
International Journal of NanomedicineLewinski N, Jimenez I, McInnes B
2017
Effectiveness of hand washing on the removal of iron oxide nanoparticles from human skin ex vivo
Journal of Occupational and Environmental HygieneLewinski N, Berthet A, Maurizi L, Eisenbeis A, Hopf N
2017
Methodological considerations when conducting in vitro, air–liquid interface exposures to engineered nanoparticle aerosols
Critical Reviews in ToxicologySecondo L, Liu N, Lewinski N
2016
Using natural language processing techniques to inform research on nanotechnology
Beilstein Journal of NanotechnologyLewinski N, McInnes B
2015
Nanocuration workflows: Establishing best practices for identifying, inputting, and sharing data to inform decisions on nanomaterials
Beilstein Journal of NanotechnologyPowers C, Mills K, Morris S, Klaessig F, Gaheen S, Lewinski N, Hendren C
2015
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