She received her PhD from the Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
[2] Lee has diverse interests including invasion biology,[4][5] population genetics,[6] species distribution modelling and invertebrate physiology.
She was also the second woman Chief Scientist for land based science during a field season to Marion Island.
[3][7] She is works on projects to eradicate non-native plants and animals (including rats and reindeer)[8] from South Georgia, and then monitors ecosystem recovery after removal of these pest species.
[3][7] Lee was the first scientist from a South African Institute to be awarded a highly competitive Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) fellowship.