Professor
Patrick Lee is a Professor in the School of Energy and Environment, specializing in chemical engineering, environmental engineering, and environmental microbiology. He embarked on his independent career in 2011, following the completion of his PhD and postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley. From 2017 to 2021, he served as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the School.
With his research group, Prof. Lee aims to address biologically-related energy and environmental challenges, working at the interface of fundamental and applied sciences. While his primary interest lies in unraveling the intricacies of microbiology at the molecular and cellular levels, he is equally dedicated to applying these fundamental findings to engineering applications for solving real-world problems.
Prof. Lee's research group currently focuses on the study of microbes in indoor and outdoor air, diverse environmental systems, as well as the harnessing of bacteria and their molecular components to produce renewable biobased chemicals effectively. The group possesses expertise in wet-lab and computational techniques for bacterial manipulation and modeling. In addition to investigating individual bacteria, they are also interested in exploring complex microbial communities. Through their research and educational pursuits, Prof. Lee and his team strive to pave the way for a healthier, greener, and more sustainable future for all.