Walter Lee, Ph.D.

Education

Ph.D. Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, 2015
M.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2013
B.S. Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, 2010

Research Statement

GUIDE Research is committed to exploring, understanding, and elevating the lived experiences of engineers, engineering students, and prospective engineering students from historically oppressed communities. Through our work, we aim to advance the support of engineers and engineering students as they navigate existing work and learning environments; education of engineering students and faculty about pervasive systems of oppression and the relevance of social issues to engineering work and practices; empowerment of engineers who wish to actively disrupt oppressive systems and practices through their application of engineering tools and processes; and transformation of engineering education to make it more equitable, accessible, and inclusive.

Biography

Walter Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education and Interim Executive Director for the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED). He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University, an M.S in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech. His career vision is to be a driving force in the national effort to diversify engineering and ensure that institutions provide students with the necessary support to succeed regardless of their background.

Selected Awards & Honors

• NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award, 2020
• Outstanding Mentor Award (College of Engineering), Virginia Tech Graduate School, 2019
• 20 High-achieving Researchers and Educators under 40, PRISM Magazine, 2018
• Outstanding New Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, 2018
• Outstanding Young Alumni, Clemson College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science, 2018

Selected Publications

• Lee, W. C. (2024). What if engineering students had a bill of rights? A thought experiment. Journal of Engineering Education, 113(1), 6-11.
•  Lee, W. C., London, J., Hawkins Ash, C. D., Pee, C. M., & Josiam, M. (2024). Broadening Participation in Engineering as a Sociopolitical Phenomenon: A Systems Perspective. Studies in Engineering Education, 5(1), 98–124.
• Lee, W.C., Holloman, T.K., Knight, D.B., Huggins, N., Matusovich, H.M., & Brisbane, J. (2024). Catalyzing organizational change for equity in graduate education: A case study of adopting collective impact in a college of engineering. Education Sciences, 14(3), 1-17. 
• Lee, W. C., Hall, J. L., Josiam, M., & Pee, C. M. (2023). (Un)equal demands and opportunities: Conceptualizing student navigation in undergraduate engineering programs. Journal of Engineering Education, 112(4), 890-917.
• Lee, W. C., Hall, J. L., Godwin, A., Knight, D. B., Verdin, D. (2021). Operationalizing and monitoring student support in undergraduate engineering education. Journal of Engineering Education, 111(1), 82-110. 
• Lee, W.C. (2019). Pipelines, pathways, and ecosystems: An argument for participation paradigms. Journal of Engineering Education, 108(8), 8-12. 
• Lee, W. C., Godwin A., & Hermundstad A. L. (2018). Development of the engineering student integration instrument: Rethinking measures of integration. Journal of Engineering Education, 107(1), 30-55.
• Lee, W. C. & Matusovich, H. M. (2016). A model of co-curricular support for undergraduate engineering students. Journal of Engineering Education, 105(3), 406-430.