Victoria Lee

Victoria Lee is an Associate Professor in the History Department at Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences, where she specializes in the history of science and technology in modern Japan. Her research explores the role of microbes in fermentation, sustainability, and industrial innovation, bridging historical analysis with contemporary environmental and scientific challenges.

Education:

• Ph.D. in History of Science, Princeton University
• M.A. in History of Science, Princeton University
• M.Sc. in History of Science, Medicine and Technology, Imperial College London
• B.A. in Natural Sciences (Physics), University of Cambridge

Her research focuses on microbial history, particularly how Japanese scientists and industries transformed traditional fermentation practices into global technological breakthroughs. She examines how knowledge of microbes influenced food, medicine, and green chemistry, offering historical precedents for 21st-century sustainability. Her work integrates themes of indigenous knowledge, scientific expertise, and the developmental state in Asia.

Her publications, including the award-winning book The Arts of the Microbial World, reflect a consistent trend in analyzing microbial agency, classification, and domestication across industrial, medical, and environmental contexts. Articles span topics such as aflatoxin safety, penicillin production, and the microbiome, demonstrating interdisciplinary engagement with history, science, and policy.

Scientific Awards:

• 2023 International Convention of Asia Scholars Book Prize (Humanities)
• 2019 Zhu Kezhen Junior Award
• 2013 Forum for the History of Science in Asia Essay Prize
• 2021 Ohio University Arts & Sciences Outstanding Faculty Research Award
• 2024 Emerging Presidential Research Scholar Award

Lee has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and a fellow at the Paris Institute for Advanced Study. She directs the Technology and Society Certificate program and has received research funding supporting her work on microbial history and sustainability. Her media contributions include NPR’s All Things Considered and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

She is involved in public scholarship, organizing forums such as Our Microbial Lives: A Forum Against Eradication, and leads initiatives connecting history with contemporary scientific discourse. Her teaching includes courses on the history of technology, modern Japan, and science in society.