Principal Investigator

Dr. Lee received her B.S. degree in Physics from KAIST in 2003, and her Ph.D. degree, with a major in Neurobiology from Seoul National University in 2008. During her graduate career in Dr. Kaang’s laboratory, she studied the neural mechanism of memory reconsolidation using animal models. To extend the fundamental biological knowledge to memory paradigms closer to real-world human experience, Dr. Lee joined Dr. Baker’s laboratory at National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) / NIH as a postdoctoral fellow. There, she investigated neural representations throughout the major visual processing pathways during perception and mental imagery, and goal-dependent representations during working memory, using human functional brain imaging (fMRI) combined with behavioral tasks. In 2015, Dr. Lee began her career as an independent researcher in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST, where she focused on the neural processes underlying long-term memory retrieval process, retrieval-induced memory strengthening, and interaction between emotional and memory processes. She served as Assistant and Associate Professor at KAIST from 2015 to early 2023.

In 2023, Dr. Lee joined the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University as an Associate Professor. Her long-term research goal is to elucidate how human memories are stored, recalled, and updated throughout life, and how these memory processes interact with our emotional processes. Dr. Lee has made significant contributions to the research that determines information processing underlying human memory.

Education

2008   Ph.D. (Neuroscience),
Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University,
Republic of Korea, Supervisor: Bong-Kiun Kaang, Ph. D.
2003   B.S. (Physics)
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST),
Daejeon, Republic of Korea

Employment and Positions

2023 – present   Associate Professor
Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Korea
2022 – 2023   Associate Professor
2015 – 2021   Assistant Professor
Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Korea
2014 – 2015    Research Fellow
NIMH / NIH, USA.
2009 – 2014   Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow
NIMH / NIH, USA.
2008 – 2009   Postdoctoral Fellow
Seoul National University, Korea.