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Youngsook Lee is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Life Science at Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea. She was trained as a plant physiologist/cell biologist in the Seoul National University in South Korea and in the University of Connecticut in the United States. After a brief postdoctoral post at Harvard University in Sarah Assmann's laboratory, she returned to Korea to teach and carry out research. Youngsook discovered important roles of the cytoskeleton and phosphatidylinositol lipids in guard cell signal transduction. In 2001, she started working on ABC transporters, with the aim of identifying ABC genes important for detoxifying xenobiotics, in collaboration with Enrico Martinoia in Switzerland. Her research team identified the functions of many ABC transporters in plants, including plant hormone (ABA, cytokinin) transporters and heavy metal and arsenic transporters that sequester toxic metals and metalloids into the vacuole. She investigated the functions of plant ABC transporters, their regulatory mechanisms and evolution. Her team also worked on Chlamydomonas lipid accumulation and stress signalling.
Work Address
Department of Life Science
Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, Korea
Phone: (Intl) 82 54 279 2296
Fax: (Intl) 82 54 279 2199
E-mail: ylee@postech.ac.kr
Education
B.S., Botany, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, 1978.
M.S., Botany, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, 1980
Ph.D., Biology, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA, 1988.
Advisor: Ruth L. Satter
Ph.D. Thesis Title: Roles of H+ fluxes in rhythmic movements of Samanea leaflets
Professional Positions
Postdoctoral Training, Harvard University, 1988 - 1989
Postdoctoral Training, The University of Connecticut, 1990
Assistant Professor, Pohang Institute of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 1990.12 - 1995.9
Associate Professor, POSTECH, 1995.10 - 2001.2
Professor, POSTECH, 2001.3 - 2021.2.28
Professor Emeritus, 2021 - 3.1
Director, National Research Laboratory on Phytoremediation, 2001.7 - 2006.5
Chair, Department of Life Science, POSTECH, 2005.9 - 2006.8
Director, Global Research Laboratory on Phytoremediation, 2006.6 - 2015.3
Member, The Korean Academy of Science and Technology, from 2018
International Professional Activities
Editorial Board Member, Plant Cell and Environment, 2012 - 2018
Associate Editor, Molecular Plant, from January 2015
Editor, New Phytologist, from January 2018
Editor, aBiotech, from June 2019
Member, International committee, American Society of Plant Biologists, 2005 - 2006
Member, Organizing committee, Asian Plant Lipid Meeting, 2010 – now
Member, Organizing committee, International Plant Molecular Biology 2018, Montpellier, France
Member, Organizing committee, International Plant Molecular Biology 2021, Cairns, Australia
Service to the Korean Science Community
Member, President's Council on Science and Technology of Korea, 2004
Member, National Science and Technology Council of Korea, 2011.4 - 2012.1
Chief of Review Board, National Research Foundation of Korea, 2015.8 - 2017.7
Member, Board of Trustees, National Research Foundation of Korea, 2016.8 - 2018.7
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Plant Biology
Vice president, Botanical Society of Korea, 2010.9 - 2012.8
Member, Operating committee of The Korean Academy of Science and Technology, 2019.03 - 2022.02
International Awards
“Cozzarelli Prize” from National Academy of Science of USA as a co-corresponding author of the best paper published in “Applied Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences” category of PNAS USA during the year of 2010.
“Corresponding member award” from American Society of Plant Biologists, July 2013
"Outstanding paper award" from The Cross Straits Symposium on Materials, Energy and Environmental Sciences, 2002
Domestic Awards
“Best paper award” from The Botanical Society of Korea, 1995
“Best paper award” from Korean Federation of Science and Technology, 2003
“Woman Scientist of 2003” from Korea Science and Engineering Foundation
“Role Model Scientist” from Ministry of Science and Technology of Korea and Korea Science and Technology Foundation, 2004
“L’Oréal-UNESCO woman scientist of 2008 in Korea” from L’Oréal and UNESCO
“Macrogen Woman scientist of 2009” from Korean society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Macrogen
“100 Best Research Achievements during the year 2010” from Ministry of Education and Science, Korea
“Best faculty award in Research area in POSTECH for the year 2010” from POSTECH
“Presidential award for distinguished contribution to science” from South Korean Government, April 2015
“Gold Ribbon Award” for lifelong contribution to science, from Korean society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, January 2016
“Korea Science Award” from the President of Korea, December 2018
“Samsung, Happiness for tomorrow award”, November 2019
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