$10 million gift from James F. Lu establishes program at university to support international PhD students
The University of Michigan College of Engineering announced the creation of the James F. Lu World Fellows Program, a transformative new initiative funded by an initial $10 million gift from entrepreneur, philanthropist, and U-M alumnus James F. Lu.
The program is designed to attract and support exceptional international students pursuing PhD degrees at Michigan Engineering, providing vital multi-year funding for research in fields such as medicine, computing, artificial intelligence, and space technology. Over the next five years, the merit-based fellowship will support up to 55 PhD candidates, each receiving as much as $150,000 in financial assistance.
“Attending the University of Michigan gave me a platform to launch my career as an entrepreneur building technology-driven businesses across multiple industries,” said Lu, co-founder and managing partner of Joffre Capital. “This fellowship is meant to ensure that Michigan remains a magnet for the world’s most talented doctoral students—especially at a time when international funding is increasingly difficult to secure.”
Lu emphasized that international students are vital contributors to the university’s global reputation and to the U.S. innovation economy. A 2025 report by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics found that most international PhD graduates remain in the United States five years after earning their degrees, fueling research and entrepreneurship across sectors.
“The strength of the U.S. research enterprise is fueled by PhD students,” said Karen A. Thole, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering. “This generous gift will help sustain that tradition, empowering Michigan Engineering to continue addressing the world’s most pressing challenges while preparing the next generation of engineering leaders.”
The inaugural cohort of James F. Lu World Fellows will arrive in Fall 2026, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the first PhD awarded by the University of Michigan—the first such degree ever conferred by a U.S. public university.
Looking ahead, Lu plans to expand the program to other schools and degree levels within the university. His prior gifts have supported scholarships, fellowships, and academic initiatives across U-M’s College of Engineering, Medical School, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and Office of Financial Aid.
A graduate of U-M with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science, Lu began his entrepreneurial journey while still on campus, founding Yoolin, a pioneering Chinese social media platform. He later co-founded Chegg, the education technology company that evolved from a textbook rental service into a global digital learning platform.
His career has since spanned leadership roles at NASA, Amazon Ads (formerly Amazon Marketing Services), and Baidu, where he served as Vice President overseeing the company’s content ecosystem before launching Joffre Capital in 2017. Lu also serves on the University of Michigan Provost Advisory Committee.
“Michigan helped shape my life and career,” Lu said. “This fellowship is my way of helping the next generation of global innovators find their own path—starting right here in Ann Arbor.”