Following a six-year tenure as the University of Georgia’s Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, S. Jack Hu has been named chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, effective July 15.

“With his strong background of experience at both the University of Georgia and the University of Michigan, I have no doubt that Dr. Hu is well prepared to lead the University of California, Riverside as its new chancellor,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I know you will join me in congratulating him and wishing him well in this exciting opportunity.”

As UGA’s chief academic officer, Hu worked to advance the university’s excellence in teaching, research, public service and outreach. The deans of the university’s 19 schools and colleges reported to him in addition to the vice presidents for instruction, research, public service and outreach, and information technology.

Shortly after joining UGA in July 2019, Hu launched the Provost Task Force on Academic Excellence. This initiative helped identify critical areas where the university could build on its strengths and maximize its impact on society, with an initial focus on research and graduate education.

The work of the task force helped to guide several faculty hiring initiatives, which have recruited world-class faculty to UGA in areas including integrative precision agriculture, environmental sciences, cybersecurity, data science, behavioral health, artificial intelligence and electric mobility.

Prior to his appointment at UGA, Hu was vice president for research at the University of Michigan, where he oversaw a research enterprise that generates annual expenditures exceeding $1.5 billion.

His research in assembly and materials joining and manufacturing systems has been supported by more than $46 million in external funding from agencies such as 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 as well as several book chapters, government and industrial reports. He holds 10 patents and worked closely with several industry partners to enhance manufacturing quality and productivity.

Hu is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and served 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 is the recipient of various awards, 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 named him one of the 20 most influential academics in smart manufacturing.

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