Attorneys

Patent Agent

Youngmin Lee Ph.D.

Alexandria, VA

404-739-8816

Youngmin Lee, Ph.D. is a Patent Agent who concentrates her practice on nanochemistry and renewable energy systems such as batteries and fuel cells, while her analytics experience spans across the areas of chemistry/polymer, advanced materials, chemical/mechanical engineering, biotechnology, food/beverage, telecommunications, optics, consumer goods, medical devices, electronics, loT, and artificial intelligence. She has a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Brown University, and post-doctoral research experience at MIT and NIST focused on sustainable energy systems.

Beyond patent drafting and prosecution experience, Youngmin led or participated in numerous IP consulting projects including IP landscaping, portfolio development, risk analysis, technology scouting, prior art search, and due diligence as an IP analyst. She also led technology transfer (licensing agreement negotiation) and patent strategy development at a bio-startup.

Capabilities

Practice Areas

Biotechnology/Life Sciences

Chemistry & Materials

Environmental, Energy & Sustainability

Intellectual Property & Technology

Patent Prosecution & Protection

Recent News, Articles & Speaking Engagements

Patent Strategies in Response to Recent U.S. Developments: Expected Changes and Filing Strategies

with Grant M. Ehrlich Ph.D., Stites & Harbison Client Alert, June 10, 2025

Southeast-based law firm poaches Cantor Colburn attorneys as part of CT, Northeast expansion

by Harriet Jones, Hartford Business Journal, October 14, 2024

with Grant M. Ehrlich Ph.D., Helena M. Lovick Ph.D., Samantha Page Ph.D., Kimberly Vines Ph.D. and Wanli Wu

Stites & Harbison Eyes Conn. Office With Patent Team Pickup

by Martin Bricketto, Law360, September 12, 2024

with Grant M. Ehrlich Ph.D., Helena M. Lovick Ph.D., Samantha Page Ph.D., Kimberly Vines Ph.D. and Wanli Wu

Talk of the Town: Stites & Harbison Expands Intellectual Property Practice With Addition of New Attorneys and Patent Agents

by Editor, Attorney At Law Magazine, September 11, 2024

with Grant M. Ehrlich Ph.D., Helena M. Lovick Ph.D., Samantha Page Ph.D., Kimberly Vines Ph.D. and Wanli Wu

IP Seminar for Korean Companies Entering the U.S.

Invited speaker, Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency under the Korean Intellectual Property Office, Atlanta, GA, May 20, 2024

Ph.D. Career Beyond Academia Series

Invited alumni speaker, Brown University, Career Center, Providence, RI, May 4, 2024

Patent Agent as a Career Presentation

Invited speaker, Georgia State University Chemistry Club, Atlanta, GA, March 20, 2023

Deconvoluting the Influences of 3D Structure on the Performance of Photoelectrodes for Solar-Driven Water Splitting

co-author with D.V. Esposito, H.P. Toon, P.M. Haney, N.Y. Labrador, T. Moffat, A.A. Talin, and V.A. Szalai, Sust. Energy Fuels, 1, 154, 2017

Design Considerations for Enhancing Absorpotion in Semiconductors on Metals Through Surface Plasmon Polaritron

co-author with C.D. Bohn, A. Agrawal, C.J. Choi, M.S. Davis, P.M. Haney, H.J. Lezec and V.A. Szalai, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 16, 6084, 2014

High-Resolution Photocurrent Microscopy Using Near-Field Cathodoluminescence of Quantum Dots

co-author with H.P. Yoon, C.D. Bohn, S.H. Ko, A.G. Gianfrancesco, J.S. Steckel, S. Coe-Sullivant, A.A. Talin, and N.B. Zhitenev, AIP Adv., 3, 062112, 2013

Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting with Plasmonic AI-based Nanostructures

Speaker, 20th Annual Sigma Xi Postdoctoral Poster Presentation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, February 27, 2013

Plasmonically Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting with AI-based Nanostructures

Speaker, 68th IUVSTA Workshop (Multifunctional Surface Engineering for Advanced Energy Applications, City University of Hong Kong, December 9-13, 2012

Synthesis and Activities of Rutile IrO2 and RuO2 Nanoparticles for Oxygen Evolution in Acid and Alkaline Solutions

co-author with J. Suntivich, K.J. May, E.E. Perry, and Y. Shao-Horn, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 3, 399, 2012

Self-Standing Positive Electrodes of Oxidized Few-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Light-Weight and High-Power Lithium Batteries

co-author with S.W. Lee, B.M. Gallant, N. Yoshida, D.Y. Kim, Y. Yamada, S. Noda, A. Yamada, and Y. Shao-Horn, Energy Environ. Sci., 5, 5437, 2012

Non-Crystallographic Atomic Arrangement Driven Enhancement of the Catalytic Activity of Au Nanoparticles

co-author with V. Patkov, S. Sun, and Y. Ren, J. Phys. Chem. C., 116, 26668, 2012

