HISTORY

LEE first accepted six undergraduate members in the 1st semester A.Y. 2014-2015 with the return of Prof. Julie Anne del Rosario from South Korea. While on his last year of PhD studies, Prof. Joey D. Ocon was already busy preparing research proposal ideas, which would later mature into funded research projects to jumpstart the R&D activities and buy the equipment for LEE. In 2015, LEE welcomed graduate students in the chemical engineering and energy engineering graduate programs. In June 2016, barely a year upon Prof. Ocon’s return to UP from his study-leave, LEE started five projects funded by UP, CHED-PCARI and DOST. In the same year, the laboratory began its apprenticeship program catering to sophomore undergraduate students for fast-tracked development. During the initial outbreak of COVID-19, the laboratory was able to successfully expand its research activities and secure millions of pesos of funding for the CHED-PCARI CIPHER Project and the NICER Advanced Batteries Center Program. Today, the laboratory is now home to 6 ongoing research projects, two students with a completed Master’s Degree in just a year, and a network of 40+ strong researchers, students, and staff.