Baylor Engineering Professor Wins Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award

Kwang Lee, Ph.D., a leading researcher on intelligent system techniques for power and energy systems, will work with entrepreneurship faculty at South Korea’s Yonsei University

March 22, 2023
Kwang Lee, Ph.D., chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Baylor University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science

Kwang Lee, Ph.D., chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Baylor University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science. (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)

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WACO, Texas (March 22, 2023) – Kwang Lee, Ph.D., chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Baylor University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to South Korea, a prestigious and competitive fellowship of the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects around the world. Fulbright scholars play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations.

As a Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Lee will work with the entrepreneurship faculty at Yonsei University in South Korea for the Fall 2023 semester. His project, “Intelligent Control of Power Systems Integrated with Renewable Energy Sources,” will involve a comprehensive review of pumped-storage hydropower to develop control techniques to accommodate energy storage systems intelligently.

“This project focuses on a very important research topic that is critical to both the United States and South Korea,” Lee said. “In particular, the research focuses on the development and application of modeling and simulation tools to study the reliable power system, grid modernization based on artificial-intelligence algorithm and resiliency improvement of the power system. The results of this project will be disseminated through publications and presentations in major power and energy communities.”

Lee also plans to teach a graduate-level course on Intelligent Control and Modern Heuristic Optimization Techniques while in South Korea.

“The subject is closely related to my Fulbright research project,” Lee said, adding that his course will serve a dual purpose of sharing the important subject material and improving the language skills of the students in English reading, writing, comprehension and conversation.

“The Fulbright program is renowned for its rigorous selection process, and Dr. Lee’s selection is a testament to his academic achievements,” said Erich Baker, Ph.D., interim dean of the Baylor School of Engineering and Computer Science and professor of bioinformatics. “Because of this award, he will have the ability to positively impact other cultures, enhance Baylor’s global footprint and introduce many people to the caliber of faculty at our university.”

Connections through research

Lee’s Fulbright Scholar Award and research exemplifies one of the many ways Baylor professors are leaders in their field, building international connections as a Research 1 institution and developing programs that aid the educational development of their students.

Lee is an IEEE Life Fellow for his contributions to the development and implementation of intelligent system techniques for power and energy systems. He has more than 700 publications, supervised 108 graduate students and managed over 30 research projects funded by external funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Navy.

“This Fulbright award will allow me combine multiple research interests about power and energy systems that I have pursued in my distinguished career,” Lee said. “My research on the grant will enable me to make contributions in developing sustainable future power and energy systems to accommodate increasing renewable-energy generation.”

Lee is the third Baylor faculty member in the last year to receive the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, joining 2022 recipients Leslie Palich, Ph.D., The W.A. (Agnes) Mays Professor of Entrepreneurship in Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, who spent the Fall 2022 semester with the entrepreneurship faculty at Dublin City University in Ireland, and Candi K. Cann, Ph.D., associate professor of religion in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core in the Honors College, who is teaching and conducting research in South Korea at Han Nam University, one of a few Christian universities in South Korea.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

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