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BRISTOL, R.I. – Assistant Professor of Construction Management Jung Hyun Lee has been named to the North Star Collective Faculty Fellowship’s latest cohort, recognizing her academic achievements and positioning her as a leader committed to advancing diversity and inclusion within academia.

As part of the , �������� is one of 18 member institutions throughout New England committed to reparative justice and racial equity and to initiatives that propel academia toward a more inclusive and equitable future. Now in its third year, the semester-long fellowship is “dedicated to restoring, nourishing, and uplifting early-career faculty” who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, with a particular emphasis on supporting leaders as they transform higher education institutions around racial equity through writing and publishing endeavors. Lee is one of 33 faculty in this semester’s cohort.

Originally from South Korea, Lee completed her master’s in Building Construction and Facility Management and her Ph.D. at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where she focused on project delivery methods, specifically design-build where she conducted perception gap analysis among key stakeholders such as public owners, design professionals, and general contractors. She also researched critical aspects of design-build practices, such as design liability, construction quality assurance, and workforce development.

Lee is committed to a dynamic, student-centered approach to education that prepares students for academic success, real-world application, and lifelong learning. Her teaching philosophy is guided by three core principles: fostering self-directed learning, bridging academic studies with practical experience, and cultivating an environment of open communication.

In an interview, Lee shared the focus of her research, how she plans to bring her new experiences into the classroom at ��������, and how the North Star Collective fellowship advances diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.

Q: What motivated you to apply for the North Star Collective faculty fellowship?

Lee: I was looking for a space where I truly felt I belonged. Coming from South Korea, I spent six years at Georgia Tech before moving to Rhode Island in 2022 for my faculty position. While Rhode Island is diverse, it’s different from Georgia, where I was surrounded by many international students. I wanted to find a community where I felt more comfortable.

I first learned about the North Star Collective fellowship in 2022 when I joined, but I didn’t have the time to fully engage. This year, I finally felt ready. I knew what I wanted to do, and I had the time to commit. It was the right moment to meet new people, explore new opportunities, and expand my network.

Q: What will you gain from the fellowship, and how does it align with your career goals and aspirations?

Lee: At the retreat, I had the opportunity to connect with a diverse group of fellows — faculty of color, individuals of different genders, and professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and fields. Coming from an engineering background at Georgia Tech, I was primarily surrounded by people in that discipline, so it was exciting to engage with professors from arts, education, and psychology. Despite our different fields, we shared meaningful discussions about education.

In the construction industry, I want to see more diversity. One of my career goals is to recruit and retain more female students in this field, but beyond that, I want to create a more inclusive environment overall. The industry should be more welcoming not just to women, but also to the many non-English-speaking professionals who are part of the workforce. This fellowship aligns with my aspirations by providing a space to explore these challenges and collaborate on ways to foster a more inclusive, supportive industry.

Q: What will be the focus of your research?

Lee: My research will focus on a specific project delivery system that combines both the design and construction aspects of a project. It’s a collaborative approach, and based on that, an industry professional needs to understand different mentalities. Contractors in a construction firm should understand designers' mindsets just as much as designers should understand the construction industry.

I have also researched mental health issues within the construction industry. I worked with Psychology and Computer Science students to analyze more than 6,000 articles within Engineering News and the Engineering News Record that have been published over the past seven years. We analyzed how many articles mentioned mental health, and saw an increase in the mentioning of construction mental health following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: How does the fellowship relate to your work as a professor, and how do you anticipate you will bring this new experience and knowledge into your classroom at ��������?

Lee: Meeting faculty through the fellowship who are deeply engaged in their research, particularly on gender, has been incredibly inspiring. One of the topics that resonated with me most was mental health.I have already incorporated discussions on mental health into my classroom, particularly in courses like Senior Project Management and Safety. In construction, safety is a major focus, yet mental health is often overlooked. To address this, I share data from my research with students, not as material for exams, but as a way to highlight the critical role mental well-being plays in the industry. Through this fellowship, I hope to expand these discussions, bringing a more informed and inclusive perspective to my teaching at ��������.

Q: What kind of impact can the North Star Collective fellowship initiative have on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education?

Lee: It is a great opportunity to promote diverse faculty from other countries and backgrounds. It’s also helpful for our students to see the same figure as themselves so that we can actually act as a role model for them.

Q: What are you most looking forward to with this opportunity?

Lee: I want to conduct more practical research that directly relates to the construction industry, specifically exploring what motivates students to choose construction management as their major, why they stay, and whether they remain in the field after graduation. If they leave, is it due to a fundamental issue within the industry?

But my focus is not entirely on gender, it’s about understanding the younger generation’s interest in construction management and whether they see a long-term future in it. By identifying trends, I hope to bring valuable insights into the classroom, emphasizing the lessons that extend beyond the textbook.