The Lee Research Group is delighted to welcome the newly selected 2025–2026 cohort of InteGRATE Fellows who will represent the University of Memphis and the United States in advancing global energy research and collaboration. Funded by the National Science Foundation’s International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program, InteGRATE (International Grid Research and Advanced Training in Energy) is an immersive international research and training initiative that connects U.S. students with world-class researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Over the next year, the Fellows will engage in cutting-edge …

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A team (Squeaky Clean Crew) mentored by Prof. Yong Hoon Lee won the Best Senior Design Award. The award was announced at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Pi Tau Sigma banquet for class of 2025 graduation ceremony. Team members: Daquala Butler, Karston Salsbury, Nathan Kleiser, Zaid Mohamad. Congratulations for your achievement!

As part of our ongoing commitment to experiential learning, Professor Yong Hoon Lee, in collaboration with Professor Yuan Gao, recently organized an educational site visit to the TVA Allen Combined Cycle Power Plant for our Mechanical Engineering students. The visit provided a unique opportunity to witness advanced energy systems in operation and connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications. During the comprehensive 4-hour tour, students explored the full power generation cycle: from natural gas combustion in the gas turbine to steam …

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Prof. Yong Hoon Lee attended OCEAN WEEK 2024 event annually hosted by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Programs Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). At the event, Prof. Lee and other experts from various research institutes, industry, and professional communities convened to reflect outcomes and collaborations of the ocean-related research projects sponsored by the ARPA-E. Prof. Yong Hoon Lee is actively conducting research on the floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) systems to unlock the clean energy potential of the ocean …

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Prof. Yong Hoon Lee’s paper entitled “Modeling and Control Co-Design of a Floating Offshore Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine System” is identified as one of the “Papers of Distinction” from ASME 50th Design Automation Conference. Refer to the announcement from the DAC chair’s welcome letter at https://yonghoonlee.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/papers-of-distinction-2024-idetc.pdf.

Welcome to Sunil Tamang, who will join my research group in Fall 2024 as a Graduate Research Assistant. He will be primarily working on the multidisciplinary modeling and optimization of floating offshore wind turbines and marine renewable energy systems.

Prof. Yong Hoon Lee attended the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit 2024, an event hosted annually by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Prior to this, he participated in the ARPA-E SYNERGIES Workshop, where he and other experts from various research institutes, industries, and professional communities exchanged groundbreaking ideas on advancing marine renewable energy generation and utilization beyond the current state-of-the-art. At the ARPA-E Summit, Prof. Lee, along with industry partners, discussed the latest research outcomes and …

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Ecobee, a leading smart thermostat company, gathered and organized a substantial dataset on energy utilization voluntary contributions from their smart thermostat customers. Through this partnership, we anticipate that our energy system optimization research, utilizing models based on real-world data, will have a significant impact in combatting climate change by effectively addressing real-life energy consumption patterns. We are grateful to Ecobee for generously sharing their invaluable database with us.

Our research on developing Wind energy with Integrated Servo-control (WEIS) toolset is highlighted by the University of Memphis Research + Innovation Newsletter. https://www.memphis.edu/research/impact/newsletter_2024/april24_stories/wind_energy_with_integrated_servo_control.php [Newsletter PDF] [Article PDF] Wind Energy with Integrated Servo-Control Floating offshore wind turbines, innovative renewable energy systems Floating offshore wind turbines are a relatively new technology designed to harness wind energy in deep-water regions where conventional fixed-foundation turbines are impractical. They offer several advantages over fixed foundation counterparts, including access to higher wind speeds and more expansive …

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