Provost Wendell Pritchett and Vice Provost for Education Beth Winkelstein are pleased to announce the appointment of Daeyeon Lee to the Evan C Thompson Term Chair for Excellence in Teaching, beginning July 1, 2020. 

Dr. Lee is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. His Soft Materials Research and Technology Lab focuses on the interactions of soft materials, especially how nano- and micro-scale materials assemble into macroscopic structures. These projects include testing the ability of two-sided “Janus” particles to function as surfactants for emulsion stabilization, developing methods for preventing cracks in nanoparticle films, and experimenting on bubble-derived lightweight materials for their potential use in transportation vehicles and equipment. 

At Penn, Dr. Lee is a member of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter, the Nano/Bio Interface Center, and the Center for Engineering Cells and Regeneration. He currently serves as a Penn Fellow, the University-wide program that provides leadership development to select Penn faculty members in mid-career; was twice awarded the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Distinguished Teaching Award; and received the 2017 S. Reid Warren Jr. Award, presented annually to a member of the SEAS faculty by the undergraduate student body and the Engineering Alumni Society for “outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual and professional development of undergraduate students.” He received the NSF CAREER Award in 2011, as well as the 2014 Unilever Young Investigator Award, the 2013 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, and the 2011 Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association Young Investigator Award, among numerous other honors. 

Dr. Lee earned a PhD (2007) in chemical engineering from MIT and a BS (2001) in chemical engineering from Seoul National University. 

Evan C Thompson (W’64) endowed the Thompson Professorship in 2003 to recognize teaching excellence. The current Evan C Thompson Professor is Katherine Milkman in Wharton. Previous holders include: Peter Struck, now professor and chair of classical studies in SAS; Daniel Lee, now UPS Foundation Chair in SEAS; and Dennis DeTurck, now Fox Leadership Professor and professor of mathematics in SAS.