The Food Science department started the new year strong with the arrival of Dr. Soo-Yeun Lee as the new director.
January 1 marks the much-anticipated start of new director Soo-Yeun Lee. Dr. Lee joins the Food Science department in Pullman with over 20 years of experience within Food Science and Human Nutrition.
“I want to bring everyone—students, staff, and faculty—together with the goal of growing the school and making it the best food science program in the nation.” Lee said in a recent story by the Washington State College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CANHRS)
Dr. Lee’s academic journey to WSU began when she graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. She received her Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of California, Davis in 2001.
After getting her Ph.D., she moved to the Midwest and became a faculty member at the University of Illinois. During her 21 impressive years at Illinois, she became a full professor and an Assistant Dean in the Office of Academic Programs in the College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences. With a focus of sensory science, she has been able to make great advancements in food science.
Dr. Lee’s accomplishments don’t stop there either. She has been an author on over 65 peer-reviewed publications, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards. The most recent being the Fred W. Tanner Lectureship Award in 2021, which allowed her to speak on recent advances within the profession and practice of food science.
Dr. Lee is joined in Pullman by her husband Dr. Youngsoo Lee, who will also be working at WSU. The food science department is very excited to welcome her and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes as a Coug.