Professor James M. Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1946 and sadly passed away in April of 2010 from lung cancer (http://www.chebe.wsu.edu/news/news_2010-05_james_lee.html). Professor Lee was a Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at the Washington State University. He also served as a program manager and as a program expert for the Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering Program at the National Science Foundation. 

Professor Lee was the founding president of the KIChE US Chapter from 2002 to 2004. Since then, the KIChE US Chapter has been the main resource for numerous researchers to share innovative ideas and mentor younger generations. Professor Lee continued his support by serving as a member of the advisory board since 2005. He is remembered as a genuine scholar with kindness and generosity respected by his young Korean-American colleagues.

To express our gratitude to Professor Lee, the KIChE US Chapter created a special annual award, the James Lee Young Investigator Award, in honor of his contributions. The goal of this special award is to acknowledge the excellence of young faculty members of chemical engineering in U.S. academic institutions and to encourage them to further excel in both research and teaching.