Philip S. Lukeman

Philip S. Lukeman is a Professor and Assistant Chair of Chemistry at St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, St. John's University, leading the LukemanLab focused on nanometer-scale chemical control through DNA-based nanotechnology. His research bridges fundamental molecular engineering with applied biosensor development.

Dr. Lukeman's educational journey includes undergraduate studies at Leicester University Chemistry (with an exchange year at Colorado State University), Ph.D. research at Cambridge University under Jeremy Sanders, and postdoctoral training at NYU in Ned Seeman's laboratory. His formative experiences were shaped by mentors including Tony Burrows at King David High School and Louis Hegedus at Colorado State.

The LukemanLab pursues two primary research thrusts: (i) Covalent Chemistry Control of Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology to create environmentally robust DNA nanostructures, and (ii) Mesoscale Molecular Engineering for developing stimulus-responsive DNA switches and biosensors. Current work emphasizes electrochemical biosensors capable of detecting virus-sized objects using DNA origami mechanisms, with applications in clinical diagnostics and point-of-care testing.

Publication trends reveal an evolution from foundational DNA nanotechnology (2011-2013 photocleavage studies) toward sophisticated biosensing applications (2019-2025), characterized by increasing collaboration intensity with institutions like Caltech, Johns Hopkins, and UCSB. The 2025 PNAS publication on lily-pad biosensors represents culmination of eight years of ARO-funded research.

While Dr. Lukeman has not received individual scientific awards, his student teams earned Bronze awards at the Biomod competition in 2017 and 2019. His research is sustained by significant Army Research Office funding, including three major grants totaling over $865,000 since 2012.

Dr. Lukeman actively mentors undergraduate and master's students, with 38 documented advisees since 2009. His $360,000 ARO grant (2012-2015) established foundational work, followed by $225,000 (2019-2022) for DNA origami electrochemical behavior studies, and $280,000 (2023-2026) for DNA electrochemical crosslinking technology development. St. John's University also supported his 2018 research leave at UCSB.

The LukemanLab operates in St. Albert Hall with current members Jeremy Mendez, Julia Rogers, Aohona Chowdhury, and Elijah Wall. It maintains active collaborations with Caltech, Johns Hopkins, UCSB, UCLA, and MIT, particularly on the modular electrochemical biosensor project involving multiple institutional co-authors. The lab's 'virus binding claws' and 'designer triangles' frameworks continue to evolve toward clinical applications.