Joonho Lee

About

Joonho Lee is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, joining the faculty in July 2023. His research group develops and implements theoretical and computational methods to study a wide range of phenomena in nature, focusing on understanding interactions such as electron-electron, electron-vibration, vibration-photon, and electron-photon. The group's current emphasis includes developing quantum chemistry methods for condensed phase problems, creating quantum algorithms for chemical problems, computational modeling of electrocatalysis, and understanding perovskites for solar applications and moiré materials. These research directions aim to address energy and sustainability challenges as well as fundamental science questions. Joonho Lee completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, under the guidance of Prof. Martin Head-Gordon. His main contributions during his doctoral work include the development of regularized perturbation theory, coupled-cluster valence bond theory for strong correlation, and an efficient quantum circuit ansatz for chemistry. His dissertation, titled Postmodern Electronic Structure Theory, was recognized by the 2020 Justin Jankunas Doctoral Dissertation Award in the American Physical Society. Since graduating in 2019, he has been a postdoctoral researcher in the Reichman group at Columbia University, developing expertise in materials, quantum dynamics, and vibronic problems.…

Research topics

• Computational biology
• Genetics
• Computer Science
• Biology
• Cell biology
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Mathematics
• Statistics

Selected publications

• Long non-coding RNAs: definitions, functions, challenges and recommendations

  Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology · 2023 · 2187 citations

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Targeting Xist with compounds that disrupt RNA structure and X inactivation

  Nature · 2022 · 128 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A biophysical basis for the spreading behavior and limited diffusion of Xist

  Cell · 2025-01-16 · 19 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Re-analysis of CLAP data affirms PRC2 as an RNA binding protein

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2024-09-20 · 13 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Using CLAP methodology, Guo et al. recently concluded that PRC2 is not an RNA binding protein (RBP). They suggest that prior findings were CLIP artifacts and argue against RNA's direct role in PRC2 regulation. Here, we re-analyze their raw datasets and reach contrary conclusions. Through an independent computational pipeline, we observe significant PRC2 enrichment throughout the transcriptome, including XIST. Applying the authors' published computational pipeline also reaffirms PRC2 as an RBP. D…

  PublisherDOI

• 7SL RNA and signal recognition particle orchestrate a global cellular response to acute thermal stress

  Nature Communications · 2025-02-14 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Non-coding 7SL RNA is an ancestor to mammalian Alu and B1 SINE RNAs and is thought to function exclusively within the Signal Recognition Particle (SRP), aiding in the translocation of secretory proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum for export. Here, we discover a function of 7SL/SRP unrelated to protein secretion. Under acute heat shock, 7SL and SRP together selectively arrest cellular transcription and translation machineries during early response to stress. Under thermal stress, 7SL is upreg…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Polycomb complexes targeted to specific loci by long noncoding RNA cofactors.

  NIH · $3.7M · 2010–2018

• Regulation of X-chromosome inactivation and imprinting by non-coding elements

  NIH · $7.1M · 1999–2026

• Regulation of X-chromosome Inactivation and Imprinting by Non-coding Elements

  NIH · $4.1M · 1999–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Yesu Jeon

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  191 shared

• Ruslan I. Sadreyev

  164 shared

• Stefan F. Pinter

  UConn Health

  158 shared

• Eda Yildirim

  Dokuz Eylül University

  140 shared

• Barry Kesner

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  116 shared

• Bernhard Payer

  Pompeu Fabra University

  109 shared

• Hongjae Sunwoo

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  88 shared

• David Colognori

  University of California, Berkeley

  86 shared

Labs

• Lee GroupPI

Awards & honors

• 2020 Justin Jankunas Doctoral Dissertation Award in American…

Similar researchers at Harvard University

• Xiaowei Zhuangh-158
• Eric Jacobsenh-123
• Joanna Aizenbergh-104