After a six-year period as the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Georgia, S. Jack Hu has been appointed chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, starting July 15.

“With his robust background from both the University of Georgia and the University of Michigan, I am confident that Dr. Hu is well-equipped to steer the University of California, Riverside as its new chancellor,” stated President Jere W. Morehead. “I trust you will join me in extending congratulations to him and wishing him success in this thrilling opportunity.”

As the chief academic officer at UGA, Hu focused on enhancing the university’s excellence in teaching, research, public service, and community engagement. The deans of the university’s 19 schools and colleges were accountable to him, along with the vice presidents for instruction, research, public service, outreach, and information technology.

Shortly after becoming part of UGA in July 2019, Hu initiated the Provost Task Force on Academic Excellence. This effort aimed to pinpoint essential areas where the university could leverage its strengths and amplify its societal impact, initially concentrating on research and graduate education.

The task force’s efforts guided multiple faculty recruitment initiatives, attracting top-tier faculty to UGA in fields such as integrative precision agriculture, environmental sciences, cybersecurity, data science, behavioral health, artificial intelligence, and electric mobility.

Before his role at UGA, Hu served as vice president for research at the University of Michigan, where he directed a research enterprise with annual expenditures surpassing $1.5 billion.

His investigations in assembly, materials joining, and manufacturing systems have received over $46 million in external funding from organizations like the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, as well as corporations such as General Motors. Hu has authored or co-authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed journal articles along with several book chapters, governmental, and industrial reports. He holds 10 patents and collaborated closely with numerous industry partners to improve manufacturing quality and efficiency.

Hu is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has participated as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board. He is an elected Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the National Academy of Inventors, and the International Academy for Production Engineering. He has received multiple accolades, including the William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award and the DeVor/Kapoor Manufacturing Medal from ASME, the SME Gold Medal, and several best paper awards. In 2021, SME recognized him as one of the 20 most influential scholars in smart manufacturing.

Hu obtained his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tianjin University in China and his master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

The article S. Jack Hu to depart UGA after six years as provost was initially published on UGA Today.