Ming-Chieh Lee
Associate Project Scientist, Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine
Biography
Ming-Chieh Lee, Ph.D., is Associate Project Scientist in the Program in Public Health at the University of California, Irvine. Lee received a Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Kansas State University in 2009. His research focuses on the spatial epidemiology of malaria transmission and the application of geographic information systems, remote sensing, and hydrologic modeling to understand and predict malaria vector ecology and disease transmission patterns in East Africa.
Lee has contributed to research on malaria transmission dynamics in Kenya and Ethiopia for over a decade, with particular emphasis on the impact of environmental modifications such as irrigation on vector populations and disease transmission. He serves as Data Management Core Director for a multi-site research program examining the epidemiology and vector biology of Anopheles stephensi across rural and urban landscapes in Ethiopia. His work integrates spatial analysis, machine learning, and hydrologic modeling to map malaria vector larval habitats and predict disease transmission risk in diverse ecological settings.
Lee has authored or co-authored over 125 peer-reviewed publications on malaria epidemiology, vector ecology, and disease surveillance. His research has examined topics including insecticide resistance in malaria vectors, the effectiveness of vector control interventions, asymptomatic malaria infections, and the role of human mobility in disease transmission. He received the ASABE Superior Paper Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in 2012.
Return to topEducation
- Ph.D. in Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, 2009
- M.S. in Agricultural Engineering, National Taiwan University, 1997
- B.S. in Agricultural Engineering, National Taiwan University, 1995
- Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science, Kansas State University, 2007
Distinctions
- ASABE Superior Paper Award, 2012
- Ministry of Education Outstanding Scholarship, 1996-1997
- The Presidential Award, 1995
- Honorary member, Alpha Epsilon - Agricultural Engineering Honorary Society, 2006
- Honorary fellow, Chi-Seng Water Management Research & Development Foundation, 1995
Areas of Expertise
- Malaria Epidemiology and Control
- Geographic Information Systems Applications
- Anopheles Mosquito Vector Ecology
- Hydrologic Modeling Integration
- Plasmodium Parasite Molecular Surveillance
- Insecticide Resistance Mechanisms
- Anopheles stephensi Invasion Dynamics
Recent Publications
- Li J, Lee M, Jiang A, Yan G, Hsu K, “Predicting environmental suitability and future spread range of An. stephensi in the Greater Horn of Africa using remote sensing and ensemble modeling” (opens in new tab), International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, vol. 146, pp. 105026, 2026.
- Getachew T, Zeynudin A, Degefa T, Lee MC, Yewhalaw D, “Impact of a large-scale fruit and vegetable irrigation scheme on the micro-epidemiology of malaria in southwest Ethiopia” (opens in new tab), BMC Public Health, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 2878, 2024.
- Zhou G, Lee MC, Wang X, Zhong D, Githeko AK, Yan G, “Mapping Potential Malaria Vector Larval Habitats for Larval Source Management in Western Kenya: Introduction to Multimodel Ensembling Approaches” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 110, no. 3, pp. 421-430, 2024.
- Jiang AL, Lee MC, Selvaraj P, Degefa T, Getachew H, Merga H, Yewhalaw D, Yan G, Hsu K, “Investigating the Impact of Irrigation on Malaria Vector Larval Habitats and Transmission Using a Hydrology-Based Model” (opens in new tab), Geohealth, vol. 7, no. 12, 2023.
- Jeang B, Lee MC, Embury P, Yewhalaw D, Narum D, King C, Tham WH, Kazura J, Yan G, Dent A, “Serological Markers of Exposure to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax Infection in Southwestern Ethiopia” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 108, no. 5, pp. 871-881, 2023.
- Yan G, Lee MC, Zhou G, Jiang AL, Degefa T, Zhong D, Wang X, Hemming-Schroeder E, Mukabana WR, Dent AE, King CL, Hsu K, Beeson J, Githure JI, Atieli H, Githeko AK, Yewhalaw D, Kazura JW, “Impact of Environmental Modifications on the Ecology, Epidemiology, and Pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax Malaria in East Africa” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 107, no. 4_Suppl, pp. 5-13, 2022.
- Zhou G, Lee MC, Wang X, Zhong D, Hemming-Schroeder E, Yan G, “An Adaptive Intervention Trial Design for Finding the Optimal Integrated Strategies for Malaria Control and Elimination in Africa: A Model Simulation Study” (opens in new tab), American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 105, no. 5, pp. 1173-1183, 2021.
- Jiang AL, Lee MC, Zhou G, Zhong D, Hawaria D, Kibret S, Yewhalaw D, Sanders BF, Yan G, Hsu K, “Predicting distribution of malaria vector larval habitats in Ethiopia by integrating distributed hydrologic modeling with remotely sensed data” (opens in new tab), Scientific Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 10150, 2021.
Most Cited Publications
- Degefa T, Githeko AK, Lee MC, Yan G, Yewhalaw D, “Patterns of human exposure to early evening and outdoor biting mosquitoes and residual malaria transmission in Ethiopia” (opens in new tab), Acta Tropica, vol. 216, pp. 105837, 2021.
- Zhou G, Lee MC, Githeko AK, Atieli HE, Yan G, “Insecticide-Treated Net Campaign and Malaria Transmission in Western Kenya: 2003-2015” (opens in new tab), Frontiers in public health, vol. 4, pp. 153, 2016.
- Dixit A, Lee MC, Goettsch B, Afrane Y, Githeko AK, Yan G, “Discovering the cost of care: consumer, provider, and retailer surveys shed light on the determinants of malaria health-seeking behaviours” (opens in new tab), Malaria journal, vol. 15, pp. 179, 2016.
- Zhou G, Lee MC, Atieli HE, Githure JI, Githeko AK, Kazura JW, Yan G, “Adaptive interventions for optimizing malaria control: an implementation study protocol for a block-cluster randomized, sequential multiple assignment trial” (opens in new tab), Trials, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 665, 2020.
Contact Information
Email: mingchil@uci.edu
Phone: (949) 824-0249
Address: 3501 Hewitt Hall
Return to topThis profile was created with the help of AI.
Last updated on 5/14/2026.