Seongkyu Lee

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Biography

Seongkyu Lee, Ph.D.
Professor & Aerospace Division Leader
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of California, Davis

Education
Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 2009
M.S.   in Aerospace Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 2004
B.S.    in Aerospace Engineering, Pusan National University (with High Honors), 2002

Previous Employment
Visiting Scholar, Stanford University, 2022
Associate Professor, UC Davis, 2020-2023
Assistant Professor, UC Davis, 2015-2020
Advanced Design Tools (ADT) Program Manager, GE Global Research, 2015
Lead Mechanical Engineer, GE Global Research, 2012-2015
Mechanical Engineer, GE Global Research, 2010-2012
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Pennsylvania State University, 2009-2010

Research Interests
Aerodynamics and aeroacoustics
Rotorcraft & Wind turbine & Turbomachinery CFD and CAA
Turbulent boundary layer flows
Computational aeroacoustics

Honors & Awards
Summer Fellow, Center for Turbulence Research Summer Program at Stanford, 2022
Associate Fellow, AIAA, 2022
Graduate Program Advising and Mentoring Award, UC Davis in Mechanical and Aerospace Graduate Program, 2021
Best Paper Award, Vertical Flight Society (VFS) Annual Forum in Acoustics Session, 2021
Hellman Fellowship Award (Early Career Award), UC Davis, 2018
Technology as Art, GE Global Research in Aero-Thermal and Mechanical Systems, 2013
Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarship (Bell Helicopter Textron Scholarship), American Helicopter Society, 2009
Graduate Study Abroad Scholarship, Korea Science and Engineering Foundation, 2004
Magna Cum Laude and High Honors, Pusan National University, 2002

Narrative Biography
Dr. Seongkyu Lee is a Professor and Aerospace Division Leader in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis. He earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, with a minor in Acoustics, from The Pennsylvania State University in 2009. After completing a one-year postdoctoral appointment at Penn State, he joined General Electric (GE) Global Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, where he served for five years as a Lead Mechanical Engineer and Program Manager for Advanced Design Tools. Dr. Lee joined UC Davis in 2015 as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020, and to Professor in 2023.

Professor Lee is an internationally recognized expert in rotorcraft computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and aeroacoustics, turbulent boundary-layer flows, trailing-edge noise, wind turbine aerodynamics and acoustics, and theoretical and computational aeroacoustics. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in these areas. He is particularly well known for his collaborative work with students on the development of UCD-QuietFly, a computer code for predicting rotorcraft broadband noise that has gained wide recognition and adoption in both academic and industrial communities. His research has been supported by a broad range of sponsors, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the U.S. Army, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Hyundai Motor Company, Supernal, the Hellman Foundation, the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea, the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), and UC Davis. In addition, he has provided consulting services to several rotorcraft, eVTOL, and aerospace companies as well as government agencies.

Professor Lee has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the field, including selection as a Summer Fellow at the Center for Turbulence Research (CTR) Summer Program at Stanford (2022), election as an AIAA Associate Fellow (2022), the Graduate Program Advising and Mentoring Award at UC Davis (2021), the Best Paper Award at the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) Annual Forum (2021), the Hellman Fellowship (2018), the Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarship (2009), and the Graduate Study Abroad Scholarship from KOSEF (2004).

Professor Lee is an active member of the aerospace community and has held leadership positions in several professional organizations. He served as the Technical Discipline Chair for Aeroacoustics at AIAA SciTech 2023 and as the Acoustics Session Chair for the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) in 2022. He is a member of both the AIAA Aeroacoustics Technical Committee and the VFS Acoustics Technical Committee. He also regularly offers an AIAA online short course on Rotorcraft and Propeller Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics.