Development of Composite Nanocatalysts and Their Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity

Speaker, Materials Research Society (MRS) 2010 Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, Nov.29-Dec. 3, 2010

Synthetic Tuning of the Catalytic Properties of Au-Fe304 Nanoparticles

co-author with M.A. Garcia, N.A.F. Huls, and S. Sun, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 49, 1271, 2010

Surface- and Structure-Dependent Catalytic Activity of Au Nanoparticles for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Co-author with A. Loew and S. Sun, Chem. Mater., 22, 755, 2010

Structurally Ordered FePt Nanoparticles and Their Enhanced Catalysis for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

co-author with J. Kim and S. Sun, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 132, 4996

Recent Development of Active Nanoparticle Catalysts for Fuel Cell Reactions

Co-author with V. Mazumder and S. Sun, Adv. Funct. Mater., 20, 1224

Synthesis of Composite Nanoparticles and their Electrocatalytic Applications

Speaker, Gordon Research Conference (Electrochemistry) 2010, Ventura, CA, January 10-15, 2010

Synthesis of Monodisperse Au, Au-Fe304 Composite Nanoparticles and their Applications

Speaker, Materials Research Society (MRS) 2009 Spring Meeting, San Fransisco, CA, April 13-17, 2009

From Core/Shell Structured FePt/Fe304/MgO to Ferromagnetic FePt Nanoparticles

co-author with J. Kim, C. Rong, J. Liu and S. Sun, Chem. Mater., 20, 7242, 2008

Synthesis of Dumbbell-like Au-Fe304 Nanoparticles and their Applications

Speaker, IEEE Magnetic Society Summer School 2008, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, CO, August 3-9, 2008

A Facile Synthesis of Monodisperse Au Nanoparticles and Their Catalysis for CO Oxidation

co-author with S. Peng, C. Wang, H. Yin, S. Dai and S. Sun, Nano Res., 1, 229, 2008

Synthesis of Fe304-NM (NM: Au, Ag, AuAg) Dumbbell-like Nanoparticles

Speaker, Materials Research Society (MRS) 2007 Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, November 26-30, 2007

Synthesis of Monocubes and Their Enhanced Catalysis for Oxygen Reduction

co-author with C. Wang, H. Dalmon, J. Kim and S. Sun, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 129, 6974, 2007

Bar Admissions

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Memberships

Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)

,

Member

SEMI

,

Member

Education

Ph.D., Inorganic Chemistry,

2010

Brown University

Org / Honor

Department of Energy Research Assistantship (2009-10)

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Needs (GAANN) Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, (2007-09)

Teaching assistant for undergraduate level general chemistry laboratory (2006) and graduate level inorganic chemistry laboratory (2007)

B.S., Chemistry,

2006

Korea University

Org / Honor

Scholarship for Excellence in Academic Studies (2002-03)

Scholarship for Studying Abroad as an Exchange Student (2004-05)

NRC Post-doctoral Research,

2014

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Post-doctoral Research,

2011

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Exchange Student,

2004-05

University of British Columbia, Canada

Besides Stites & Harbison

Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Youngmin worked as a Patent Agent at a large intellectual property firm based in Hartford, CT (2022-24); Director of Strategy and Patent Technology at a bio startup focused on organ-on-a-chip manufacture and drug delivery, Atlanta, GA (2020-22); and Intellectual Property Analytics Leader at an IP consulting firm, Atlanta, GA (2014-19).

Beyond her IP practice, Youngmin has eight years of research experience including her doctoral research at Brown University centered on functional nanomaterial synthesis and applications, postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Li-ion/Li-air batteries, fuel cells, and solar-to-hydrogen water-splitting systems.

Languages

Korean

*Non-attorney

Accolades

National Research Council (NRC) Research Associate Fellowship (NIST), 2011-13

Best Poster Award (2nd prize), 68th International Union of Vacuum Science Technique and Applications (IUVSTA) Workshop, 2012

Contact Resources

Youngmin Lee Ph.D.'s PDF Youngmin Lee Ph.D.'s Contact VCF

Youngmin Lee's LinkedIn Profile

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Client Alerts

Patent Strategies in Response to Recent U.S. Developments: Expected Changes and Filing Strategies

Federal hiring freeze, return-to-office mandate, and layoffs The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has had a turbulent start to 2025. The U.S. administration issued an executive order implementing a federal hiring freeze on January 20, 2025. This action halted the USPTO’s plans to recruit approximately 800 new employees,...
by Grant M. Ehrlich Ph.D. and Youngmin Lee Ph.D.

June 10, 2025

Press Releases

Stites & Harbison Expands Intellectual Property Practice with Addition of New Attorneys and Patent Agents

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce the addition of three attorneys and three patent agents to the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Service Group. All of the individuals join from one of the nation’s largest full-service intellectual property law firms. With the additions, Stites & Harbison will...
by Stites & Harbison, PLLC

September 12, 2024