JEONG @ NIH

Jeong Oen Lee, PhD

Staff Scientist (2024-Present)

Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience (link).

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD

Since 2018, my research at the NIH has focused on understanding the neural circuits and genetic/protein mechanisms that support the brain's computational and memory functions. Prior to my neuroscience career, I earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from KAIST in South Korea, specializing in integrated optics, electronic circuits, and nanoscale electromechanical physics. I then trained at Caltech, where I developed implantable optical devices and machine-learning-based signal processing techniques for in vivo physiological monitoring. I apply my engineering expertise in physical devices, fluorescence optics, and signal processing to gain deeper insights into neural dynamics, biological computations, and the molecular mechanisms that enable key brain functions, including reward-based learning, adaptive motor control, and flexible decision-making.

My current projects focus on investigating how dopamine neuromodulation influences G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling cascades and gene expression within basal ganglia circuits. Additionally, I explore how neural information and behaviors are encoded through complex neural dynamics. To conduct these studies, I employ in-vivo calcium imaging, fiber photometry, optogenetics/chemogenetics, and develop novel genetically encoded biosensors and optical imaging systems.

Education and Training

Postdoc, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

Postdoc, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea

M.S. in Electrical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea

Appointments

Research Fellow, National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIAAA), Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, MD, USA (2022-2024)

Post-Doctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health(NIH/NIAAA), Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience , MD ,USA (2018-2022)

Post-Doctoral Scholar, California Institute of Technology, Electrical Engineering/Medical Engineering, CA, USA (2013-2017)

Research Assistant Professor, Center for Integrated Smart Sensors (CISS), South Korea (2013)

Graduate Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant, KAIST, Electrical Engineering, South Korea (2007-2013)

Summer Student, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA