CEE Ph.D. student Paul Lee, advised by Assistant Professor Ran Mei, has been awarded the Simons Graduate Fellowship in Ecology and Evolution from the Simons Foundation. The fellowship provides three years of financial support for outstanding Ph.D. students pursuing research in ecology and evolution. Learn More>>
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CEE Ph.D. Student Paul Lee
CEE at Illinois Ph.D. student Paul Lee has been awarded a Simons Graduate Fellowship in Ecology and Evolution from the Simons Foundation.
The fellowship provides three years of financial support for outstanding Ph.D. students pursuing research in ecology and evolution, with particular interest in interdisciplinary research that jointly considers processes on both ecological and evolutionary timescales, or that links studies of ecology and evolution to other STEM fields, including physics, computer science, mathematics, chemistry and other areas of biology, especially genetics.
Advised by CEE Assistant Professor Ran Mei, Lee's research investigates how microorganisms evolve to degrade contaminants in engineered water systems. By comparing the genetic repertoires of microbial communities from environments under anthropogenic influence, such as wastewater treatment systems, with those from relatively pristine natural environments, he aims to identify genes that have been enriched through adaptation to contaminated conditions. This research could lay the foundation for microbiology-informed strategies to enhance contaminant removal, including targeted bioaugmentation, engineered biocatalysts, and predictive frameworks for engineering microbial communities.
Lee joined Assistant Professor Ran Mei's research group in August 2025. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Hanyang University in the Republic of Korea.
Founded in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons, the Simons Foundation supports fundamental, curiosity-driven scientific research with the mission of advancing the frontiers of basic sciences.