Annette Lee

Annette S. Lee, DSc, PhD, MFA is an award-winning artist, scientist, and civic engagement leader whose unique talents connects ideas across seemingly impossible divides. She is a world-class researcher, professional artist, and keeper of traditional knowledge, with bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees in mathematics, physics, and astrophysics, as well as a bachelor and two master’s degrees in fine arts and motion media design, all from top universities, including Yale and Berkeley. Dr Lee has worked as an expert consultant for UNESCO, curated prestigious exhibitions, served as a world-class science communicator, and presented keynotes to organizations and at major conferences around the world.

After two decades of success in higher education including tenured full professor in Physics/Astronomy at St. Cloud State University and Planetarium Director, Lee recently stepped away from this role to work full-time as an independent artist-scientist. Currently she is the Executive Director of Native Skywatchers 501-c3 Nonprofit and continues as an Honorary/Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern Queensland in the Centre for Astrophysics in Australia.

Annette is mixed-race Native American of Lakota, Irish and Chinese

ancestry with Ojibwe community affiliation.