Jung-Sook Lee's research focuses on the processes through which social and psychological factors interplay in creating barriers for the social advancement of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She is interested in developing interventions to facilitate their social advancement by targeting the processes. Jung-Sook Lee has been working on various research projects involving vulnerable children and their families. The projects explored topics of parental educational involvement, social environment of children, early prevention of aggressive behaviour among children, and student engagement at school. In addition to a masters and a doctoral degree in social work, Jung-Sook Lee has a degree in education (Masters of Arts in Education) and taught children for five years.

Lee receiver he Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.