Earth and Mineral Sciences

Joan Redwing and Sukyoung Lee named distinguished professors

Joan Redwing (left) and Sukyoung Lee, professors in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, are two of the 21 faculty members named distinguished professors by Penn State’s Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Joan Redwing and Sukyoung Lee, professors in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, are two of the 21 faculty members named distinguished professors by Penn State’s Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

The title of distinguished professor recognizes outstanding academic contribution to the University and recognizes full-time professors who are acknowledged leaders in their fields of research or creative activity; demonstrate significant leadership in raising the University's standards in teaching, research or creative activity and service; and exhibit excellent teaching skills, contributing significantly to the education of students.

About Joan Redwing

Redwing is a professor of materials science and engineering. Her research interests are in the general area of electronic materials synthesis and characterization with a specific emphasis on semiconductor thin film, nanowire and 2D materials synthesis by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition.

“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition,” Redwing said. “I feel very fortunate to have worked with so many talented students and colleagues here at Penn State who shared my passion for research.”

Redwing joined the faculty in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State University in 2000. She holds a joint appointment in the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical Engineering and is a member of the Materials Research Institute. She currently serves as director of the 2D Crystal Consortium, an NSF-funded Materials Innovation Platform national user facility.

Redwing is a fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She served as a Fulbright Scholar to Sweden in 2016 and was awarded the Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal in 2019. She currently serves as vice president of the American Association for Crystal Growth, is an associate editor for the Journal of Crystal Growth and is the North American regional editor for the journal 2D materials.

Redwing received her bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and her doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

About Sukyoung Lee

Lee is a professor of meteorology. Her research focuses on the large-scale circulation of the atmosphere, oceans and planetary atmospheres. Her atmospheric science research concentrates on mid-latitude storm tracks, westerly jet streams, the tropopause and the stratospheric circulation, and the impact of tropical convection on the midlatitude and high latitude circulation and temperature. She also studies circulations in the Southern Ocean, including the deep mixed layers that are important for carbon and heat exchanges between the atmosphere and the ocean. For her planetary atmosphere research, her primary interest is the origin of the eddies and jets in Jupiter’s atmosphere.

“This honor is special because it comes from Penn State where I’ve been researching and teaching for most of my career,” Lee said. “It is also meaningful for me to receive recognition for pursuing scientific questions that have fascinated me over the years. I’m very grateful to the colleagues who supported me for this honor, and to my past and current graduate students for being great company in my academic journey.”

Lee, a John T. Ryan Jr. Faculty Fellow in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, received her bachelor’s degree in meteorology from Seoul National University in South Korea, a master’s degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma, and another master’s degree and a doctorate in atmospheric and oceanic sciences from Princeton University

After earning her doctorate in 1991, Lee worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, and as a research associate at the University of Colorado, before joining Penn State’s faculty in 1994. She has co-authored more than 110 papers and has received several honors for her research including being named a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2021.

Last Updated March 7, 2022

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