Michael Lee is a researcher and practitioner whose expertise spans traditional media production and computer science. From his undergraduate through graduate studies, he focused on computer science (programming), media production, human–computer interaction (HCI), and video games. Before entering academia, he worked in South Korea as a director and technical director for a cable television program provider and a national network “super station.” He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Media at Ball State University, where he teaches media production, XR/3D design, and web development. He is an Adobe Certified Professional in video, web, Photoshop, and Illustrator. He also serves as the Director of Graduate Studies of the department and co-chair of the XR certificate program.

For his research, he is interested in how people respond to new forms of storytelling, such as interactive narratives. Works like Black Mirror on Netflix occupy a space between traditional linear video and fully interactive video games. By combining traditional storytelling techniques with communication technologies, these formats allow viewers/users to experience stories in different ways based on their preferences and personal traits. 
He is also interested in how people process and recognize realism in non-real spaces, such as virtual and imaginary worlds, often described in terms of inferential, cognitive, or social realism. In this line of work, he seeks to define believability as a form of social realism. He is further interested in what happens when social realism exceeds or falls short of expectations, particularly in relation to believability and the experience of uncanniness.