Ka Yee Christina Lee is Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Servic Professor of Chemistry. She is also the founding faculty chair of the Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | The University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong. Ka Yee Lee has been Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago since 1998.
Lee conducts research on lung surfactant, a complex mixture of lipids and proteins that assists the breathing process. Other projects aim to elucidate the membrane disruptive mechanism of antimicrobial peptides, the effects of cholesterol on membrane structure and assembly, the role of lipids in immunological response, as well as the mechanism of membrane sealing by polymers. Lee has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and is a fellow of the American Physical Society. Other honors include research fellowships from the Alfred Sloan Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Biophysical Society's Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award, and "40 Under 40" recognition from Crain's Chicago Business.