Prof. Ka Yee C. Lee has been appointed dean of the University of Chicago’s Physical Sciences Division, President Paul Alivisatos and Provost Katherine Baicker announced. Her term began March 1.
The David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Lee has served as interim dean since February 2024. Under her leadership, the division launched multiple new institutes and master’s degree programs, expanding the reach of its educational mission. In addition, 23 new tenure-track faculty joined PSD, including eminent scholars in mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, astronomy and astrophysics.
“Ka Yee brings to this role a rare combination of scientific distinction, wise judgment and deep commitment to the life of the University,” Alivisatos said. “She understands at the highest level what it takes to build an academic culture in which excellent scholars and students can thrive, and I am grateful that she will continue to lead the Physical Sciences Division.”
An internationally recognized scientist whose research focuses on membrane biophysics, Lee is the author or co-author of more than 135 scholarly publications. She is an elected fellow of the Biophysical Society, an elected member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a fellow of the American Physical Society. She was a Searle Scholar, a David and Lucile Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering, and a Sloan Research Fellow. At UChicago, Lee was a recipient of the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the inaugural recipient in 2013 of the Arthur L. Kelly Prize for Exceptional Faculty Service in the Physical Sciences Division.
“Ka Yee has championed the division and its priorities tirelessly these past two years, building exciting momentum and growing resources and support across departments,” Baicker said. “I am looking forward to collaborating closely with Ka Yee as she works with faculty to further the rigorous research and teaching that is characteristic of the Physical Sciences Division.”
A member of the UChicago faculty since 1998, Lee also has academic appointments in Chemistry, the James Franck Institute, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics and the College. In addition to her role as interim dean, Lee has previously served as the University’s Provost and Vice Provost for Research, among other roles. Lee also served the inaugural chair of the Faculty Advisory Board for The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue leading UChicago’s Physical Sciences Division,” Lee said. “This division has been my academic home for a long time, and I am thrilled for the chance to explore what is possible, together with my faculty colleagues, in service of discovery, rigor and our incredible students.”
Lee earned her Ph.D. and master’s degree in applied physics from Harvard University, and her undergraduate Sc.B. degree in electrical engineering from Brown University. She completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
