From Fields to Stars Eva Lee’s Journey

From Fields to Stars    Eva Lee’s Journey

Dr. Eva Lee in front of GeneTex Taiwan

She was the daughter of tenant farmers, yet she reached the heights of the scientific cosmos.

From a rural path in Kaohsiung to laboratories across Taiwan and America, Dr. Eva Lee co-discovered the world’s first tumor suppressor gene, RB, and made groundbreaking advances in breast cancer research published in the world’s top journals.

She became the first Asian female Chair of Biochemistry at UC Irvine, an Academician of Academia Sinica, and Chairwoman of GeneTex Inc., leading her team to global success — a legend among Chinese American women in science.

Humble Roots   Shining Spirit

Eva Lee was born in Yen Tsao, Kao Hsiung, a small village surrounded by fruit trees and rice fields.

Her father lost his father at six and worked as a farmhand through his youth. When he married, the dowry was only a single sack of rice — the seed of a family’s beginning. 

Her parents labored endlessly, farming and raising pigs to support eight children.

Humble Roots   Shining Spirit

Eva Lee was born in Yen Tsao, Kao Hsiung, a small village surrounded by fruit trees and rice fields.

Her father lost his father at six and worked as a farmhand through his youth. When he married, the dowry was only a single sack of rice — the seed of a family’s beginning. 

Her parents labored endlessly, farming and raising pigs to support eight children.

Dr. Eva Lee parents’ resilience lit her path.

She remembers her father walking two days to market just to buy piglets to raise and sell. Meals were often sweet-potato scraps. 

Once, she sighed that life was too hard, and he replied, “As long as you have parents, it’s not suffering.” The words rooted deep in her heart.

Her rare childhood joy was reading her brother’s borrowed books — Les Misérables, Little Women, Doctor Zhivago — stories that lit her imagination for a world beyond the fields.

Mist Road   Dawn Dream

Before sunrise, she rode seven kilometers through fog and mud to school. The croak of frogs and the hum of tires over wet earth were her daily companions — and the sound of a young girl tugging at destiny.

Once, she swerved to avoid a motorcycle and fell into a ditch, tearing her knee. “That scar,” she says, “is the mark of my growing up.” From that fall she learned: it isn’t falling that defines you — it’s how you rise.

At night, she studied under an oil lamp while her mother finished house work.

After junior high, she passed exams for Kao Hsiung Teachers College,Tainan Teachers College, and Tainan Girls’ High. 

Her father wanted her to in part there is no need to pay tuition; but she longed for university life. He didn’t speak to her for three months, but her determination moved him.

Each day she commuted two hours each way — bus, train, and feet — her persistence paving the road to a broader world.

 Study Path   Kindred Heart

After graduating from Tainan Girl’s High, she entered the Biology Department of National Taiwan Normal University.（NTNU）

She loved literature and science alike but knew research could change her fate.

Dr. Eva Lee (left) with college friend.

At NTNU, she met her classmate Wen-Hwa Lee — shared dreams blossomed into a lifelong partnership.

She remained on campus, pursuing graduate studies in biology while serving as a teaching assistant.

Dr. Eva Lee teached as a graduate assistant.

While pursuing her master’s and teaching, she helped translate Genetics with her two college classmates— a work that solidified her foundation for scientific research.

 Dr. Eva Lee with her mentor, Prof. Chu Ya-Nung. 

A year later, she resigned her teaching post and, carrying her three-year-old daughter, crossed the ocean to join her husband in the United States.

It was more than a journey —it changed the trajectory of her entire life.

Bitter Cup  Bright Flame

In 1978, Eva arrived in San Francisco on an F-2 visa. To help support the family, she worked at a laundry for one dollar an hour. 

One day, after sewing a button on a professor’s suit, he thanked her with a cup of coffee.“It was my first coffee ever,” she laughs. 

“I never knew something bitter could taste so sweet.”

That cup became her symbol of perseverance — bitter yet full of warmth.

With a full scholarship from UC Berkeley, she earned her Ph.D. in Cell Biology in just three years and three months — a triumph of will.

Dr. Eva Lee and Wen-Hwa Lee at their Ph.D. hooding ceremony

Gene Map  New Hope

As a postdoctoral researcher and Research Assistant Professor at UC San Diego, Eva and her husband studied cancer genetics.

In 1986, they isolated the first human tumor suppressor gene — RB — from blood cells and retinoblastoma cells.

The discovery revolutionized cancer research and proved that the code of disease could indeed be read and rewritten.

 “When that single line appeared on the gel,” she recalls, “I wept — it was the line of a new beginning and new research."

Dr. Eva Lee in the lab.

Loss Born   Love Renewed

Her sister’s death from breast cancer at 39 drove her to study the disease.

Her team found that incomplete Brca1 genes triggered tumor growth in mammary cells — but blocking progesterone receptors with Mifepristone could prevent tumors altogether.

Published in Science in 2006, the study opened a new path for breast-cancer prevention and earned her election to Academia Sinica.

Lead with Heart  Teach with Grace

In 2002, Eva joined UC Irvine’s Department of Biochemistry, and seven years later became its first Asian female chair.

 “Leadership isn’t about power,” she says. “It's a service.”

During her tenure, she recruited young scholars, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, and improved opportunities for women in science — raising both the spirit and ranking of her department nationwide. 

Dr. Eva Lee hosting faculty and guests as department chair.

Build with Mind   Trust with Work

In 1997, Wen-Hwa Lee co-founded GeneTex in Texas to bridge academia and industry.

Eva served as advisor, ensuring quality and scientific rigor.

 “Scientists may not know business,” she smiles, “but we know integrity and quality as these are the heart of science.”

As GeneTex’s reputation grew, it established GeneTex Taiwan in 2007. 

Eva became Chairwoman in 2017, leading its transformation and global expansion.

She launched the Academic Partnership Program with top Taiwan universities — providing antibody resources and research support. 

“We wanted to help young scientists lower costs and fuel their passion.”

Pass the Torch   Light the Way

After stepping down as Chairwoman, Eva continues to lecture and mentor, inspiring youth to pursue science with courage.

Through the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA) and invited lectures, she promotes international collaboration across Asia and the Americas.

Dr. Eva Lee speaking to students at China Medical University, Taiwan.

Her advice to young dreamers :

“Don’t fear humble beginnings. What matters is the direction you choose — and how far you’re willing to go.”

Root in Soil   Light in Heart

From the misty fields of Kaohsiung to the bright labs of California, from orchard paths to the universe of genes, Dr. Eva Lee has lived one truth:

Roots ground us in the earth, but light comes from within.

She is more than a scientist — she is a cultivator of dreams.

From the poorest soil, she grew sunflowers for the world to see.

Her footsteps guide the next generation, her story defines a legacy :

“Birth is not a boundary — it’s only the beginning.”