Soo-Yeun LeeView profile
Professor
Professor Soo-Yeun Lee is a leading Sensory Scientist and academic leader at Washington State University (WSU), serving as Director of the School of Food Science since 2023. She holds a Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of California, Davis, and a B.S. in Food Engineering from Yonsei University, Seoul. Previously, she served as a Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) from 2001-2022, with administrative roles including Assistant Dean and Associate Head. Her research focuses on sensory science and healthful eating, addressing challenges in sodium and sugar reduction, functional food development, and understanding consumer behavior. Notable projects include strategies to enhance taste retention in low-sodium foods and analyzing picky eating behaviors in children. She has published over 100 papers, with recent works exploring remote consumer testing methodologies and sodium reduction perceptions in the food industry. Lee has received numerous awards, including the Fred W. Tanner Lectureship (2021), Paul A. Funk Award (2018), and Samuel Cate Prescott Award (2011). She actively contributes to professional service roles, such as chairing USDA review panels and serving on the IFT Board of Directors. As a mentor, she has shaped food science education through teaching awards and leadership in curriculum development.












