Sunghee Lee

Sunghee Lee is a Board of Trustees Endowed Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Iona University, where she teaches general chemistry, analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis, nanoscience, and seminar courses. Her research focuses on the chemistry of soft materials, particularly their interfaces and surfaces, with applications in crystal engineering, cell membrane modeling, and advanced functional materials development.

Education:

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Duke University, 1998–2002
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Texas A&M University, 1997–1998
• Ph.D., Inorganic/Analytical Chemistry, Brown University, 1997
• M.S., Pohang University of Science & Technology, South Korea, 1991
• B.S., Sung Kyun Kwan University, South Korea, 1989

Her research lies at the intersection of biophysical, analytical, and surface chemistry, emphasizing interfacial phenomena in soft matter systems. This work supports innovations in materials science and biological interface modeling. Dr. Lee maintains an active research program, as evidenced by her leadership in an NSF-funded initiative to expand data literacy and her mentorship of undergraduate researchers presenting at national ACS meetings.

Dr. Lee has been recognized with the prestigious 2024 ACS Fellow award for her outstanding contributions to science.

She mentors undergraduate research students and leads projects supported by external funding, including a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant focused on interdisciplinary data literacy. Her research group operates under the domain www.dropletbilayer.com, which explores droplet-based bilayer systems relevant to membrane biophysics and materials science.

Dr. Lee's laboratory, accessible via her research website, focuses on droplet interface bilayers and soft material assembly, providing hands-on research experiences for students in analytical and biophysical chemistry techniques.