Diet, obesity and the brains control of the gastrointestinal system

Career overview

Prof. Dave Lewis is currently the Professor of Education for Professional and Sustainable Development in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds, a position he has held since 2024. He joined the School in 1999 as a Lecturer, was appointed Senior Lecturer in 2004, and has since made significant contributions to the field of education. Prof. Lewis has also held a secondment with the Interdisciplinary Ethics Applied Centre and has been a Fellow with the Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence. He serves as the Academic Lead for Capstone projects within the University’s Curriculum Redefined programme, which aims to transform educational practices. Before his tenure at Leeds, Prof. Lewis was a PhD student and subsequently a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA), independent Senior Research Fellow, and Lecturer in the Department of Physiology at the University of Birmingham. His PhD studies, supervised by Professor John H Cooote, focused on animal models to investigate the neurophysiology and pharmacology of the brain''s pathways controlling the cardiorespiratory systems. Prof. Lewis has held visiting professorships at the University of Lincoln and the University of Ulster, and has been an External Lecturer at various institutions, including the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and universities in South Africa and Algeria. He has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to education, including the Biochemical Society’s Teaching Excellence Award in 2022 and the British Pharmacological Society’s Zaimis Prize for Sustained Achievement and Leadership in Pharmacology Education in 2021. In addition to his academic roles, Prof. Lewis is the Deputy Vice-President (Academic Development) of the British Pharmacological Society and chairs the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology’s Integrative and Organ Systems Pharmacology Initiative. He is also a co-founder of the Pan-African Network for Laboratory Animal Science and Ethics and a member of the Stakeholder Board of the EU Education and Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science.

Research interests

Prof. Lewis''s research focuses on education for professional and sustainable development, particularly through experiential learning and capstone projects. He aims to enhance graduate outcomes by developing research-based educational opportunities that prepare students for diverse careers beyond traditional research paths. Prof. Lewis has created a portfolio of capstone enquiry-based projects that address employer demands for work-ready experiences and competencies. His work also includes creating collaborative online education for sustainable development, fostering partnerships between institutions in the Global South and North. This initiative allows students to learn from each other''s cultural experiences while co-creating solutions to UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the area of research animal sciences, welfare, and ethics, Prof. Lewis collaborates internationally to provide professional education courses related to the care and use of animals in research. He co-founded the Pan-African Network for Laboratory Animal Science and Ethics (PAN-LASE), which has educated numerous stakeholders across Africa and developed guidelines and frameworks for ethical review committees. Prof. Lewis is passionate about research ethics and has contributed significantly to the development of research ethics policies at the University of Leeds. He leads initiatives to strengthen ethical review processes in the Global South and has created the 12Rs Framework to help researchers navigate ethical issues in animal research. His educational research activities aim to support learners in their transition to professional careers and lifelong learning.