Purdue ECE Prof. Matt Woongkul Lee named ASME Rising Star
Matt Woongkul Lee, assistant professor in Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named a 2025 ASME Rising Star of Mechanical Engineering for his groundbreaking research on magnetically integrated electric drives using rare-earth-free motors.
The ASME Rising Stars of Mechanical Engineering Celebration and Showcase, held during the International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE), is a prestigious event that honors early-career researchers recognized through awards such as the NSF CAREER, ONR Young Investigator Program, AFOSR Young Investigator Program, DARPA Young Faculty Award, and NIH New Innovator Award. Lee earned his Rising Star recognition based on his NSF CAREER Award-winning research, “Magnetically Integrated Electric Drive with Rare-Earth-Free Motors.”
Electric motors and generators power nearly every sector of modern life—from electric vehicles and renewable energy to industrial manufacturing and aviation. Yet most of today’s motor technologies depend on rare-earth permanent magnets, such as neodymium iron boron (NdFeB), which are expensive, environmentally taxing to mine, and increasingly difficult to source. Global demand for these materials is projected to increase more than 20-fold by 2050, driven largely by the push for sustainable energy and transportation.
Lee’s research aims to eliminate that dependency.
“Our goal is to rethink how electric drives are designed—functionally integrating the motor and inverter for power density and efficiency while eliminating the need for rare-earth materials,” said Lee. “If we can achieve that, we can help make electrification truly sustainable.”
The 2025 IMECE, hosted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), brings together leaders from academia, government, and industry to share insights on innovation across engineering disciplines. This year’s conference focuses on AI and digitalization, the transition from Industry 4.0 to 5.0, technical leadership, future urban mobility, and cross-cutting technologies driving global progress.