Young Jong Lee (Fed)

Since Young Jong Lee joined NIST in 2006, he has been developing new hyperspectral imaging and spectroscopy technologies based on coherent Raman and infrared (IR) absorption to measure the quantitative and structural information of complex materials and biological systems. His recent research has been focused on new spectroscopic methods for high-sensitivity characterization of higher-order structures of protein. He also works on the development of next-generation IR- and Raman-based microscopic techniques for live cells and semicrystalline polymers. (orcid.org/0000-0001-7754-3001)

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS

Development of New Measurement Technology

• Label-free chemical imaging by broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (BCARS) microscopy
• Advanced high-sensitivity IR spectroscopy to characterize the higher-order structure of proteins using quantum cascade lasers (QCL)
• Imaging the 3D orientation angles using polarization-controlled IR/Raman microscopy
• Advanced analysis of complex spectra using 2-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS)

Therapeutic Proteins

• High-sensitivity characterization of the secondary structures of protein
• Biophysical stability (unfolding/aggregation) of formulation drugs

Soft Matter Physics

• Molecular structure and orientation of complex polymers
• Changes in structure and crystallinity of polymers under mechanical strain

Cell Systems and Tissues

• Label-free functional imaging of stem cells in scaffolds for regenerative medicine
• In-situ, non-invasive spectroscopic imaging of biofilms

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Postdocs or Guest Researchers:  open to either non-US citizens or US citizens. If interested in any projects described above, please send an email to youngjong.lee [at] nist.gov

NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship: US citizens only. Please visit the following opportunities.

• Coherent Raman Imaging of Biomineralization Processes in Stem Cells
• Advanced Coherent Raman Imaging for Polymer Physics
• Advanced Vibrational Spectroscopy of Higher-Order Structures of Protein

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• S. Xu, C. H. Camp Jr. Y. J. Lee, Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy for polymers, J. Polym. Sci. in press (2021).
• B. Chon, S. Xu, Y. J. Lee, Compensation of Strong Water Absorption in Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals the Secondary Structure of Proteins in Dilute Solutions, Anal. Chem. 93, 2215 (2021).
• B. Chon, J. Truong, M. Hansen, J. Hahm, Y. J. Lee, Position- and Polarization-Specific Waveguiding of Multi-Emissions in Single ZnO Nanorods, ACS Photonics 6, 1416 (2019).
• Y. J. Lee, Concurrent Polarization IR Analysis to Determine the 3D Angles and the Order Parameter for Molecular Orientation Imaging, Opt. Express 26, 24577 (2018).
• Y. Jin, A. P. Kotula, A. R. Hight Walker, K. B. Migler, Y. J. Lee, Raman Identification of Multiple Melting Peaks of Polyethylene, Macromolecules 50, 6174 (2017).
• Y. J. Lee, Least Squares Moving-Window Spectral Analysis, Appl. Spectrosc. 71, 1894 (2017).
• I. S. Ryu, C. H. Camp Jr., Y. Jin, M. T. Cicerone, Y. J. Lee, Beam Scanning for Rapid Coherent Raman Hyperspectral Imaging, Opt. Lett. 40, 5826 (2015).
• Y. J. Lee, S. L. Vega, P. J. Patel, K. A. Aamer, P. V. Moghe, M. T. Cicerone, Quantitative, Label-Free Characterization of Stem Cell Differentiation at the Single-Cell Level by Broadband Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering Microscopy, Tissue Eng. Part C 20, 562 (2014).
• Y. J. Lee, C. R. Snyder, A. M. Forster, M. T. Cicerone, W. Wu, Imaging the Molecular Structure of Polyethylene Blends with Broadband Coherent Raman Microscopy, ACS Macro Lett. 1, 1347 (2012).
• Y. J. Lee, S. H. Parekh, F. A. Fagan, M. T. Cicerone, Phonon Dephasing and Population Decay Dynamics of the G-band of Semiconducting Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes. Phys. Rev. B 82, 165432 (2010).
• Y. J. Lee, Y. Liu, M. T. Cicerone, Characterization of 3-Color CARS in a 2-Pulse Broadband CARS Spectrum. Opt. Lett. 32, 3370 (2007).