Seonok Lee, Ph.D.

Seonok Lee, Ph.D. has a long history of work experience in the scientific field. Starting in 2002, they served as a Visiting Scholar at Ecole Normal Superieure and Institute Curie, where they performed an international collaborative dissertation study to determine the functional role of a neuronal protein, DlgS97, in synaptogenesis of fruit fly neuromuscular junctions (NMJ). In 2006, they served as a Scientific Consultant at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, mediating a communication between scientists and a South Korean venture capital group in assessment of a microcantilever biosensor technology, optimization of the chip manufacturing process and its surface functionalization protocol. From 2004 to 2015, they worked at UCSF, first as an Associate Specialist, where they engineered a novel nanofiber in vitro culture system to examine the role of axonal diameter during oligodendrocyte myelination and identified a candidate compound for (re)myelination by performing medium-throughput small molecule screening and validated its effects by in vitro neuronal culture studies and in vivo animal studies through multi-laboratory collaborations. Seonok then served as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where they determined the role of neuronal protein DlgS97 and NMDA receptors as a molecular mechanism by which adult fruit flies and mice develop tolerance to sedative effects of alcohol. Finally, they worked at Neurona Therapeutics, first as an Associate Director - Process Development, then as a Principal Scientist- Group Leader, and finally as a Scientist.

Seonok Lee, Ph.D. received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biological Chemistry and Structural Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1997. Seonok then went on to receive a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan in 2003.