Wen-Yee Lee

Wen-Yee Lee is a Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), specializing in environmental and biomedical chemistry. Her research focuses on developing analytical methods for detecting environmental pollutants and cancer biomarkers. She leads studies on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for prostate and renal cancer diagnosis, nanoparticle-based environmental remediation, and green chemistry approaches for contaminant analysis. Her work bridges environmental science and clinical diagnostics, with significant contributions to wastewater surveillance and transboundary pollution studies along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Dr. Lee’s research has been supported by major grants, including NIH funding for prostate cancer detection technologies and collaborative initiatives with Chihuahua universities. She is a key contributor to UTEP’s interdisciplinary efforts in biomedical research, environmental engineering, and sustainable chemistry. Her lab develops novel methods for contaminant detection, including freeze-drying techniques for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and electrocatalytic degradation of perfluorinated pollutants.

Her work emphasizes practical applications, such as improving diagnostic accuracy through machine learning models and advancing eco-friendly remediation strategies. Dr. Lee’s research also explores the translocation of pollutants in plants and their impact on human health, as seen in studies involving pesticides and endocrine disruptors.