Prof Chris Lorenz

Chris Lorenz is the Director and Principal Investigator of the Computational Molecular Engineering Laboratory in Yerevan, Armenia, and Professor of Computational Materials Science at King’s College London, where he also serves as Head of the Department of Engineering. He co-founded the Yerevan lab as part of a strategic initiative to establish Armenia’s leading centre for advanced molecular simulations and materials modelling.

At King’s, Chris has held a range of senior academic leadership roles, including Interim Head of Physics, Deputy Head of Department for Research in Physics, and Assistant Director of two major research centres: the Centre for Non-Equilibrium Science and the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Cross-disciplinary Approaches to Non-Equilibrium Systems. He currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences and represents King’s in the PLuS Alliance’s Security & Defence Plus initiative.

Chris leads a large and highly diverse research group at King’s, comprising postdoctoral researchers and PhD students from over a dozen nationalities and a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and computer science. His group’s collaborative ethos and interdisciplinary approach have led to high-impact publications across fields such as biomaterials, soft matter, membrane biophysics, and nanomedicine.

His research focuses on the molecular-scale mechanisms that govern soft and biological materials, with applications in healthcare, sustainability, and energy. By combining molecular dynamics simulations, quantum chemistry, machine learning, and cheminformatics, Chris and his team develop computational strategies to understand and design complex materials systems. He has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications and currently serves as Senior Editor for ACS Omega. Through the Computational Molecular Engineering Laboratory, Chris aims to build a vibrant international hub for simulation science — fostering cross-sector collaboration, advanced training, and innovation in Armenia and beyond.