# Donghoon Lee

> Donghoon Lee is a scientist, co-founder and co-CEO of Omphalos Lifesciences, and a co-developer of its L++ biological modeling language. Trained at the University of Toronto, he held research appointments at Johns Hopkins and UT Southwestern before moving into company leadership. He leads product, partnerships and operations, teaches AI-assisted modeling, advises The Human Puzzle and co-chairs the Canadian Science Policy Centre’s Innovation Strategy Committee.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Omphalos Lifesciences Inc
- **Organizations:** Omphalos Lifesciences Inc, The Human Puzzle, Canadian Science Policy Centre, Life Sciences Career Development Syndicate, University of Toronto, Johns Hopkins University, UT Southwestern Medical Center
- **Education:** Honours BSc in Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, PhD in Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto
- **Known for:** Co-developer of L++., Co-authored a 2014 BioArchitecture commentary with Tony J. C. Harris on membrane growth in early Drosophila embryos., Led the 2026 Korea Life Modeling Workshop with 18 participants from four institutions.

## Career timeline

- **2005-2009** — Completed an honours BSc in Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto.
- **2009-2015** — Completed a PhD in Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto.
- **2015-2016** — Postdoctoral fellow in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University.
- **2016-2020** — Postdoctoral fellow in Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern.
- **2020-2024** — Instructor in Bioinformatics at UT Southwestern.
- **2024-09** — ORCID records the start of his CEO employment at Omphalos Lifesciences.
- **2025-09** — Began advising The Human Puzzle on translational science, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- **2026-01** — Began mentoring through the Life Sciences Career Development Syndicate, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- **2026-02** — Began serving on the Canadian Science Policy Centre’s Innovation Strategy Committee; its 2026 directory names him co-chair.
- **2026-05 to 2026-06** — Industry partner and instructor for the McMaster modeling pilot.
- **2026-07 to 2026-08** — Led the L++ Life Modeling Workshop in Korea.

## Achievements

- Co-developer of L++.
- Co-authored a 2014 BioArchitecture commentary with Tony J. C. Harris on membrane growth in early Drosophila embryos.
- Led the 2026 Korea Life Modeling Workshop with 18 participants from four institutions.
- Served as industry partner and instructor in the 2026 McMaster pilot with 12 participants.
- Co-chairs the Canadian Science Policy Centre’s Innovation Strategy Committee.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Omphalos announced completion of the L++ Life Modeling Workshop in Korea, led by Lee.
- **2026-06** — Omphalos completed its seven-week McMaster internship using an AI-assisted L++ workflow.
- **2026-02** — Omphalos was named a Hello Tomorrow Deep Tech Pioneer; Lee publicly discussed the company’s language and simulation work.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donghoon-m-lee/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/donghoon-lee
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-13