PI: Sang Hyun Lee, PhD (CV)
Sang Hyun Lee is an Assistant Professor the Microbiology Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Sang earned his BSc in 2010 from University of Florida in Environmental Engineering Sciences, followed by a MSc (2012) from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and a PhD (2017) from Seoul National University in Chemical and Biological Engineering. Prior to joining UMass, Sang worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and at the University of Minnesota.
Sang was born and grew up in South Korea. Apart from work, he enjoys playing tennis and loves tasting and cooking new recipes from different cuisine.
Post-doctoral Researchers
Chun Ki (Junie) Fong, PhD
Junie Fong is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned her BSc in Biochemistry from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2017, followed by an MPhil in Life Science from the same institution in 2019. Junie completed her PhD in Biomedical Science at the University of Maine in 2024.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Junie is passionate about developing innovative technologies that can help make the world a better place. Her research interests include studying the interactions between bacteria and contaminants with materials, as well as conducting imaging studies. Junie also loves learning about new experimental techniques and emerging technologies. In her free time, she enjoys creating digital art and cooking. She has a deep affection for small animals and has cared for several members of the rodent family.
Graduate Students
Billi Kozak
Billi Kozak is a PhD student at UMass Amherst. They earned their BS in biology at Eastern Connecticut State University in 2024.
From a small town in Connecticut, Billi is passionate about sharing their research and discoveries with aspiring microbiologists, helping them in their role as Outreach Coordinator for the Microbiology Graduate Student Government, where they also act as CNS Graduate Student Ambassador. Their current work is based on spore behaviors in relationship to nutrient and chemical gradients. Outside of lab, they are an avid knitter and crocheter.
Email: bkozak@mass.edu
Undergraduate Students
Cooper Richman
Cooper Richman is a senior computer engineering student at UMass Amherst. At the lab, he is working on creating an image processing pipeline to help quantify and analyze the growth of fungi over time.
Tyler Phan
Tyler Phan is a junior microbiology student from Braintree, MA working on creating biofluidic chips loaded with moving particles to better mimic porous media environments in nature. He hopes to go to dental school and become a dentist someday.
Erin Kim
Erin Kim is a senior biomedical engineering student from Lexington, MA. At the lab, she is working on creating 3D printed microchips to replicate realistic systems with porous media.