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A research team including Sang Hyun Lee, assistant professor in the College of Natural Science’s Department of Microbiology, recently had their work featured on the front cover of leading scientific journal Nature Physics.

While still at the University of Minnesota as a post-doctoral research assistant, Lee was first author on the study “Filamentous fungi control multiphase flow and fluid distribution in porous media,” which was the cover article of the Nov. 2025 edition of the journal. He joined the faculty of UMass Amherst in 2024 and now serves as PI of the Lee Group Biofluids Lab.

The study explores how filamentous fungi controls multiphase flow and fluid distribution in porous media. In short, they have identified mechanisms through which hydrophilic fungal hyphae can “push” non-aqueous phase liquids (oil-like phases) out of tiny spaces in soil and other porous media.

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“Fungi have been far less studied than bacterial systems in biology, engineering, and physics, despite their widespread importance in natural and engineered systems,” Lee explains. “Publication of this work as a cover article in Nature Physics reflects growing recognition that fungi are active drivers of physical processes, including multiphase flow and fluid organization in porous media. I believe this work helps open new interdisciplinary research directions within and beyond CNS and the Microbiology Department, connecting mycology, physics, and engineering.”

A more in-depth explanation of the study and Lee’s work can be found in this article published on the CNS website. The journal article can be found on the Nature Physics site.

Click here to learn more about the study.