Hee Sun Han

Hee Sun Han is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with additional appointments in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Bioengineering, Neuroscience Program, and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. As the Mark A. Pytosh Scholar, she leads a research group focused on developing innovative bioanalytical technologies to study complex biological systems at multiple scales.

Her educational background includes a B.S. in Chemistry from Seoul National University (where she graduated summa cum laude as Valedictorian), a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from MIT as a Samsung and KASF fellow, and postdoctoral training in Physics/Applied Physics at Harvard University with Prof. David A. Weitz.

Professor Han's research program integrates expertise in microfluidics, bioimaging, nanotechnology, and materials chemistry to develop cutting-edge bioanalytical tools. Her work focuses on two major technological platforms: multiscale and multimodal imaging that accesses different dimensions of biological information at unprecedented resolution, and droplet microfluidics-based bioanalytical systems for high-throughput analysis of complex biological samples. She applies these technologies to inherently heterogeneous systems with strong intercellular interactions, particularly brains, tumor tissues, and microbial communities. Her approach enables unbiased profiling of individual cells or molecules while maintaining spatial context, revealing molecular and cellular mechanisms driving system-level functions.

Analysis of her publication record shows a clear progression from fundamental nanomaterial development toward increasingly sophisticated biological applications. Recent work demonstrates significant contributions to spatial transcriptomics and single-cell analysis, with 2024 datasets highlighting her leadership in cutting-edge genomic technologies. Her research bridges multiple disciplines including chemistry, engineering, and neuroscience.

• Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Scholars Award for Science (2021)
• Mark A. Pytosh Scholar (2017)
• KFAS Scholar in Chemistry (2006-2012)
• Samsung Scholar in Chemistry (2006-2011)
• Valedictorian, Summa Cum Laude, Seoul National University (2006)
• Representative of Korea in Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting (2006)

Professor Han teaches Advanced Analytical Chemistry (Chem 520) and leads a multidisciplinary research group that develops and implements new bioanalytical technologies. Her lab operates at the intersection of multiple fields, combining expertise in microfluidics, bioimaging, nanotechnology, and materials chemistry to create innovative tools for studying complex biological systems. The Han group's work has significant implications for understanding fundamental biological processes and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.