Invited Talks 

  • “Special Seminar Lecture Series: Rotorcraft and Propeller Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics”, POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology), Pohang, South Korea, October 15-23, 2025.
  • “Trailing-Edge Noise: Physics, Prediction, and Implications for Urban Air Mobility“, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea, October, 13, 2025.
  • “Trailing-Edge Noise and its Applications to Urban Air Mobility Noise”, GE Aerospace Research, Niskayuna, NY, November 21, 2024.
  • “Aerodynamic Noise of Drones and Air Taxis”, AIAA New England Section, Virtual, June 12, 2024.
  • “Aerodynamic Noise of Drones and Air Taxis”, Seoul National University, Virtual, March 19, 2024.
  • “Trailing-Edge Noise and its Applications to Urban Air Mobility Noise”, NASA Advanced Modeling and Simulation (AMS) Seminars , Virtual, March 14, 2024.
  • “Challenges and Opportunities for Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise”, Supernal (Tech Talk), Virtual, March 6, 2024.
  • “Toward Quiet Skies: Urban Air Mobility Noise”, UC Davis, Davis, California, February 15, 2024.
  • “UAM Noise Research at UC Davis”, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, October, 23, 2023.
  • “Aeroacoustics in Rotating Blades: Wind Turbine and UAM Aircraft”, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea, October, 16, 2023.
  • “Fundamental Understanding and Application of Turbulent Boundary Layer Trailing-Edge Noise”, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea, October, 4, 2023.
  • “Challenges and Opportunities for Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise”, Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Daejeon, South Korea, September, 25, 2023.
  • “Toward Quiet Skies: Rotor Aeroacoustics in Urban Air Mobility Applications”, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea, September, 11, 2023.
  • “Challenges and Opportunities for Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise”, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea, September, 8, 2023.
  • “Toward Quiet Skies: Rotor Aeroacoustics in Urban Air Mobility Applications”, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea, September, 5, 2023.
  • “Toward Quiet Skies: Rotor Aeroacoustics in Urban Air Mobility Applications”, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea, August, 31, 2023.
  • “UAM Noise Research at UC Davis”, Maviate, Virtual, July, 7, 2023.
  • “Introduction to Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise”, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Virtual, Mach, 30, 2023.
  • “Aeroacoustic Predictions of Multi-Rotor Aircraft Using High-Fidelity CFD,” Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea, November, 24, 2022.
  • “Overview of Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise,” BrainLink X-Lab Day – Research Conference on Aerospace New Technology: Air Mobility and Satellite Constellation, Busan, South Korea, November 22, 2022. 
  • “Recent Progress of Urban Air Mobility Noise Predictions,” Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences Workshop, Virtual, February, 25, 2022.
  • “Recent Progress of Urban Air Mobility Noise Predictions,” Penn State VFS Chapter, Virtual, February, 23, 2022.
  • “Urban Air Mobility Noise Research at UC Davis,” Supernal, Virtual, September, 2021.
  • “Urban Air Mobility Noise Research at UC Davis,” NASA Acoustics Technical Working Group Meeting, Virtual, April, 2021.
  • “Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise: Predictions and Reductions,” Hyundai Motor Company, Virtual, Jan. 2021.
  • “Urban Air Mobility Noise: Challenges and Research Opportunities,” International Symposium on Urban Air Mobility, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, Nov. 2020.
  • “Flow-Induced Environmental Noise and Its Applications to Aircraft and Wind Energy,” Stanford University, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Palo Alto, CA, Feb. 2020.
  • “Prediction of Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise,” Hyundai Motor Company, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, Feb. 2019.
  • “Aerodynamic and Acoustic Predictions of a Lift-Offset Coaxial Rotor,” Agency for Defense Development of Korea, Daejeon, South Korea, Feb. 2019.
  • “Prediction of Urban Air Mobility Aircraft Noise,” Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Daejeon, South Korea, Feb. 2019.
  • “Rotorcraft Aeroacoustic Research at UC Davis,” Advanced Rotorcraft Technology Inc. (ART) , Sunnyvale, CA, March. 2018.
  • “The Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics for Coaxial Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics,” Stanford University, College of Engineering Fluid Mechanics Seminar Series, Palo Alto, CA, Jan. 2018.
  • “Rotorcraft Aeroacoustic Research at UC Davis,” US Army, Moffett Field, CA, Nov. 2016.
  • “Helicopter High-Speed Impulsive Noise: from Generation to Propagation,” Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea, Sep. 2016.
  • “Helicopter High-Speed Impulsive Noise: from Generation to Propagation,” Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea, Sep. 2016.
  • “Helicopter High-Speed Impulsive Noise: from Generation to Propagation,” Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, Sep. 2016.
  • “Scattering of Aerodynamically Induced Noise and Nonlinear Sound Propagation,” NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, Jan. 2016.