Tomasz Kowalewski

Tomasz Kowalewski is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, affiliated with the Mellon College of Science. He holds a Ph.D. from the Polish Academy of Sciences (1988) and has held academic positions since 1989, including roles at Washington University in St. Louis and Southern Illinois University. His research focuses on interdisciplinary polymer science, emphasizing self-assembly in organic materials, nanostructured carbons, and proximal probe techniques like AFM.

Education:

• Ph.D., Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland (1988)
• Post-graduate studies, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences (1979–1981)

Research Interests:

• Design and synthesis of functional polymeric materials
• Nanostructured carbons for energy storage and electronics
• AFM development for nanoscale material characterization
• Conductive polymers and organic photovoltaics
• Self-healing polymer networks

His work bridges molecular design, device fabrication, and nanoscale characterization, with applications in energy storage, sensors, and organic electronics.

Lab & Collaborations: The Kowalewski Lab develops carbon-based materials from polymer precursors and explores directed self-assembly techniques. Collaborations include work with Krzysztof Matyjaszewski (controlled polymerization) and Anna C. Balazs (computational modeling). Recent projects include porous nanographenes for supercapacitors and nitrogen-doped carbons for fuel cells.