ITHACA, N.Y. -- Kelvin Lee, associate professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University, is the new director of Cornell's Institute for Biotechnology and Life Sciences Technologies. 

The institute promotes research, education and technology transfer to benefit the Life Sciences industries, including agriculture and medicine. 

"My primary role as director is to work with institute staff to facilitate and foster the infrastructure for doing life science research at Cornell," said Lee, who began his appointment as director earlier this month. 

In addition, Lee is responsible for maintaining a healthy relationship between Cornell and the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), the state's funding program to spur technology-based research and economic development. Lee also will administer the institute's Center for Life Science Enterprise, one of 15 Centers for Advanced Technology in New York State, which is funded by NYSTAR. 

"As I look forward, I'll continue to promote the excellence that the institute is already recognized for," said Lee, noting that Cornell has strong programs in genomics, nanobiotechnology, proteomics and agricultural-related research, among many others. "But I'll also look for opportunities to nurture and foster emerging areas in which Cornell expertise may contribute." 

Lee's own work focuses on studying changes in protein expression in the central nervous system that relate to the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. He collaborates with the Weill Cornell Medical College, where his biomolecular information regarding the disease is clinically applied. "So far, we've had good results," he said.

He also works with Cornell's Nanobiotechnology Center to create next-generation technologies for studying proteins, such as microfluidic devices for separating and analyzing proteins more efficiently. In addition, Lee collaborates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service on campus to research a bacterial pathogen (Pseudomonas syringae) that damages tomato crops and serves as a model system that may help shed light on pathogens that impact humans and animals. 

Lee, who received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology in 1995, joined the Cornell faculty in 1997. In 2004, he received a $750,000 award through the NYSTAR Faculty Development Program. 

Lee succeeds Stephen Kresovich, who is now vice provost for life sciences and is involved in promoting and administering the university's groundbreaking New Life Sciences Initiative. 

"Kelvin is recognized regionally, nationally and internationally as a leading investigator and educator at the interface of life sciences and engineering," said Kresovich. "He's the perfect director based on the priorities of both Cornell and NYSTAR."