Kwahun Lee

The Lee Laboratory focuses on developing (1) novel nanoparticle-based probes for in situ imaging and sensing of biological processes; and (2) a model platform for quantitative imaging of biomolecular phase behaviors. To achieve these goals, we use a correlative approach using various analytical tools, including biochemical assays, spectroscopies, and microscopies. This multi-faceted evidence helps us better understand and regulate biological processes. The overarching goal of my lab is to gain fundamental insights into interfacial dynamics, ultimately facilitating the development of novel therapeutic strategies for cancer immunotherapy and neurodegenerative diseases.

Hiring highly motivated graduate students and postdocs. Please contact Dr. Lee directly if you are interested. (Tip for drafting email: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00786-8)

Highlight on Prof. Kwahun Lee (https://www.stevens.edu/news/kwahun-lee-explores-the-vast-potential-of-nanosized-particles)

Assistant Professor (August 2023 – Present), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Stevens Institute of Technology

American Society for Engineering Education Postdoctoral Fellow (August 2021 – August 2023)
Center of Biomolecular Science & Engineering, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Postdoctoral Fellow (August 2018 – August 2021)
Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University (Advisor: Prof. Teri W. Odom)

2021 American Society for Engineering Education Postdoctoral Fellowship

2020 Northwestern University Chemistry Department Travel Award

2018 Velocity Conference Travel Award

2016 Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, 3rd Material Symposium (two recipients out of 10 presenters)

2015 Nomination: HHMI International Student Research Fellowship, Indiana University Bloomington (the only nominee from the entire university)

2015 Outstanding Poster Award, 2nd Material Symposium (two recipients out of 28 posters)

2015 Mann Fellowship, Indiana University Bloomington

2015 C500 Proposal Award (two recipients out of 54 proposals)

After joining Stevens
Kwahun Lee, Eunkeu Oh, Michael H. Stewart, Kimihiro Susumu, Sebastián A. Díaz, Christopher M. Green, Okhil K. Nag & James B. Delehanty* Adsorption of hemoglobin onto gold nanoparticles: role of ligand coating on assembly formation and protein structure J. Nanopart. Res. 2025, 27, 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-024-06201-1

Bundit Diloknawarit, Kwahun Lee, Priscilla Choo, and Teri W. Odom* Nanoparticle Anisotropy Increases Targeting Interactions on Live-Cell Membranes, ACS Nano. 2024, 18, 12537–12546

Yuhao Leo Wu⁽⁼⁾, Kwahun Lee⁽⁼⁾, Bundit Diloknawarit, and Teri W. Odom* Ligand Separation on Nanoconstructs Affects Targeting Selectivity to Protein Dimers on Cell Membranes, Nano Lett. 2023, 2024, 24, 519–524


Before joining Stevens (first-author publications only)
Ajmeeta Sangtani⁽⁼⁾, Kwahun Lee⁽⁼⁾, Okhil Nag⁽⁼⁾, Kimihiro Susumu, Joe Weiblen, Mijin Kim, Igor Vurgoftman, Sz-Chian Liou, James B. Delehanty,* and Eunkeu Oh,* Seedless Synthesis of Disulfide-Grafted Gold Nanoflowers with Size- and Shape- Control and Their Photothermal-mediated Cell Perforation, Chem. Mater. 2023, 35, 163-176 (highlighted as Supplementary Cover Art 10.1021/acs.chemmater.2c02979)

Okhil K. Nag⁽⁼⁾, Kwahun Lee⁽⁼⁾, Michael H. Stewart, Eunkeu Oh, and James B. Delehanty*, Nanoparticle-based delivery of nitric oxide for therapeutic applications, Therapeutic Delivery, 2022, 13, 403-427

Kwahun Lee, Insub Jung, and Teri W. Odom* Delivery Order of Nanoconstructs Affects Intracellular Trafficking by Endosomes, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144, 12, 5274 –5279

Kwahun Lee, Ziyin N. Huang, Chad A. Mirkin and Teri W. Odom* Endosomal Organization of CpG-constructs Correlates with Enhanced Immune Activation, Nano Letters, 2020, 20, 6170–6175

Kwahun Lee and Yan Yu* Lipid Bilayer Disruption Induced by Amphiphilic Janus Nanoparticles: The Non-Monotonic Effect of Charged Lipids, Soft Matter, 2019, 15, 2373–2380

Kwahun Lee and Yan Yu* Lipid Bilayer Disruption by Amphiphilic Janus Nanoparticles: The Role of Janus Balance, Langmuir, 2018, 34, 12387–12393
Kwahun Lee, Liuyang Zhang, Yi Yi, Xianqiao Wang, and Yan Yu* Rupture of Lipid Membranes Induced by Amphiphilic Janus Nanoparticles, ACS Nano, 2018, 12, 3646–3657

Kwahun Lee and Yan Yu* Janus nanoparticles for T cell activation: clustering ligands to enhance stimulation, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2017, 5, 4410–4415

Kwahun Lee, Yi Yi, and Yan Yu* Remote control of T cell activation using magnetic Janus particles, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2016, 55, 7384–7387

Kwahun Lee, Sungmoon Choi, Chun Yang, Hai-Chen Wu and Junhua Yu* Autofluorescence generation and elimination: a lesson from glutaraldehyde. Chem. Commun., 2013, 49, 3028–3030

CH 301 (Professional Ethics in Scientific Research)
CH 582 (BioPhysical Chemistry)