Leading UOW into the next 50 years

When Professor Max Lu AO officially took up his position as University of Wollongong (UOW) Vice-Chancellor and President in late May 2025, the University was already celebrating its 50th year as an independent institution, amid a significant operational transformation program.

No stranger to a challenge, Professor Lu embraced the opportunity to lead a university with a proud history, strong community roots and global reach, through its 50th year and into the next half-century.

Global experience finds a home in the Illawarra

From a young age, growing up in rural China in the 1970s, Professor Lu was interested in how things work and how they can be improved.

“Engineering seemed to me a very meaningful way to contribute to a better society by building things and improving people’s lives,” he said.

With the help of a scholarship, he came to Australia for the first time in 1987 to pursue a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Queensland: “My experience and studies in Australia changed my life.”

Over 20 years at the University of Queensland, Professor Lu rose through the academic and leadership ranks, as a pre-eminent researcher in nanotechnology, chemical engineering, and advanced materials

His expertise took him to be a lecturer in Singapore and visiting professor in the United States. And in 2016, he was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, where he led the UK institution for more than nine years of transformative growth.

During this time, he had kept his connection to Australia – or to UOW and the academics he had collaborated with throughout his career.

In 2018, Professor Max Lu was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science at UOW, which he described as a humbling and special experience.

With an international reputation for leading higher education with clear vision and enormous capacity for excellence and innovation, Professor Lu returned to Australia. Settling in Wollongong, he was happy to be close to his grown-up children again and ready for the “huge privilege and responsibility” of leading UOW into its next chapter.

A journey of listening, learning and action

“There’s something about walking along the Blue Mile in Wollongong, and across the UOW campus each morning, that fills me with energy and pride,” Professor Lu says of the daily routine he quickly developed upon taking up his new role. “The escarpment on one side, the ocean on the other, and in between a vibrant community of people full of ideas, warmth and care.”

In those first few months, Professor Lu was quietly focused on meeting as many members of the University community as he could, reflecting on that time as an energising, humbling and deeply rewarding whirlwind.

Early Start Discovery Space celebrated its 10th anniversary in August 2025.“In this short time, I have had the privilege of meeting hundreds of staff across our campuses and entities. Their commitment, dedication and passion for UOW have made a lasting impression on me. I am inspired by what we have achieved together already, and even more excited by the possibilities ahead.

“I’ve come to understand just how much insight lives in the quieter corners of our university, in the conversations that happen in labs, kitchens, corridors and courtyard cafés. I’ve always felt at ease in those kinds of spaces: informal, honest and grounded in the everyday.”

Since those first campus strolls, Professor Lu has become a friendly, familiar face around campus, chatting with students, staff, alumni and neighbours at numerous annual events and special occasions in celebration of 50 years of UOW. From Open Day and Graduation Week, to the launches of 50 Artists: 50 Years and the Energy Futures Zone at Science Space, and a massive 50th Anniversary Community Day, Professor Lu has been in amongst the action – while actively seeking opportunities to simply listen, connect and learn what is important to the University and its people.

Of his meetings on and off campus – with those across the Illawarra and beyond – he takes great confidence in the shared future of UOW and the regions we serve. “By working together, I know we can shape an even brighter future, one that changes lives, transforms society, and contributes to national productivity and prosperity.”

Because while we celebrate the achievements of the last 50 years, Professor Lu says: “Anniversaries are not only about looking back. They are about asking: what’s next?”

A bold and ambitious strategy

To answer that vital question, Professor Lu threw himself into the consultation process informing changes to how the University operates, and into refining the blueprint for UOW’s next chapter.

“Feedback and contributions from our staff have helped shape a more responsive, sustainable and future-focused operating model for our University," he said.

And it was launching the Vision 2035 and Strategic Plan 2030 in September that was a true highlight of Professor Lu’s year.

“By the time we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we aim to be ranked among the world’s top 100 universities,” he says. “Not for the number itself, but because it will reflect the quality of our education, the excellence of our research, and, above all, the contributions we make to society.

“At the heart of this vision are our students – the very reason we exist. I am proud that students helped shape this strategy, and I am excited to continue co-designing the future of UOW with them.”

Professor Lu is realistic, acknowledging the challenges ahead, with universities everywhere facing technological disruption, shifting demographics and financial pressures.

“But UOW has never shied away from challenges,” he says. “Our greatest strength lies in our people – their resilience, creativity and commitment.”

At the 50th Anniversary Awards, Professor Lu spoke about the generations that built UOW and the shared commitment of the people of Wollongong to make a difference in the community.In celebrating half a century of impact, Professor Lu is deeply grateful for those who built this university and those who will take it forward.

“The next 50 years will be shaped not just by strategies and rankings, but by the everyday acts of discovery, teaching and collaboration that make this place extraordinary.

And I, for one, am filled with optimism. Because if my time at UOW so far has shown me anything, it is that together with the people of this region – from Wollongong to Southwest Sydney – our best days still lie ahead.”