Lee Research Group at University of Pennsylvania

Principal Investigator
Daeyeon Lee Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering B.S. Chemical Engineering, Seoul National University, 2001 Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, MIT, 2007 Postdoctoral training: Experimental Soft Condensed Matter Group, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 2007-2008 email: daeyeon@seas.upenn.edu phone: 215.573.4521 Current Focus of Research The vision of Soft Nanomaterials Lab is to develop deep understanding of the interactions between soft materials (e.g., polymers, colloids and biologicals, etc.) near or at interfaces. We seek to extend the obtained knowledge to direct the assembly of macroscopic structures that have designed properties and functionality. The major research efforts in our group include understanding the behavior of Janus particles at fluid interfaces, understanding and improving the assembly and mechanical properties of nanoparticle films, the generation of hierarchical structures using emulsions and bubbles as templates, and development of catalytic systems for biomass conversion. Honors and Awards: * 2013 3M Nontenured Faculty Award * 2012 KIChE President Young Investigator Award * 2011 KSEA (Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association) Young Investigator Award * 2011 NSF CAREER Award * 2010 Victor K. LaMer Award for Graduate Research in Colloid and Surface Chemistry, American Chemical Society * 2006 Gold Award in Materials Research Society (MRS) Graduate Student Award Competition * 2006 MIT Materials Day Best Poster Award * 2006 Grand Prize Award for Excellence in Polymer Research Sponsored by MIT PPST and Schlumberger * 2005 Omnova Solutions Signature University Award for Excellence in Polymer Research Prof. Lee's Google Scholar Profile
Postdoctoral Fellows
Name: Zaki G. Estephan, Ph.D. Graduated From: Florida State University Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon Major: Analytical and Materials Chemistry Joined Lab: February 2012 (co-advised by Profs. John Crocker and So-Jung Park) Research: LBL assembly of Au-DNA nanoparticles Interests: Traveling, movies, Sudoku, science (mysteries), roller coasters, and trying food from all over the globe.
Name: Rohini Gupta, Ph.D. Graduated From: Johns Hopkins University Hometown: Jaipur, India Major: Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: April 2013 (co-advised by Prof. Kathleen J. Stebe) Research: Effect of surface structure and chemistry on wetting of cryogenic liquids Interests: Traveling and Photography
Name: Sang-Wook Lee, Ph.D. Graduated From: Seoul National University Hometown: Boryeong-city, South Korea Major: Electrical Engineering Joined Lab: October 2011 Research: Transport and mechanical properties of skin Interests: Watching movies, Reading books, Cooking
Name: Lei Zhang, Ph.D. Graduated From: Michigan Technological University Hometown: Heilongjiang, China Major: Materials Science and Engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2011 (co-advised by Dr. Feng at Villanova University) Research: Mechanics of nanoparticle thin films Interests: Reading, music, traveling, etc.
Graduate Students
Name: Kwadwo Tettey Year: PhD Candidate Graduated From: Johns Hopkins University Hometown: Gaborone, Botswana Major: B.S/M.S.E in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Joined Lab: Spring 2009 Research: Adsorption of Colloids at Interfaces Interests: In my free time, I enjoy playing sports, particularly soccer and squash. In addition to this, I enjoy visiting and exploring new places in Philly and all over the world.
Name: Teresa Brugarolas Year: PhD Candidate Graduated From: Universidad de Alicante Hometown: Alicante, Spain Major: B.S. in Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: Spring 2010 Research: Generation of Functional Suprastructures Using Microfluidics Interests: I enjoy reading a good book, meeting new people and going out with friends, visiting new places, etc.
Name: Jacob Prosser Year: PhD Candidate Graduated From: University of California at Davis Hometown: Stockton, CA Major: B.S in Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2010 Research: Cellulosic biomass conversion Interests: Baseball, golf, fishing, cycling, woodworking, watching movies, reading
Name: Fuquan Tu Year: PhD Candidate Graduated From: Tsinghua University, China Hometown: Sichuan, China Major: B.S in Materials Science and Engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2010 Research: Microfluidic Generation of Functional Particles Interests: I love sports especially badminton and tennis. My dream is to travel around the world.
Name: Ankit Kumar Year: PhD Candidate Graduated From: B.Tech. from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India Hometown: Ranchi, Jharkhand (India) Major: Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2011 Research: Janus Particles Interests: I like listening to music, playing computer games, net surfing and spending time with friends.
Name: Sarah Hann Year: PhD Candidate (co-advised by Prof. Stebe) Graduated From: University of Delaware Hometown: Springfield, VA Major: B.S. in Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2012 Research: Interests: Outside of doing research, I enjoy running and being outside. I also enjoy crafting, movies, and good food.
