Ka Yee’s honors include recognition as a Searle Scholar, a David and Lucile Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering, and a Sloan Research Fellow. She is also an elected member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a fellow of the Biophysical Society, and a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Additionally, Ka Yee has received the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and holds the distinction of being the inaugural recipient of the Arthur L. Kelly Prize for Exceptional Faculty Service in the Physical Sciences Division. Previously, Lee served as provost of the University, vice provost for research, the director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and associate director of the James Franck Institute.

Anna (she/her/they/them) is a PhD candidate in Biophysical Sciences, conducting research under joint mentorship of Dr. Ka Yee Lee and Dr. Luka Pocivavsek. She is from Michigan and received her BS in Biophysics in 2020 at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where they conducted experimental research studying liquid-liquid phase behavior of lipid vesicles. For her current thesis work, she studies how lipid monolayers at the air-water interface collapse under compression. She combines experimental research (through fluorescence microscopy conducted in the Lee Lab) with computational modeling (through finite element simulations in the SurgBioMech Lab), to characterize the mechanical stability of lipid monolayers. In their free time, they enjoy reading, exploring Chicago’s queer community, and playing with her 2 cats. See their personal website HERE.