Dr. Helen Lee is the Director of Research Development in the School of Physical Sciences, where she develops strategies to expand research programs, and works with faculty to prepare competitive proposals. Prior to joining UCI, she worked at UCR where she provided proposal assistance to the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and the College of Engineering. She has been in the research development field since 2015, and has successfully assisted investigators in securing funding from NSF, DOE, NIH, and USDA, among other agencies.

Dr. Lee received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UCI, and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from University of Washington. Her dissertation focused on interactions between nanoparticles and immune cell receptors. During her postdoctoral studies at UCI, she studied the role of cell death signaling pathways in the activation of the immune system. Her career has included research in biomaterials and biological sciences, along with extensive experience in scientific writing and proposal development.