Helen Lee is a researcher, educator, and community organizer committed to developing and sustaining humanizing school systems and out-of-school spaces for youth.

She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Human Development at The University of Chicago (expected August 2022), where she is studying the impact of racial dialogue and ethnic community engagement on the identity and agency development of Asian American youth.

Previously, her research has focused on mental health, civic engagement, and teachers. Helen’s research is informed by her work with schools, non-profits, and policymakers in Detroit and Chicago – as well as by her experiences as a daughter of the Asian diaspora. Her approach to research and practice is also informed by her experiences as a first-generation scholar.

Helen is an Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Pre-Doctoral Fellow and formerly a Chicago Center for Teaching Fellow and Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation Doctoral Fellow.  She has received funding for her research and community partnership work from the Hymen Milgrom Supporting Organization (HMSO), Division of the Social Sciences and the School of Social Service Administration, Office of the Provost, and UChicagoGRAD. She holds a MA in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago, and a MA in Educational Leadership and Policy and a BA in English and Political Science from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.