Education and Work Experience

Postdoc, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, 2014-2017
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008-2014
M.S., Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Korea, 2005-2007
B.S., Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Korea, 1999-2003

Machinery Designer, Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction, Korea, 2003-2005

Biography

Dr. Jongho Lee’s research focuses on membrane-based technologies to address challenges at the water–energy nexus, including desalination, resource recovery from wastewater, energy conversion from waste heat, and biomimetic water treatment processes. He has served as an early-career editorial board member of the Journal of Membrane Science—as its sole Canadian representative—and has actively contributed to the water research community through leadership roles with UBC Future Waters and IC-IMPACT. As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Lee has also guided his trainees to numerous prestigious scholarships and awards, including Vanier Scholarship, Schlumberger’s Faculty for the Future Scholarship, and Marie-Curie Fellowship. 

Research Interests

Membranes, Nanoporous Media, Electrokinetics, Resource Recovery (energy, biochemicals, metals), Desalination, Water/Wastewater Treatment

Courses

• CIVL 215 Fluid Mechanics I
• CIVL 565 Physical-Chemical Treatment Processes
• CIVL 598J Membrane-based Desalination and Chemical Separations

Awards & Recognitions

• 2015, Best Presentation Award, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Conference
• 2014, Best Poster Award, MIT Water Night
• 2012, Korean Honor Scholarship, The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United States of America
• 2010, Grand Prize on Micro/Nano Forum, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• 2008, Pappalardo Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Student Research Opportunities

For students interested in research assistantship opportunities, please visit Dr. Lee’s research webpage and see the tab of Prospective Students.

Publications

Selected Recent Publications

• K. Parkhurst, L. Piao, Z. Yu, S. Srebnik, F. Jiang, and J. Lee (2026), “Enhancing the Stability and the Scalability of Tree‐Mimicking Dewatering Devices by Employing Hygroscopic Cellulose.” Advanced Sustainable Systems, 10(1), e01377.
• Y. Yang, H. Fukuda, D. Ma, Y. Zhang, and J. Lee (2025), “Revealing Wetting Patterns of Porous Hydrophobic Membranes for Desalination Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.” Environmental Science and Technology, 59(28), 14728–14738.
• Y. Yang, S. Kalam, S. Shabanian, K. Golovin, X. Zhou, Y. Zhang, and J. Lee (2024), “Maximizing the wetting resistance of fluorine-free omniphobic membranes for hypersaline wastewater desalination.” Water Research, 261, 122021.
• J. Lee (2023), “Design principles and considerations of omniphobic membranes for membrane distillation and contactor.” Journal of Membrane Science, 689, 122106.
• D. Saabas and J. Lee (2022), “Recovery of ammonia from simulated membrane contactor effluent using bipolar membrane electrodialysis.” Journal of Membrane Science, 644, 120081.
• H. Fukuda and J. Lee (2022), “Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Recovery from Synthetic Organic Waste Streams Using Supported Liquid Membranes.” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 10(26), 8370-8379.
• J. Lee (2021), “Perspectives and design considerations of capillary-driven artificial trees for fast dewatering processes.”, Scientific Reports, 11, 8631.
• Y. Wang, J. Lee, J.R. Werber, and M. Elimelech (2020), “Capillary-driven desalination in a synthetic mangrove.”, Science Advances, 6(8), eaax5253.

For a full list of my publications, visit my profile on: