Chancellor S. Jack Hu
Tenth Chancellor, University of California, Riverside
Dr. S. Jack Hu began his appointment as the tenth chancellor of UC Riverside on July 15, 2025. He also holds an academic appointment as distinguished professor of mechanical engineering in the UCR Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Dr. Hu brings nearly four decades of experience in administrative leadership, education, research, and innovation to his role.
Prior to UCR, he served as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia, where he led the institution’s academic mission across 19 schools and colleges and oversaw instruction, research, public service and outreach, and information technology. Dr. Hu partnered with vice presidents, deans, and a provost task force on academic excellence to define new research initiatives and faculty hires, which led to centers and institutes to foster long-term, interdisciplinary collaboration. He also worked to strengthen enrollment planning across undergraduate, graduate, and online programs.
Previously, Dr. Hu served as vice president for research at the University of Michigan, overseeing a $1.5 billion research enterprise. He helped launch major interdisciplinary initiatives in data science and mobility technology, including Mcity, a public-private partnership for connected and automated vehicles. He also led the formation of several international partnerships for research and education.
A leader in manufacturing science, Dr. Hu has advanced the fields of assembly systems, materials joining, and quality control. His research has been supported by more than $46 million in funding from the federal agencies and major industry partners such as General Motors. He holds 10 U.S. patents and has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as conference papers, book chapters, and technical reports. His work has improved manufacturing systems quality and productivity in several industrial sectors.
Dr. Hu was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2015. He is an elected fellow of several leading organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the National Academy of Inventors, and the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP). He has received numerous honors for his contributions to manufacturing, including the DeVor/Kapoor Manufacturing Medal and the William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award from ASME, and the Gold Medal from SME. In 2021, SME named him one of the 20 most influential academics in smart manufacturing.
A first-generation student, Dr. Hu earned his bachelor’s degrees in engineering from Tianjin University in China before completing his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan.