Samantha Lewis

Samantha Lewis is an Assistant Professor of Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of BIO. Her research focuses on the genetic control of metabolism, examining the interaction between the nuclear genome and mitochondrial genomes. She investigates how the co-inheritance and regulation of these genomes are essential for aerobic life and how mitochondrial DNA defects contribute to hereditary metabolic diseases affecting high-energy-demand tissues. Her work also explores links to cancer and the innate immune response. Lewis employs quantitative imaging, genetics, and systems biology approaches to uncover mechanisms ensuring mitochondrial DNA integrity and inheritance in metazoans.

Samantha C. Lewis is an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley, focusing on mitochondrial biology and its implications in cellular function and disease. Her research explores the interplay between mitochondrial DNA synthesis, mitochondrial division, and ER-mitochondria contacts, emphasizing the role of coenzyme Q biosynthesis and lipid metabolism in mitochondrial genome maintenance. She also investigates mitochondrial genetics in cardiovascular health and disease, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial transcription and replication. Lewis's work highlights the significance of mitochondrial dynamics in cellular stress responses and the impact of lipid stress on mitochondrial function. Her research bridges molecular biology, genetics, and cellular physiology to uncover fundamental processes in mitochondrial biology.