Dean Lewis was born in 1965 in Nîmes. After obtaining his baccalaureate in Périgueux, he enrolled in the Lycée Michel Montaigne in Bordeaux for three years of preparatory classes in advanced mathematics during which his interest in the physical sciences was confirmed as well as his calling for the teaching profession. He continued his studies in applied physics at the Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay (formerly ENS Cachan). After obtaining his agrégation teaching diploma, Dean Lewis returned to University Bordeaux I in 1992 to complete a DEA (Diplôme d'études approfondies) in instrumentation and measurements, followed by a thesis in electronics, and began his teaching career as a part-time lecturer at the Institute of Technology in the Physical Measurements department.

In 1996, he became fully dedicated to teaching and research at University Bordeaux I. He became a teaching fellow in the Physics Department and a lecturer in 1998, then a university professor in 2005. At the same time, he quickly became involved in the university. Elected Vice-President of the scientific council in December 2010, Dean Lewis ran for and was elected President in 2012 succeeding Alain Boudou. Shortly after his election, his main objective was to accompany the university community of science and technology towards the creation of the University of Bordeaux. He embarked on that mission with Manuel Tunon de Lara and Yannick Lung, presidents of Bordeaux Segalen University and University Montesquieu Bordeaux IV respectively.

A strong advocate of public service, Dean Lewis sought to extend his investment in serving the university community and pursuing his involvement in the newly merged University of Bordeaux.

Upon its creation in 2014, he was elected Vice-President of the board of directors alongside the President Manuel Tunon de Lara. When the latter was re-elected in 2018, Dean Lewis was elected Vice-President of the academic board and appointed Vice-President for human resources.

In that position, he worked to implement a financially- sustainable, proactive human resources policy in line with the University of Bordeaux's missions and goals.

Key dates
1988: Admission to the Ecole Normale Supérieur de Cachan (now ENS Paris-Saclay)
1992: Agrégation of applied physical sciences
1996: Doctorate in electronics; Teaching fellow in the physics UFR
1998: Lecturer at the IMS Laboratory (Integration: from Materials to System)
2005: University professor
2006: Director of the physics UFR - University Bordeaux I
2010: Vice-President of scientific council - University Bordeaux I
2012: President of University Bordeaux I
2014: Vice-President of the board of directors - University of Bordeaux
2018: Vice-President for human resources, Vice-President of the academic board - University of Bordeaux
2022: President of the University of Bordeaux