Dr. Francis Lee obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, followed by psychiatry residency training at the Payne Whitney Clinic of Weill Cornell Medicine. He completed further postdoctoral training in molecular neuroscience at the Skirball Institute of New York University and the University of California, San Francisco.

In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Lee directs the Lee Lab at Weill Cornell Medicine, a laboratory whose main area of research is in basic molecular and neural mechanisms that are relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders. In particular, his research is focused on using genetic models to delineate the role of growth factors, such as BDNF, in complex behaviors related to the pathophysiology and treatment of affective disorders.