Prof. Yen-Jie Lee

Professor Lee is an emerging leader in the field of proton‐proton and heavy ion physics, primarily studying quark‐gluon plasma (QGP), a hot and dense matter created in the collisions of heavy nuclei predicted by lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) calculations. He has an impressive record of extracting information about strong interactions. For example, his work at the CMS experiment at the LHC has helped to show that energy lost by energetic partons (quarks or gluons) traversing the quark‐gluon plasma is converted to lower energy particles emitted at large angles. Recently, he started a new heavy ion physics program aiming for precision measurement of charm and beauty mesons in the CMS collaboration.

Dr. Lee’s research aims to move beyond discovery‐era qualitative measurements of QGP and to understand QCD matter in extreme conditions, such as those that existed in the first microseconds of the universe and that are thought to exist at the core of some neutron stars.