Jason Lee

Associate Professor-in-Residence and Director of Undergraduate Studies

Dr. Lee joined the University of Connecticut in 2014. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2005 and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Following his doctoral studies, he held a postdoctoral appointment at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He serves as the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Director and teaches courses in thermal fluid systems, manufacturing, and senior design. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on fiber optic manufacturing in reduced gravity environments. His work combines computational modeling of fluid flow and heat transfer with the design and development of experimental manufacturing systems. He investigates how reduced gravity affects material flow, thermal transport, fiber formation, and process stability.

Dr. Lee is also interested in the financial and policy considerations that shape the development and commercialization of space manufacturing. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Gravity Dependent Science and Technology Technical Committee (AIAA GDST TC) and serves as UConn’s campus representative to the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium. Dr. Lee is committed to advancing space manufacturing through research, education, and professional service. He served as a crew member for NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 7 Mission 2. During the 45-day simulated mission to Mars, he and three fellow crew members participated in studies examining behavioral health, team dynamics, human-system interactions, and responses to isolation and confinement.