Lewis Kay

A Canadian who grew up in Edmonton, Lewis Kay graduated with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Alberta in 1983 and won the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal for Highest Achievement in the Graduating Class in the Faculty of Science. Professor Kay went on to obtain his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from Yale University in 1988, followed by post-doctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health. He was assistant professor from 1992–1994 and subsequently appointed full professor of molecular genetics, biochemistry, and chemistry.  

Research in the Kay laboratory spans a range of disciplines from spectroscopy and biophysics through to biochemistry. Two major areas of interest include:  

NMR of Supra-Molecular Machines 

The machinery used by the cell to perform essential  biological processes is made up of large molecular assemblies and insight into their functionally important motions and transient interactions have been very difficult to obtain. We develop new NMR techniques that preserves the NMR signal in a manner such that it is much less affected by the devastating sensitivity losses that normally plague NMR applications to large systems. Using this methodology it has become possible to study systems in quantitative detail with molecular weights as large as one million Daltons. This methodology has been applied to the proteasome, where we have elucidated how dynamics are able to regulate the entry of targets for degradation and the interactions between substrate and the proteasome. Our work explains properties of the proteasome that cannot be understood on the basis of static three-dimensional structures and opens up the possibility of using allosteric drugs to modulate proteasome function. 

Characterizing Low Populated States of Proteins 

Starting from the seminal work of Max Perutz and others in the 1950s a main goal of structural biology has been to elucidate three-dimensional images of protein molecules. These pictures are typically obtained under conditions where the most stable state of the protein is studied, ignoring higher energy conformations. Yet it is becoming increasingly appreciated that proteins are not static entities and that their biological function is dictated in many cases by excursions between conformations with different energies. We develop NMR spin relaxation experiments that allow one to ‘see the invisible’ by measuring chemical shifts of and bond vector orientations in high energy conformational states of proteins, even when such states do not produce observable spectra. These NMR measurements can in turn be used with  computational approaches to produce atomic resolution models and insight into biological function. 

Appointments, Cross Affiliations, Memberships 

Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics 
Professor, Department of Chemistry 
Canada Research Chair 
Member – Royal Society of London 
Member – Royal Society of Canada 
Member – National Academy of Sciences, USA

Courses Taught

BCH 2102H Biomolecular Dynamics and Function 

Awards and Distinctions

2025 — Alexander Hollaender Award in Biophysics for Outstanding Contributions to Biophysics  from the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, USA
2025 — Eastern Analytical Symposium Award for Outstanding Achievements in Magnetic Resonance, New Jersey, USA
2023 — Akutsu Prize, Korean Magnetic Resonance Society, Seoul, Korea          
2023 — Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Ottawa
2020 — Elected International Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA
2019 — Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of British Columbia
2018 — Nakanishi Prize, American Chemical Society
2018 — Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering
2017 — Protein Society Christian B Anfinson Award
2017 — Canada Gairdner Foundation International Award
2017 — Fellow of the Biophysical Society Award
2016 — Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada
2016 — Fellow of the Biophysical Society of Canada
2013 — E. W. R. Steacie Award, Canadian Society for Chemistry
2012 — University Professor, University of Toronto
2012 — Khorana Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
2010 — Election to the Royal Society of London
2009 — Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Alberta
2008 — Premier’s Discovery Award, Province of Ontario
2008 — Elected as one of the initial fellows of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance 
2007— Dales Prize, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
2006 — Election to the Royal Society of Canada
2006 — Wilbur Cross Medal of the Yale University Graduate School.
2005 — Listed in ISI’s database of Highly Cited Researchers; top 0.5% of most cited chemists in the world.        
2004 — Gunther Laukien Prize, Experimental NMR Conference.     
2002 — Founders Medal from the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Biological System
2002 — Flavelle Medal from the Royal Society of Canada
1999 — Premier's Research Excellence Award, Province of Ontario
1999 — Steacie Prize from the National Research Council of Canada
1998 — University of Toronto McLean Award
1998 — Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Award