Name: Weifeng Wang Year: MS Candidate Graduated From: University of Colorado, Boulder Hometown: Shanxi, China Major: B.S in Chemistry & MSE in Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2011 Research: Nanoparticle Thin Films Interests: I enjoy watching movies, hiking,traveling, and singing in my bathroom.
Name: Yun-Ru Huang Year: MS Candidate Graduated From: National Taiwan University, Taiwan Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan Major: B.S & MSE in Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2012 Research: Nanoparticle films for energy applications Interests: I enjoy singing, cooking, watching TV and swimming.
Name: Shinshin Guan Year: MS Candidate Graduated From: Nankai University Hometown: Dalian, China Major: B.S in Chemistry and MSE in Chemical engineering Joined Lab: Fall 2012 Research: Permeability of SC lipid membrane Interests: I love to travel, swim, watch tv, and play badminton.
Name: Marcus Goudie Year: MS Candidate Graduated From: University of Michigan Hometown: Midland, Michigan Major: B.S.E/M.S.E. in Chemical engineering Joined Lab: Spring 2012 Research: Particle encapsulation in w/o/w emulsions Interests: Cooking, martial arts, snowboarding
Undergraduate Students
Name: Michele Saums Year: Class of 2013 Hometown: Ledyard, CT Major: Biological Basis of Behavior Joined Lab: September 2010 Research: Biomedical application of LbL films Interests: I enjoy dancing, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Name: Jonathan Chou Year: Class of 2014 Hometown: Poughkeepsie, New York Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (at Penn Engineering) Joined Lab: June 2012 Research: Particle Encapsulation Interests: Church, music, movies, dancing.
Name: Chi-Wei Man Year: Class of 2015 (Vagelos Scholar) Hometown: Basking Ridge, NJ Major: Biochemistry and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Joined Lab: Spring 2010 Research: Biofilms Interests: Tennis, swimming, snowboarding, golfing, watching movies, and eating
Visiting Scientists
Name: Prof. Pil Jin Yoo Visiting Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Penn Associate Professor, School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea B.S. Chemical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1998 M.S. Chemical Engineering, Seoul National University, 2000 Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Seoul National University, 2004 Expertise: Nanomaterials and nanoscale devices Prof. Yoo's Group website email: pjyoo@skku.edu
Name: Seonju Yeo Year: Ph.D. Candidate Graduated From: Sungkyunkwan University Hometown: Gyeongsan-si, Korea Major: B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering Joined Lab: March 2013 Research: Microfluidic Generation of Functional Structures Interests: reading books, jogging, skiing, listening to music
Research Scientists/Specialists
Alumni
Name: Bum Jun Park, Ph.D. Current affiliation: Assistant Professor at Kyung Hee University, Korea Joined Lab: December 2010 - January 2013 Research: Janus particles at fluid interfaces
Name: Shangchun (Iris) Yi Current affiliation: Joined Lab: Fall 2010 - January 2013 Research: Permeability of SC lipid membranes
Name: Wonjae Lee Current affiliation: POSTECH, Korea Joined Lab: Fall 2011 Research: Functional polymersomes
Name: Ayanna Campbell Current affiliation: Estee Lauder Joined Lab: Fall 2012 Research: Polyelectrolyte LbL Films
Name: Saibom Park Current affiliation: Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University Joined Lab: August 2012 Research: Microbubbles
Name: Zhiyi Zhang Current affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (at Penn Engineering) Joined Lab: May 2010 Research: Biological application of LbL films
Name: Sarah Hammer Current affiliation: Chemical Engineering (Thayer School at Dartmouth College) Joined Lab: June 2012 Research: Spray-assisted Layer-by-Layer Assembly
Name: Steven Lee Current affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (at Penn Engineering) Joined Lab: June 2011 (Penn PURM) Research: Nanoparticle thin films
Name: Yuri Choi Current affiliation: UNIST, Korea Joined Lab: June 2012 Research: Superhydrophobic surface
Name: Lakshmi Madhavan Current affiliation: GlaxoSmithKline Joined Lab: Spring 2012 Research: Biomedical application of polyelectrolyte multilayers
Name: Yan Zhu Current affiliation: University of Pennsylvania Joined Lab: Spring 2012 Research: LBL on living cells
Name: Will Mulhearn Current affiliation: Princeton University Joined Lab: June 2011 (Penn MRSEC REU) Research: Fundamental Investigation of Layer-by-Layer Assembly
Name: Dr. Jung Tae Park Current affiliation: Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea) Joined Lab: January 2012 (Visiting scholar) Research: Structure and Morphology Control of Multi-Functional Nanomaterials for Renewable Energy Devices
