Rate My Professor S. Hu

S. Jack Hu is the UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia, where he served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost from 2019 to 2025. He earned a BEng in 1983 and MEng in 1984 in mechanical engineering from Tianjin University, followed by an MS and PhD in 1990 in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. Before joining UGA, Hu progressed at the University of Michigan from postdoctoral research fellow in 1991 to assistant professor in 1995, associate professor in 1998, full professor in 2002, and Vice President for Research from 2015 to 2019, managing a research enterprise with over $1.5 billion in annual expenditures.

Hu's research specializations include advanced manufacturing systems, assembly modeling, statistical quality control, and materials joining and forming, particularly for automotive applications. His efforts have attracted more than $46 million in external funding from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, and industry partners such as General Motors. He has authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, several book chapters, government and industrial reports, and holds 10 patents that enhance manufacturing quality and productivity. Hu has advised over 65 doctoral and master’s students, many now in leadership positions in industry and academia. At UGA, he led initiatives like the Provost Task Force on Academic Excellence, advancing faculty recruitment in areas including artificial intelligence, data science, and precision agriculture. His influence extends through service on the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and promotion of innovation ecosystems. Major awards include election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2015, National Academy of Inventors Fellow in 2023, SME Gold Medal in 2017, ASME William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award in 2012, and recognition as one of the 20 most influential academics in smart manufacturing in 2021.