Sang-Hee Lee, a UC Riverside professor of anthropology, has been honored by the American Association of Biological Anthropologists, or AABA, for outstanding public engagement in the field.

Lee is the recipient of the 2025 AABA and Leakey Foundation Communication & Outreach Award in Honor of Camilla Smith. Noting the importance of promoting scientific literacy, the award recognizes public communication and educational outreach efforts in biological anthropology. The award was presented to Lee at the AABA conference on March 14 in Baltimore, which draws thousands of scientists and students from around the world.

“For more than a decade, Dr. Lee has been one of the most impactful researchers communicating the science of biological anthropology to the global public,” noted the association in an award announcement. “Her public influence is especially notable via the success of her YouTube channel and her Korean-language books for both children and adults.”

Lee said she was shocked to receive the nomination, let alone the award.

“It is quite amazing to be recognized,” she said. “My association has always been supportive and has recognized my contribution to reach global audiences.”

Lee is the author of four Korean-language books on human evolution including her first book published in 2015, which is in its 20th printing and has been translated into seven additional languages. 

She has also been featured in Korean media, including as a narrator in an award-winning documentary. She created two YouTube channels, one in English and the other in Korean, with nearly 100 videos on evolution with more than 11,000 subscribers. Her video lectures have received 10,000 to 500,000 views with some exceeding a million views.

Lee said she’s committed to communicating human evolution research, which can be a sensitive topic in Korean culture, to audiences through multiple venues.

“I still get emails from readers all over the world, who were surprised to read a fun and accessible book about human evolution,” she said.