Name: Rohan Nagrath Current affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Penn Joined Lab: September 2010 Research: Nanocomposite LbL thin films
Name: Eungjin Ahn Current affiliation: UNIST, Korea Joined Lab: Summer, 2011 Research: Janus particles at an oil-water interface
Name: Yile Gu Current affiliation: Princeton University Joined Lab: March, 2011 Research: Layer-by-layer films of extracellular matrix proteins and thin film characterization
Name: David Kim Current affiliation: Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Penn Joined Lab: July 2010 (Rachleff Scholar) Research: Mechanical Properties of Layer-by-Layer Assembled Amorphous Nanotubes
Name: Majemite Dafinone Current affiliation: Bloom Energy Joined Lab: Spring 2010 Research: Enhance Mechanical Properties of Layer-by-Layer Assembled Thin Films
Name: Samuel Tell Current affiliation: Joined Lab: September 2010 Research: Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Nanocomposite Films
Name: Myung Han Lee Current affiliation: LG Chemicals, Korea Joined Lab: August 2009 ~ February 2011 (Postdoc) Research: Microfluidic Generation of Functional Structures
Name: Greg Cameron Current affiliation: Carnegie Mellon University Joined Lab: September 2010 Research: Mechanical Properties of Layer-by-Layer Films
Name: Kyoung Wan Kim Current affiliation: Gachon Medical School, Korea Joined Lab: September 2009 Research: Generation of Nanocomposite Microcapsules Using Microfluidics
Name: Diya Li Current affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Penn Joined Lab: September 2009 Research: LbL Thin Films for Membrane Separations
Name: Joan Liu Current affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Penn Joined Lab: September 2010 Research: Artificial Enzyme for Cellulose Hydrolysis
Name: Imran MacMillan Current affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Penn Joined Lab: September 2010 Research: Self-cleaning thin films
Name: Dominique Koster Current affiliation: Chemistry at Ruhr University Bochum Joined Lab: Summer 2010 Research: Fabrication of Stable Nanoparticle-Shelled Bubbles
Name: Joohwan Koh Current affiliation: Chemical Engineering PhD Candidate at Yonsei University (Korea) Joined Lab: Summer 2010 Research: Structural control of dye sensitized solar cells
Name: Taeyeong Yun Current affiliation: Nano Biotechnology & Chemical Engineering at UNIST, Korea Joined Lab: Summer 2010 Research: LbL Thin Films
Name: Carl Beigie Current affiliation: Boston University Joined Lab: Summer 2010 (MRSEC REU) Research: Mechanical Properties of Polymer Thin Films
Name: Peter Forzaglia Current affiliation: Chemical Engineering at Manhattan College Joined Lab: Summer 2010 (NBIC REU) Research: Layer-by-layer assembly of functional thin films
Name: Jennifer Kunkel Graduated From: University of Massachusetts, Amherst Major: B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Joined Lab: Spring 2010 Current Affiliation: Life Technologies Research: The development of functional microcapsules through the use of microfluidic technology for utilization in drug delivery applications.
Name: Bomyi Lim Year: Class of 2010 Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Joined Lab: September 2009 - May 2010 Current Affiliation: Princeton University (PhD Program) Research: Measurement of Water Permeability through Membranes Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM-D)
Name: Chad Greco Year: Class of 2010 Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Joined Lab: Spring 2010 Current Affiliation: University of Delaware (PhD Program) Research: Using layer-by-layer depositions to create nanoparticle thin films under varying conditions.
Name: Jeanne Ho Major: UPenn CBE, Class of 2010 Joined Lab: February-December 2009 Current Affiliation: Bristol-Myers Squibb Research: Creation of nanoparticle thin films using layer-by-layer deposition under various processing conditions. Creator of this website
Name: Michael Yee Major: UPenn BE and MSE, Class of 2011 Joined Lab: September-December 2009 Research: Characterizing nanoparticle thin-films created using layer by layer deposition in organic solvents.
Name: Varesh Prasad Major: UPenn BE, Class of 2012 Joined Lab: February-August 2009 Research: Microfluidic fabrication of suprastructures primarily with the use of stabilizing nanoparticles. Current Affiliation: MIT HST (PhD Program)
Name: Earnest Long Major: UPenn CBE, Class of 2012 Joined Lab: May-August 2009 Research: Expanding the processing window of nanoparticle thin films made by Layer-by-Layer Deposition (LbL).
Name: Jennifer Kay Major: Chemical Engineering (minor in Bioengineering), Class of 2011 Joined Lab: June-August 2009 Research: Optimizing biocompatible capsules using a microfluidic technique. Current Affiliation: MIT (PhD Program)