Born on November 25, 1926 in Shanghai, China, came to the United States in 1946. Dr. Lee studied at National Chekiang University in Kweichow, and Southwest Assciated University in Kuming, and received Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1950. His doctoral thesis deals with hydrogen content and energy-productive mechanism of white dwarfs.
|
|
|
|
He served as research associate in astrophysics, University of Chicago (1950), research associate in physics, University of California (1959-51), member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University (1951-53), assistant to professor, Columbia University (1953-60), professor, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University (1960-63), Enrico Fermi Professor of Physics, Columbia University (1963- ), and University Professor, Columbia University (1984- ).
Dr. Lee and Dr. Chen Ning Yang worked on a project involved in the principle of conservation of parity experimented by Dr. Chien-shiung Wu and others proved that the principle violated in the weak nuclear reactions, those nuclear processes that result in the emission of beta or alpha particles. For this discovery, Drs. Lee and Yang were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957.
Dr. Lee was awarded honorary professor at University of Science and Technology, China (1981), Jinan University (1982), Fudan University (1982), Quinghua University (1984), Peking University (1985), Nanjing University (1985), Nankai University (1986), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (1987), Suzhou University (1987), Zhejiang University (1988). He received a number of honorary degrees, including DSc, Princeton University (19580, LLD, Chinese University in Hong Kong (1969) ; ScD, City College of New York (1978), Bard College (1984), Peking University (1985), Drexel University (1986), University of Bologna (1988), Columbia University (1990, Adelphi University (1991)
Other honors Dr. Lee received include Einstein Award Science (1957); Loeb lecturership, Harvard University (1964), Order of Merit, Grande Ufficiale, Italy (1986), member of the National Academy of Science, member of the Academy of Sciences, China, and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.