Pei-Chung LeeView profile
Assistant Professor
Pei-Chung Lee is an **Assistant Professor** in the Department of Biological Sciences at **Wayne State University (WSU)**, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on host-pathogen interactions, particularly how bacterial pathogens like *Legionella pneumophila* exploit host cell mechanisms to cause disease. He employs multidisciplinary approaches to study innate immunity, post-translational modifications, and microbiology. Education: Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University (2011) Postdoctoral Scholar, Case Western Reserve University (2014) under Dr. Arne Rietsch Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH (2019) under Dr. Matthias Machner Research Interests: The lab investigates how pathogens manipulate host cell signaling (e.g., Hippo pathway) to evade immune responses. Key topics include bacterial effector kinases, inflammatory responses, and programmed cell death regulation in macrophages. Recent work highlights the role of Hippo kinases in controlling bacterial infections and sterile inflammation. Awards: Excellent in Teaching Award, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, WSU (2024) Grants: R21 Grant (NIAID/NIH): Investigates Hippo kinases’ role in innate immunity Wayne State University Research Grant (2020–2021) Teaching:** Leads courses in infections, innate immunity, and microbiology, including BIO5310, BIO7610, and BIO2270. Encourages students from diverse backgrounds to join the lab for hands-on research. Lab Activities:** The lab actively recruits graduate and undergraduate students to explore host-pathogen interactions using cutting-edge techniques. Current projects aim to dissect molecular mechanisms of bacterial virulence and host defense pathways.








